New York State Senator Carl Marcellino is campaigning to keep his job of 10 years saying, "It's the best job I've ever had." To voters he says, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" in Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi's crusade to 'change Albany,' I'm already changing Albany."

The senator has been working on a law to change the Legislative budget process. "April is too soon to actually do a budget and for the legislators to respond to it. We have proposed to move it to May. It gives us more time and since it's after April 15, tax day, we then know what kind of money we have, including the sales tax money. The Senate has passed the bill for nine years and this year the Assembly has finally joined us. We are going to change the constitution, " he said.

"The bill is waiting for a second vote to change the constitution and in November 2005, the public will vote on it. If passed it automatically makes the current budget next year's budget which guarantees that the basic things government has to do moves forward, then the legislature can make adjustments to amend that budget. We set up an independent budget review group that will tell us how much money there is in the budget; as well as a two-year education budget so the school districts can plan ahead. Once we make this change everything will move forward," he said.

"The senate also started joint conference committees for the budget process to be done in a bipartisan way and a bipartisan conference committee to deal with legislation. It takes politics and personality out of the picture and resolves road blocks," he said.

Mr. Marcellino has written 71 new environmental laws including: Brownfields Superfund; Breast Cancer Registry; Pesticide Notification; ban of MTBE in gasoline; preserved over 350 acres in the 5th Senate District; created three new state parks: the Trailview State Park from Bethpage Parkway to Cold Spring Harbor Park. He is in the negotiation process to make the Oyster Bay Harbor Western Waterfront a state park. The goal is to create a "people friendly park" and to avoid the negotiations that must go on between the Town of Oyster Bay and the NYS DEC as long as both are in charge. "Having one entity and one person to talk to will change public access without changing what is there now," he said.

He has created new libraries in Elwood, Cold Spring Harbor, and Glen Head. His legislations include: reforms for day care centers and day care safety; sponsored the 1996 Clean Air, Clean Water Bond Act; banned the use of cell phones while driving and created Stephanie's Law to stop the act of video voyeurism.

The senator is working to build up a biotech industry on Long Island, with Cold Spring Laboratory, SUNY Farmingdale, Stony Brook and Hofstra to develop a biotech incubator system. "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories develop many patents in their research that sometimes turn into small businesses and we'd like to give them a chance to grow," he said. They have built a facility on the Farmingdale Campus, to house these small businesses and allow them to grow and become financially healthy enough to move out on their own. There, students get on-the-job experience and learn the biotech business.

"The governor has set a priority to develop a bio-tech corridor in the state, in Buffalo, Albany, the mid-Hudson Valley and one down here. The state has given $71 million matched by the private sector to create $250 million to keep jobs here in New York State. Jobs with a real future, good high paying jobs for people who want to live and work on Long Island and to keep our kids here so we can maintain our economy," Mr. Marcellino said.

He said with things going so well for Long Islanders the biggest problem is that too many people want to live here and we need regional planning now. "Regional planning with government and local people is a must and I've been doing whatever I can by bringing in grants and funding for this kind of imperative, it's so important. I just hope everyone recognizes I've been here and working for them and I hope they want me to continue to be their senator and that they will vote for me on Nov. 2," he said.

Charles A. Brisbane, a lifelong North Shore resident and a third generation Long Islander, is running for election in the Fifth Senatorial District on the Democratic Party Line. Although he has no previous political experience, he said he has formed strong ties to his community through his volunteer and professional work.

Brisbane said that he gives back to his community through dedicated volunteer work. He has been president of the Matinecock Neighborhood Association (MNA), the oldest civic association in Locust Valley, for five years, and has been involved in the Association for eight.

The MNA recently secured resources to improve and maintain the AME Church cemetery on Piping Rock Road, honoring local residents and veterans who fought in the Civil and later wars. He is currently working on the renovation of the Locust Valley Train Station Police Booth. In the past year alone, the MNA has implemented various neighborhood projects that support the local Fire Department, Library, Sheltering Program, Boys & Girls Club, and the American Legion. The association also awards monetary scholarships to outstanding local high school seniors each year.

Brisbane is also very involved in his church, St. John's of Lattingtown, serving as warden and vestryman. He is a licensed lay minister and reader, and has worked on the Capital Campaign Committee to improve and expand the church building. He currently heads the Search Committee for a new rector. Once a month during winter, Brisbane volunteers on an overnight shift for the North Shore Sheltering Program for the homeless.

Brisbane was elected a trustee of the Village of Matinecock on June 15 after serving by appointment for three months. As a trustee and road commissioner, he administers the maintenance of public works services and village code enforcement.

Brisbane continues a 200-year long family tradition in real estate. He is a real estate broker with Daniel Gale Associates. Before joining his current firm, he worked for Piping Rock Associates, Douglas Elliman-Gibbons & Ives, and is the proprietor of his own real estate management firm, Charles A. Brisbane, Inc. Brisbane was the operations manager for P.J. Clarke's, Inc., where he gained experience in financial accounting, business expansion, and resource management.

Brisbane got to know his local politicians through his work as a village official. "Through my conversations with them, I grew to better understand how the complicated mix of local governments work to either provide or not provide services to local residents," said Brisbane, who explained that this was one of the main reasons he decided to run. He said he has realized, through his campaign trails, that most local residents don't understand the branches of local government. "People should know what local elected officials are doing for them and who to turn to if they have an issue in their community," said Brisbane.

Brisbane points out five main topics he plans to focus on if elected next month: He said he will oppose tax increases, fight to reform New York state government, make sure the schools are properly funded, work to end the spilling of raw sewage into local bays and also work to protect a woman's right to choose.

Brisbane, a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, said as a real estate broker, he is obligated to know what is going on with property taxes and the information he learned alarmed him.

"We pay the highest local taxes in the country - 72 percent above the national average," said Brisbane. "As your state senator, I will fight for reform in Albany and send a strong message to the entrenched incumbents that we will no longer stand by and watch a broken system place increasing burdens on our local taxpayers."

Brisbane has been endorsed by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.

Brisbane holds a bachelor of arts in economics from CW Post College/Long Island University, and an associate degree in aviation management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a licensed commercial seaplane pilot with an instrument rating.

Brisbane and his wife, Debbie, have been married for 16 years. Debbie is also involved in community affairs, as president of the Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club and a member of the Green Vale School Board of Trustees. They live with their two daughters in Locust Valley.