Alfonse D'Amato

The voters spoke: They want an end to corruption

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Only 20 percent of Long Islanders voted in last week’s election, but they made sure their voices were heard loud and clear: They were sick of the corruption that has plagued politics at all levels of government.

In the race to replace Kathleen Rice as Nassau County district attorney, Democrat Madeline Singas defeated Republican Kate Murray by a wide margin, 57.9 to 42 percent, surprising many political insiders, including me. The fact that Singas won by 16 points, even as many polls had the race even going in to the election, made it clear that pollsters had overlooked the depth of concern about corruption that obviously resonated with the people of Nassau County.

As a longtime friend and supporter of Kate Murray, I have to say that I’m proud of her record. As supervisor of America’s largest township, she managed a municipal workforce of 2,000 and oversaw a budget of $430 million. In her 12 years at the helm, she reduced spending, taxes and the number of town employees, all while delivering top-notch services.

Ultimately, though, the issue of corruption on the state and local levels, in both parties, was too much for Murray to overcome. Singas ran an extremely disciplined campaign with a tough message that made the most of the true prosecutor-vs.-politician theme. As a result, Murray was unable to get the message across that she would have been tougher on crime.

At the same time, local media, particularly Newsday, launched a relentless campaign, trumpeting the recent corruption charges against State Sen. Dean Skelos and reported inside deals in Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay. Murray has always been regarded as an honest and trustworthy leader but, unfortunately, she was unable to distance herself.

The bottom line is that people are sick of political corruption, and I don’t blame them. Even Republicans who were loyal Murray supporters in the past wanted a professional prosecutor, and rejected a well-regarded public official.

Even voters in areas considered Republican strongholds supported Singas. In the Town of Hempstead, she received 55 percent of the vote; she earned 58 percent in the Town of Oyster Bay.

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