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Incumbent Kemp Hannon challenged by Roper-Simpson
"I have a commitment to the community," said Roper- Simpson about her bid to become a New York State Senator. "I want to be a voice for the voiceless. A lot of the issues that affect the working class are not being addressed by Albany." "We've accomplished a lot during my time in Albany and I want to continue that work," said Hannon. "I'm interested in lowering taxes on Long Island and bringing economic development to Nassau." Roper-Simpson is a practicing trial attorney. She has been a member of the PTA as well as Vice-President on the Uniondale School Board. Additionally, she volunteers with the Hempstead Boys and Girls Clubs, teaches religion at St. Martha's Church and works with mentally challenged and handicapped children. Roper-Simpson is a member of the Lions' Club and a lifelong member of the NAACP. She is running on the Democratic Line. Kemp Hannon, an attorney with a law degree from Fordham, was first elected to the New York State Senate in November 1989. In his last election, Hannon received 57 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Charles Ferzola. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the New York State Standing Committee on Health, the Chairperson of the Health Budget Subcommittee and serves as the Assistant Majority Whip. In 2006, he has also served on the committees for codes; corporations, authorities and commissions; elections; finance; judiciary; and rules. Additionally, Hannon serves on the Task Force on Streamlining and Simplifying Insurance Regulation with the National Conference of State Legislators and has also chaired that group's Health Committee. Interestingly enough, both candidates raise the same issues when discussing their campaigns. Roper- Simpson said improving health care, improving education by bringing more business and tax money to New York and bringing reform to Albany are the three main issues that she is campaigning on. Hannon stands on his record on those issues and cites his accomplishments as reasons why voters should re-elect him. "There are 2.7 million uninsured people in our state," said Roper-Simpson. "The government has to ensure that everyone has health care. People shouldn't have to choose between eating and medicine. If we had better health care, it would reduce the burden on employers. That would bring more businesses and more jobs and would lower property taxes. Tax incentives for health care would improve the system." "We've made health care coverage greater in New York," said Hannon, who stated that programs such Child Care Plus, Family Health Plus and the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage are examples of how health care coverage has expanded during his time in the Senate. "We've made the system more accountable and more accessible for the average person. We now have physician profiling and hospital profiling so that people can check on the credentials of their health providers." Additionally, Hannon has co-sponsored the Women's Health Care and Prevention Bill and sponsored legislation to require that insurance coverage cover mammograms for women at high risk and the insurance companies cover reconstructive surgery following mastectomies. He also helped to establish the Senate Medicaid Fraud Task Force. The high property taxes that are burdening Long Islanders are also an issue in this campaign. The candidates have different perspectives on this issue. "We need to bring more businesses back to New York State," said Roper-Simpson. "More businesses would mean more jobs and that would mean lower property taxes. Raising property taxes is not the way to create better funding for education." Having served on a board of education, Roper- Simpson is not in favor of cutting funds to education but believes there are other areas in the budget that can be reduced. "Budgets always have fat in them," said the candidate. "We've worked very hard and have brought in record amounts of state aid," said Hannon. "We've cut taxes and it is very distressing that all of a sudden as we've cut taxes, school districts are raising taxes. There needs to be greater governance of the schools." Hannon considers his support of the tax cuts of 2006 to be evidence of his commitment to lowering taxes. Among these tax cuts were the elimination of state sales tax on clothing and shoes under $110, the STAR program and enhanced STAR funding, the gas tax cap, the property tax rebate check, the elimination of the state marriage penalty tax, the new child tax credit, EPIC and the energy efficient and solar energy tax credits. Reform is also another theme for both candidates. Hannon contends that he has brought reform to Albany and that he has strengthened the work done by the Legislature. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Task Force on Government Reform and is responsible for reviewing Senate rules and the law making process. He is also the chairperson of the Council for State Government. "Albany has been very dysfunctional for years," states Roper-Simpson. "We need individuals who have new ideas. The Constitution is a skeleton that changes, as changes are needed. We've seen this with the civil rights movement and with women getting the right to vote. As changes are needed, why shouldn't elected officials change?"
The sixth New York State Senatorial District covers the central portion of Nassau County and extends into parts of Massapequa. All or part of Levittown, Farmingdale, Bethpage, Island Trees, Bethpage, Uniondale, Garden City, Hempstead, Franklin Square and Plainview are in district.
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