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Leg. Mejias attempts to dethrone Peter King
"The bedrock of the Third Congressional district is the middle class," said N. C. Leg. Dave Mejias, a county lawmaker since 2003. "They are ready for someone who cares about them after 14 years with Peter King, who has forgotten where he's come from." If Mejias is pinning his hopes for victory on convincing voters that I have lost touch, he'll lose", said King. "I clearly represent the middle class," said King who serves as Chairman of Homeland Security and sits on the International Relations Committee. "I come from this district and this is where most of my support comes from. I have my office in Massapequa Park." King has been a formidable opponent. He has been elected to Congress seven times with a higher plurality than any Congressional candidate on Long Island.
King, who is running on the Republican and Independent lines, says his opponent is throwing around Democratic rhetoric, and that doing so shows he doesn't understand the issues. "All of these allegations are not true and it proves that Mejias hasn't done the research and doesn't have the knowledge to do my job," said King. In fact King, who was first voted into public office in 1977 and later became Nassau County Comptroller, said he passed a Medicare Prescription bill in 2003 that gives seniors more options than ever so they can receive the coverage they need. "This bill saves (seniors) an average of $11,000 a year," he said, adding that a recent independent poll showed that 80 percent of the public was happy with the plan and the changes. "Can we improve it? Absolutely. But this is a great first step." Since he has been in office, veteran aid has increased by 70 percent in the last six years, and Head Start funding was never cut, said King. "We didn't cut that program, we updated the numbers because of financial fraud. It seems like the numbers are lower, but the funds are now just going towards the children." If he can't convince the voters that King isn't doing a good job, then Mejias hopes to convince them that King is a "yes man" for President Bush, whose approval ratings are at an all-time low, particularly in New York. "A vote with George Bush is a vote against the people, as far as I'm concerned," said Mejias who is running on the Democrat and Working Families ticket. Although King says he "thanks God every night that George Bush is President," he doesn't always agree with him. He points to his outspoken opposition to a controversial plan to have a Dubai company in charge of major American shipping ports, and was recognized by New York State Democratic Commissioner Bob Zimmerman, who called him "very effective at putting answers out there." Where they stand on immigration Both Mejias and King believe that if immigrants want to live in the United States, they should follow the rule of law. As the House and Congress debate the issues of immigration, border control and amnesty for illegal aliens, both candidates talked about their positions. "Twelve million illegal immigrants have entered the county on Peter King's watch because he voted not to crack down on employers who hire these illegal aliens," said Mejias. "These employers are not paying taxes, but are reaping the economic benefits; they should be fined." Mejias said that if you reduce the demand for these illegal workers, you reduce the supply. "We need to secure our borders and have labor inspections followed by jail time for those employers," said Mejias, a son of immigrants. "It's true that there are many illegal immigrants here," acknowledged King. "But not because of me. In fact, nothing was done about illegal immigration from 1986 to 2005 until I passed a bill to secure our borders and voted for denying illegal immigrants driver's licenses." As for amnesty, King refuses to even consider giving those who entered this country illegally amnesty until a 700- mile fence, additional border patrol agents and censors are all in place. "Take away the magnet, the jobs and you stop people from coming in illegally and perhaps some of the immigrants will leave," he said. "Then we can realistically see where we stand," said the Congressman who has lived in Nassau for 40 years. Mejias declined to discuss the issue of amnesty until something was done about immigrants entering the country illegally. LI's Offshore Wind Park From a national to a more local issue, the candidates discussed the federal regulations being established that would govern offshore wind farms. However, but the current proposal for the waters off Jones Beach have been exempted, leading many opponents of that major project to have concerns that Long Island's wind farm project. If allowed to move forward without meeting federal regulations, Long Islanders could end up with a costly and substandard projects. King said he is concerned primarily about the project's health and safety impact on residents. "Although I agree we need alternative energy, I am most concerned about the radar and underground cables for residents sake. That needs to be looked into, and need be, I would intercede on residents behalf." Mejias took a step back, saying he would first have to see the completed Environmental Impact Statement before making a decision about where he stood on the issue. Despite that he says he has a proven track record on the environment and is proud of the legislation that he has passed during his time in the county legislature. "I am proud of my environmental legislation, which includes banning the sale of arsenic-treated wood, a tax exemption for solar homes and banning ATV's from county parks and preserves," said the 35-year-old Mejias from North Massapequa, who was honored as an Enviro-leader by the N.Y. League of Conservation Voters' Long Island Chapter. He's also proud of how his office has reached out to the public holding approximately 60 Town Meetings to educate the public on major issues. "I am the American dream," said Mejias, the first Latino voted into Nassau County Legislature. "My mother came from Ecuador, my father came from Cuba, they met in an English class in Hempstead. I would like others to be able to afford that dream." King, whose long record includes passing a Tax Relief Act and securing border fences says he is most proud of the work he's done with 9/11 families working on their behalf to cut red tape for victim's compensation and doing other things to address some of their problems. "If reelected Iwill look to do everything I can to make New York more secure," said King, who is the author of three books and boxes in his spare time. "I don't want another 9/11." King, who has $1.2 in his campaign war chest, is among others, endorsed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Democrat who said King is the candidate who will best work to ensure national security. He is a member of many local clubs including the Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Sons of Italy, AMVETs and Catholic War Veterans. He is the recipient of distinguished awards from the National Federation of Independent Business and Civil Services Employees Association and FBI Emerald Society, to name a few. Mejias, whose campaign raised $344,044 as of the last filing, is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor, who had endorsed King for the last 14 years. A Farmingdale graduate, he is a member of the Farmingdale Rotary Club, the Concerned Citizens of Farmingdale and the Order of the Sons of Italy.
The Third Congressional district has 196,542 registered Republicans and 133,799 Democrats and covers areas from Massapequa and Amityville to West Babylon and Long Beach. Election day is Tuesday, November 7 with the polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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