Election Day Guide

Tuesday is Election Day in New York state and throughout the country. Voters will be choosing members of the house of representatives and both of New York's U.S. Senators. Several statewide offices will be on the ballot including governor, attorney general and New York state comptroller. Locally, elections will be held in several assembly and state senate districts. Here's a look at the races and candidates on the ballot in the Massapequa area.

Local Offices:

US Congress NY State's 3rd District

Howard Kudler, Democrat – Howard Kudler moved to Merrick 10 years ago from Queens. He is a teacher and has two sons with his wife, who is an attorney.  Kudler holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY-New Paltz and a master's degree from St. John's University with a certificate in international law and affairs. If elected, Kudler, who captured 38 percent of the vote in his first run for office in 2008 against Assemblyman Dave McDonough, said he will fight to bring jobs and industry back to Long Island and rebuild its infrastructure. He said he will work to bring military troops home and opposes the privatization of Social Security.

Rep. Peter King, Republican – Peter King is a graduate of St. Francis College and the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is a lifelong resident of New York and has lived in Nassau County for more than 40 years. King and his wife, Rosemary, reside in Seaford. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. The three biggest issues facing the 3rd Congressional District, according to King, are jobs, taxes and terrorism. But terrorism is the issue that he is most associated with. If The Republicans retake the House, it is believed that he will become chairman of the homeland security committee. He opposes the new health care laws and wants to extend the Bush administration tax cuts.

New York State Senate (8th District)

Carol Gordon, Democrat – Carol Gordon, 57, is a longtime Massapequa resident. She has served as a mental health clinic manager and patient advocate at the Department of Veterans Affairs, working with veterans for 25 years.  In 2008, she became a member of the National Organization of Women and the chairwoman of the mentoring and education committee for Urban Financial Services Coalition of Long Island, which promotes financial literacy. If elected, Gordon says she will work to educate her constituents through the media, town hall meetings, and seminars. She favors a property tax cap, and would look to create jobs by  supporting more funding for community banks and credit unions to provide small business loans. 

State Senator Charles Fuschillo, Republican – Charles Fuschillo, 50, has authored several laws, including New York State's Telemarketer "Do Not Call" Registry law and "Leandra's Law," which makes it a felony to drive drunk with a child in the car. He holds a leadership role on the Senate's Transportation Committee as the ranking Republican member, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Civil Service and Pensions; Commerce, Economic Development & Small Business; Consumer Protection; Health; and Labor. He has been highly critical of the MTA Payroll tax and says the budget deficit should be addressed by  instituting a state spending cap, consolidating state agencies and by aggressively eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in dealing with Medicaid. He is in favor of a property tax cap.

New York State Senate (6th District):

Francesca Carlow, Democrat – Carlow and her husband have lived in the 6th senatorial district for more than 25 years and have two children She is a business owner who's served as president of the Plainview/Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce for seven years and continues to serve as an active board member. Carlow is currently second vice president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and has been on its board of directors for five years. She said she is running to serve the interests of the people and touts her campaign as a "grassroots movement to give Long Islanders the opportunity to take back their government." She says she would vote "No" to any  budget that doesn't give a fair share of tax revenues to Long Island school districts, and believes the state deficit can be lowered by conducting a full audit of every state agency to cut waste and abuse.

State Senator Kemp Hannon, Republican  Hannon, who lives in Garden City with his wife and twin daughters, has served the 6th senatorial district since 1989 and is also an attorney in private practice. He is the ranking member of the Senate Standing Committee on Health and is secretary of the Senate Conference. During his 20-plus year tenure, Hannon spearheaded the establishment of the Senate Medicaid Task Force, led the health committee of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and serves on NCSL's Health Policy forum, among other service. Before serving in the Senate, he was minority leader pro tempore in the Assembly. He believes that the way to create jobs in New York is to create a business friendly environment. He has favored cutting business taxes and giving aid to small business. He believes the deficit can be cut by reeling in Medicaid fraud.

New York State Assembly 12th District

Kevin Gorman, Democrat, Gorman is a small business owner who works for the Nassau County Board of Elections. He has made two unsuccessful attempts at running for public office, having campaigned to be Hempstead Town Supervisor and Hempstead Town Clerk. He lives in Wantagh. He believes the MTA Payroll tax is "unfair" to small business owners and favors a property tax cap. Gorman says he will look into promoting green technology as a way to bring jobs to Long Island. He is advocating a state spending freeze for one year while an independent group examines how state government operates.

