In this year's Democratic primary, Chuck Lavine defeated longtime incumbent David Sidikman and is running for the seat in the 13th A.D. on the Democratic line. Lavine, a longtime criminal defense attorney, is the handpicked choice of Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi and is part of Suozzi's "Fix Albany" campaign.

Lavine is currently a Glen Cove City Councilman, having been appointed by Mayor Mary Ann Holzkamp to fill a vacated position, then winning election in 2003. Lavine has served on the Glen Cove Planning Board, and as attorney for both the city's Industrial Development Agency and Community Development Agency. He also served with the Coalition for Glen Cove and twice as general council for the North Country Reform Temple. He belongs to the American Bar Association, NYS Bar Association, National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers, Queens City Bar Association, is vice chairman of the Federal Courts Committee and an instructor at the Cardozo Law School's Intensive Trial Advocacy Program.

Lavine states that his reasons for running at this time are "to help bring about change in order to reform what is a dysfunctional state government." He added, "I think the combination of my government experience and experience in community organizations added to the experience I have gained as a lawyer handling extraordinarily difficult cases over the past 30 years makes me the most qualified individual for the job."

If elected, Lavine says his goals are to fight for delivery of an on-time budget, fight to relieve the undue property tax burden on Nassau County and fight to bring about basic reforms that have long been needed to make Albany responsive to the needs of its citizens. On the budget, he quipped, "The last time a budget came in on time was 20 years ago; friends of Teddy Roosevelt were alive." On the tax issue, he noted that New York residents pay local taxes, typically property taxes, that are 72 percent higher than any other state in the nation and that New York is only one of two states that requires its counties to share the expenses of Medicaid.

Lavine said he is prepared to fight to get more money from the state for public education, stating, "The national average has states paying for 57 percent of public education costs. New York State on average pays 47 percent, with the difference being shouldered by taxpayers, giving us untenably high property taxes. We have to fight for a more equitable way to fund public education. It is the state's responsibility to pay for public education. This is no gift from Albany."

Specific to Glen Cove is the problem of inequality of the combined wealth ratio. To alleviate this, Lavine feels it is time for the legislature to demand that the formula through which public funding is determined be changed to reflect the modern world.

Lavine believes there is a pressing need for a more responsive legislature. "Right now it is reactive, not proactive. By the time the legislature gets around to acting on the problem, it's history, and new problems are developing," he said.

On the environment, Lavine said he will push for ways to fight for emission control and to reduce acid rain, which we inherit from western states. "I want to leave the environment safer and more protected than we received it," he said.

The 13th Assembly District includes East Hills, portions of Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, Glenwood Landing, parts of Glen Head, the City of Glen Cove, some of Lattingtown, Bayville, Center Island, Mill Neck, portions of Oyster Bay, Syosset, Woodbury, Jericho, Plainview, Old Bethpage, Westbury, New Cassel and a little bit of Hicksville. Lavine states he enjoys the complexity of the area. "This district encompasses people of considerable means and those who are fighting to just get by. The great diversity of the area is what I find most interesting," he said.

Lavine is proud that his primary victory has played a significant role in stimulating reform. Since his win, 17 influential legislators have begun calling for the reforms he supports.

Lavine summed up, " I am prepared to stand up and demand the government do what must be done. Our legislature has not been doing that. I have always worked on everyday issues. The interests of constituents has been and will continue to be first and foremost to me."

Lavine has lived in Glen Cove for 25 years. He and his wife Ronnie have two children.

Phillip L. Sciarillo, a newcomer to politics, is running for assemblyman in the 13th A.D. on the Republican and Conservative lines against Chuck Lavine. However, Sciarillo points out that he feels he is "running more against Tom Suozzi than Lavine. Everything you read about Lavine pertains as much to Suozzi and his 'Fix Albany' campaign. It's great to have ambition, but maybe we should fix Nassau County first."

Sciarillo is a newspaper publisher and editor in chief of SP Publications, and a man of much community service. He was just named humanitarian of the year by the HEED Foundation (Help End Eating Disorders). He works with the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Suffolk County Girl Scouts, Breast Cancer Help, Veterans Emergency Transportation Services, Veterans Youth Drug and Alcohol Prevention and the Sweetbriar Nature Preserve, to name a few.

Sciarillo says his main reason for running now is the big issue of big taxes. "I'm a businessman and I believe there are too many lawyers running things in the legislature who are not qualified to do the job. People don't want decisions based on law, but based on record. Medicaid is Suozzi's big issue. I've looked into his idea of fixing it. It ends up that for every $1 the county saves, it costs taxpayers $4, most of which comes from New York City. Suozzi says he won't raise [real estate] taxes, but there are different ways to charge taxpayers, for instance, the automobile surcharge." Noting that taxes in the district have more than doubled in the past 15 years, Sciarillo states that lowering taxes will make it possible for young people to buy homes on Long Island and reverse the exodus of young people the Island currently faces.

If elected, Sciarillo said he would strive to provide affordable health care and prescription drugs, especially for senior citizens. He states he is in favor of people being able to buy prescriptions online, or to send away, even to Canada, if a prescription is more affordable. "The problem is not drug stores, it's the pharmaceutical companies. Let's put pressure on them," he said. He also feels a need to get more funding for education, believing Nassau County is not getting its share, as most tax money goes to New York City. "Monies go into one general fund. I want to be sure New York City has a separate school fund. School funding should be able to go where the need is," he stated. Sciarillo would like to see auditing of all school budgets. "A lot of money goes into administration," he said, adding, "New York is one of just a few states that depends on real estate taxes for the education system. We have one of the best education systems...we just need more funding for our schools."

Presentation of an on-time budget is of concern to the candidate. "I believe that if a budget is not passed within 72 hours of the deadline, we should automatically revert back to last year's budget, so school districts can proceed knowing what they are getting in state aid," he said. "I also support an assembly open rules budget committee, prohibiting action on all bills if a budget is not passed and I believe legislators should not be paid for the time the budget is not passed. There are currently three different budgets, one from the governor, one from the assembly and one from the senate. Let's have one figure from the state comptroller and work from that."

An advantage Sciarillo feels he has is that he can "make a lot of noise on both ends of the aisle. I have friends in all areas. The governor welcomes me. The assembly welcomes me and the senate welcomes me. I can be very bipartisan. I'm not about party lines, I'm about getting things done."

Sciarillo enjoys life on Long Island, finding it beautiful and relaxing, saying about the district, "The 13th A.D. is a changing district. I see more young people moving in. But I also see a lot of the district going downhill and that needs to be reversed."

Sciarillo promises an open door policy. "My main concern is constituent services and I want people to feel they can come to me with problems on any level. If I can't help them, I'll direct them to the person who can. I use a lot of common sense, which attorneys don't have. I don't just see what's on paper," he said.

Sciarillo lives in Woodbury with his wife Marla and daughter Rachel. The couple has seven other children, all grown.