Kathleen Rice ascended to the district attorney’s post four years ago as a virtual unknown -- a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney who had never run for political office before. Back then, she appeared a tad unsure of herself, slightly nervous in her interviews with the Herald. And why not? She was opposing the legendary Denis Dillon, who had served as Nassau County district attorney for 31 years. Despite being a political neophyte, Rice ran a strong campaign, and was elected with 51 percent of the vote to Dillon’s 49 percent. Four years later, we’re happy that Rice was elected. She has proven herself to be a consummate professional who only improved an already well-run D.A.’s office. Cases are processed nearly twice as fast as they once were. Conviction rates are up. And Rice has garnered a national reputation for her aggressive stance against driving while intoxicated. Many now call her the toughest DWI prosecutor in the country. more

It’s hard to argue with a track record like that of Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat from Glen Cove. Over the past eight years, he took a fiscally mismanaged, virtually insolvent county and turned it around, consistently balancing a budget that seemingly could not be balanced. Suozzi saved money by cutting the county work force by 1,000 employees and instituting tried-and-true management practices that were previously nonexistent. At the same time, he has put in place a host of programs to improve residents’ quality of life, from smoking-cessation regimens to energy-efficiency incentives. more

The race for Nassau County district attorney pits one-term Democratic incumbent Kathleen Rice, a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney, against Republican Joy Watson, a former assistant Nassau County district attorney who is now a law clerk for a county Supreme Court justice. more

Essential services and property taxes are often in the forefront of the issues in the Town of Hempstead, but in this year’s race for supervisor, the rhetoric has shifted toward the proposed … more

In what is becoming an increasingly bitter, partisan battle, Nassau County Legislator Ed Mangano, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Thomas Suozzi for the county executive’s seat. The race appears to boil down to three key issues: property taxes, a recently imposed 2.5 percent energy tax and the county’s troubled property-tax assessment system. Mangano is challenging Suozzi’s handling of all three issues, while Suozzi fires back that the county has consistently balanced its budget while improving its bond rating, which reduces the interest the county must pay when it bonds money for any number of projects. more

In the race for Hempstead town clerk, incumbent Mark Bonilla, a Republican, is being challenged by political newcomer Anthony Rattoballi, a Democrat. more

In the 8th District this year, voters have a choice between a man they’ve come to know as their legislator for more than a decade and an untested challenger. more

John Ciotti and Nina Petraro Bastardi, who are facing off for Ciotti’s 3rd District seat in the county Legislature, agree that taxes are out of control in Nassau County. more

George Maragos, CEO of a financial services business, is challenging two-term incumbent Howard Weitzman in the race for Nassau County comptroller. Maragos said that the county’s finances have been poorly managed for the past eight years, and he believes his experience can bring needed change. more

As summer fades to a memory and the leaves start to turn, civic-minded local residents are beginning to think about election season. more