By now most of the people who follow politics have had an earful of stories about George Santos. There is no doubt that his fate will be decided soon enough. I have already commented on the failures of the screening system, but the Santos candidacy raises so many other issues of importance to all of us taxpayers and voters. In my mind, the biggest is the issue of what kind of people are running for public office today and are they interested in more than just a title and the power that goes with it?
I served in office at a time when we had great political leaders representing us at the federal and state level. Each and every day they worked tirelessly to pass legislation that would help Long Island become the great region that it is. Our fine park system and our mass transit services didn’t happen by accident. Our thriving hospital system didn’t succeed without elected officials who crafted laws to help those systems flourish. The programs for children in need didn’t appear overnight. Our excellent school system was the product of visionaries.
I have been frequently asked what is the difference between the time I served in government and the current government system? My answer is that once upon a time our officeholders would focus on what could be done over the next 10 years? Some candidates run for office because they only care about the next 10 minutes. I think we have some very dedicated people who currently serve us. This is the time for them to step forward and use their voice and their influence for our local needs.
Long Island currently has nine state senators. Seven are Republican and two are Democrats. The state Senate is controlled by the Democrats, but that doesn’t mean that the seven Republicans, working with the two Democrats, can’t be an effective voice for the bi-county area. The Long Island nine, as they should be called, can be effective if they work together. The need for a combined bi-partisan effort is critical because the Senate is controlled by mostly New York City progressives. The vast majority of the city legislators have little or no concern for the island, which makes the idea of a united front even more important.
It isn’t hard to lay out an agenda for the nine senators and the assembly members as well. In the past, our Long Island delegation was successful in getting our schools a fair share of state aid. The more money we got the lower the school taxes, which are already too high. Thanks to Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Long Island Expressway received a badly needed makeover. But we still have serious traffic problems in Nassau and Suffolk counties that can only be fixed with fresh dollars. Better roads also mean more jobs for our hardworking construction workers.
The vast majority of our readers do not rely on the Nassau Medical Center for their health care services. But the hospital is the only source of care for hundreds of thousands of indigent residents. The hospital has had its share of problems over the years due to mismanagement and political infighting, but it has to be kept alive and functioning. That is a challenge for all of our state legislators.
The fallout from the COVID epidemic cannot be ignored. There are still many residents suffering from long-term symptoms and they are a financial drain on our private hospital system. Ask any doctor who treats patients in local hospitals and they will tell you that there are heavy caseloads of flu and COVID patients still crowding the emergency rooms and occupying hospital beds. This continued epidemic is not a partisan issue. The lsland needs help from Albany.
Once upon a time when Long Island spoke, Albany listened. Now is that time. We do have the voices in our delegation that can be effective. It is time for those voices to speak up and stand up for the 3 million residents who need their leadership.
