Carl L. Marcellino, the Republican incumbent candidate for New York State Senate representing the Fifth Senatorial District, attended public schools in Queens. He earned both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from New York University and a Professional Diploma in Administration and Supervision from St. John's University.

After a 20-year career as a science teacher and administrator in the New York City school system, Marcellino was elected as the Town of Oyster Bay Town Clerk, a position he held until his Senate election.

Marcellino was also a member of the Syosset School Board and past president of the Syosset/Woodbury Rotary Club, a member of the Community Advisory Board of the Syosset Counseling Center, an honorary director of the Syosset Senior Day Care Center, Inc., an advisory board member of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, a trustee of the Giuseppe Verdi Lodge, Order Sons of Italy in America, a former commissioner of the Oyster Bay Housing Authority and the former vice-chairman of the Town of Oyster Bay Environmental Control Commission's Citizen Advisory Committee.

He was elected to represent the Fifth Senate District on March 14, 1995, after he won a special election. In Dec. 1995, Marcellino was named chairman of the New York State Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and has since compiled a lengthy record of legislation covering a broad range of issues.

Environmental legislation continues to be one of Marcellino's highest priorities. According to Marcellino, who is the chairman of the environmental committee in the Senate, four major pieces of legislation paced his agenda over the past year: the ban on MTBE, Acid Rain Legislation, Pesticide Neighbor Notification and Jet Ski controls.

Marcellino explained that when he got into office over five years ago, there was a $5 billion deficit and it took a lot of time to get out of that. "Clearly, we have to maintain the economic situation that the state is in right now," said Marcellino. "It is in good economic times and we have a surplus and that was not always the case. We have been able to put a record number of increases in aid to education for four straight years."

While Marcellino was in office, the EPIC program, which is a prescription drug program for seniors with modest income levels, was also increased. "We have literally almost doubled the number of seniors who are qualified for this type of aid and we are pleased to see that," said Marcellino.

A program was announced earlier this week with SUNY Stony Brook and Long Island University at Southampton to develop a Marine Sciences Laboratory. "We gave them the million-dollar grant and it will allow them to develop a lab to do science research on marine organisms and to get involved in the lobster situation because right now we are shipping the stuff out of state," said Marcellino. "We do not presently have a facility like that. That facility, which will be a joint program in the public and private education sector, will be on-line shortly," said Marcellino.

Another bill that is important to Marcellino is the Quality Childcare Act, which he is the prime sponsor of. "If you leave your child in a daycare center, you can be assured that everyone working in that center has been through a criminal background check and you will know that undesirables are not there," explained Marcellino. "Everyone who leaves their child will know that their child is in good hands and that the state is there to protect them."

There has been a great deal of controversy over the proposed mega-mall on the former Cerro Wire property. "I stood at the hearing and I opposed the Cerro Wire site and I opposed the project because it is too big - too much traffic and too many cars in too small a community. You can't do what you have to do there," said Marcellino.

Marcellino explained, from his experience as the Oyster Bay Town Clerk, that the town board has, in the past, turned down the project and negotiated a new plan. If the town board votes this proposal down, the Taubman Company is going to appeal, according to Marcellino, and then it is left up to the courts. "An example is the movie theatres in Hicksville," said Marcellino. "The town board turned them down and the builder appealed and offered to negotiate with the town, but the town refused. They thought they were going to win the case and they lost. They could have gotten half the number of theatres, but since the owners won, they got everything that they wanted."

This situation happened again in Jericho with the new B.J.'s shopping center. "That was for a special use permit, much like with what we have now with Cerro Wire," said Marcellino. "There were no negotiations and the developer won the lawsuit. There will be a movie theater now also."

"While I oppose what has been done [on the Cerro Wire Property], and I do because I feel the proposal is much too big, we all know that something is going to get built there," said Marcellino. "I said to the town board that night, take the opportunity because you are gambling with your citizens' future here. If they will negotiate, then you can come in with something more responsible and that means bringing in the community as well. It is not something that you do in private or behind closed doors. Otherwise, we leave it up to the courts and they may turn it down and Taubman gets everything he wanted. I happen to live over there. Those are my neighbors and friends and I do not want to see that mall built with that huge amount of traffic coming in there."

Marcellino has many plans for his future in Albany. He hopes to work on the superfund and Brownfield legislation. There are currently three different bills on brownfields. The governor has a bill, the environmental organizations have a bill and the business council has a bill on how to deal with a brown field.

"I am running a very positive campaign," said Marcellino. "I am not attacking anybody and I am not mentioning my opponent's name or attacking him. I am running a positive campaign as I have always done and I am running on my record which I think is a good one and I am hoping that the people of my Senate district will recognize that and reelect me based on that."

Marcellino and his wife Patricia, both long-time Syosset residents, have two children, Jean and Carl.