Assemblyman Joseph Saladino, Jr., Republican,  Saladino has been a member of the Assembly since March 2004, when he won a special election for the seat. He is a former brodacast journalist and Director of Operations for the Town of Oyster Bay. He is a lifelong resident of Massapequa. He is in favor of decreasing property taxes for homeowners and businesses. He favors a property tax cap and wants to cut back on over-regulation of businesses to bring jobs to Long Island. He has proposed combining the New York State Thruway Authority with the Department of Transportation as a way to bring down the deficit. He has also advocated attacking Medicaid fraud and abuse.

Statewide offices: 

New York State Governor

Andrew Cuomo, Democrat, The son of former New York State Governor Mario Cuomo is the current state attorney general and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration. As governor, Cuomo says he will consolidate state government and focus on revitalizing New York by bringing in new jobs. Republican opponent Carl Paladino and others blame Cuomo's expansion of mortgage loans when he was HUD secretary for helping to fuel the housing crisis. Cuomo is running with Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy who will serve as Lieutenant Governor if elected.

Carl Paladino, Republican  A lawyer, real estate developer and Buffalo area businessman, Paladino defeated former Congressman Rick Lazio in the Republican primary. The focus of Paladino's campaign is overhaul in Albany. He says he plans to declare a fiscal state of emergency and will cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent by freezing compensation of state employees, among other budget trimming measures. Paladino has faced controversy during the campaign, accused of sending explicit e-mails and making offensive statements towards the homosexual community. The GOP candidate for Lieutenant Governor is Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards, who was actually chosen by Lazio to be his running mate and defeated Paladino's choice in  the primary.

Attorney General:

Eric T. Schneiderman, Democrat, Schneiderman received his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and Asian studies.  His law degree is from Harvard Law School. He served as deputy sheriff in Berkshire County, MA and from there went on to serve as an anti-crime, anti-drug advocate as an attorney and in the New York State Senate, getting elected in 1998. He won a tough primary battle, defeating three opponents including Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.  He says he will work with other states to fight illegal guns. He plans to start a securities fraud whistle blower program to protect investors. He says he will protect employee rights by fighting against the misclassification of workers in an attempt to underpay them.

Dan Donovan, Republican, The Staten Island district attorney, Donovan received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, where he majored in  criminal justice. He received his law degree from Fordham University Law School. He was a prosecutor for eight years in Manhattan and served as Staten Island Borough president in 2002. He has blasted Schneiderman claiming he's unqualified to clean up Albany, since he's been part of the state legislature for so long. Donovan says he will use the office of Attorney General to track terrorist money and fight to have jurisdiction over state corruption. He advocacates improving the use of technology to enforce orders of protection in domestic  violence cases.

State Comptroller:

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, Democrat, A Nassau County resident, DiNapoli became state comptroller in 2007. In 1972, when he was elected to the Mineola Board of Education, he was only 18 years old. He then served in the New York State Assembly for 20 years. He has also been an adjunct professor and a manager in the telecommunications industry. DiNapoli earned his Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University with a major in history. He received his Master's degree in management and urban policy from The New School University. He has been a critic of the state buget process and has taken steps to make the process more open.

Harry Wilson, Republican, Wilson, a native of Johnstown, NY, has been comptroller for Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group and Silver Point Capital. Wilson was the only Republican to serve on the president's Auto Task Force, where he advised both Presidents Bush and Obama on how to proceed with the overhaul of General Motors. He was opposed to the corporate bailout of car company Chrysler. Wilson is married with four children and lives in Westchester.

U.S. Senate Races:

Sen. Charles Schumer, Democrat  Schumer, New York's senior senator, was elected in 1998. Prior to being elected senator, Schumer spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. His voting record includes support for measures that discourage offshoring of American jobs, the creation of the Small Business Lending Fund Program and the health care public option (which he drafted).

Jay Townsend, Republican Townsend is a businessman who formed The Townsend Group, an advertising agency based in Orange County, in 1993. He has lashed out against what he has called "the Obama spending spree" and has been an outspoken critic of the recent health care plan supported by Schumer. If elected, Townsend has said he plans to vote to repeal it.

U.S. Senate Special Election:

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat Gillibrand says job creation and economic development are her highest priorities. She voted in February to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supported measures that provide tax cuts for middle class families. She also believes in increased access to healthcare, controlling medical costs and she supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the so-called public healthcare option. 

Joseph DioGuardi, Republican DioGuardi believes government spending is out of control and is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and budget reform. He also supports increased access to healthcare and controlling medical costs, but does not believe it should be legislated. Instead he believes that it should be accomplished within the private sector.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visithttp://www.vote411.org/pollfinder.php to find your local polling location.