Re-elect Becker to seventh term

Francis X. Becker Jr., who is seeking a seventh term as the representative of Nassau County’s 6th Legislative District, says that his ability to help his constituents on a personal level, along with his desire to make bipartisan decisions in the coming years, makes him the ideal candidate for re-election. We believe that he has served his district well and will continue to do so, and the Herald endorses Becker.

He voted against the 2.5 percent energy tax that was enacted by the county earlier this year, calling it regressive and an imposition on already overtaxed residents. He said that the county must and will find other ways to cut spending without adding this burden to citizens and businesses. Becker has been vocal about fixing the county assessment system, which produces $100 million in refund payments every year. He also believes that additional savings can be found by better scrutinizing patronage jobs on the county payroll. If re-elected, we believe, Becker will continue to push these issues.

A Lynbrook resident, Becker is proud of the part he has played in local projects, citing the purchase of the family-owned Grossmann’s Farm in Malverne, on which the county intends to cultivate an organic farm and open an educational center. He helped push through bond funding for the creation of Centennial Park in Rockville Centre. He helped secured funds for the Wheeler Avenue streetscape project in Valley Stream. In a district that is almost entirely made up of incorporated villages, Becker has successfully fought to reinstate the villages’ share of the county sales tax revenue.

His challenger, Democrat Vincent Grasso of Valley Stream, says that, if elected, he would break the “dirty habit” of an ever-expanding county budget and create a spending plan based on need. Grasso has said he would call for a “sunset” provision on all county laws, which would ensure that legislation would be reviewed every three years to gauge its effectiveness. We agree that he has many good ideas, and we hope the Legislature will consider some of them. Nevertheless, we believe that in these difficult economic times, the county needs experienced leaders.

Given the range of serious financial challenges, there is no better time to look for more efficient ways of doing business. We believe that in the 6th District, Becker is the candidate best suited to this difficult but crucial work.