It is my sincere privilege to represent the residents of the 13th Legislative District in the Suffolk County Legislature. As your legislator, I welcome your concerns, your ideas, your problems and your questions so that I can serve you and your family effectively.

I have dedicated my energies to many projects in my eight years in the Legislature, including downtown revitalization, land preservation, environmental protection, tax stabilization, public safety and consumer protection. My staff and I are proud of our constituent service – making certain that government is responsive to the needs of the residents. Please feel free to contact my office with any Suffolk County question or concerns that you might have and we will be happy to assist you.

It is an honor to chair the Parks and Recreation Committee and to serve on the Economic Development, Higher Education & Energy and the Ways and Means Committees. During these hard pressed economic times, I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the rights of our residents are protected. My involvement with these committees provide me with a wealth of information and the guidance to best serve the residents of the 13th Legislative District, as well as those of Suffolk County.

I am pleased to have been able to preserve pristine property on the Nissequogue River, in Head of the Harbor and the historic Thomas Helme Mills house, which sits on more than two acres in St. James. In conjunction with the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County was able to acquire the development rights to Richter’s Orchard in Fort Salonga so that the property will be preserved as an orchard and community landmark.

Promoting downtown revitalization has been a passion of mine and I am thrilled that I have been able to secure funding for sewers in the town of Smithtown, which will benefit our downtown business districts. For several years, I have sponsored the Family Summer Concert Series at the Smithtown Library, which has been enjoyed by thousands of Long Islanders, many who patronize our fine dining establishments and shops.

My commitment to protecting the youth of our county prompted me to introduce legislation in 2007 to ban the sale of cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to anyone under 19 years of age. I am proud to say that this legislation was the first of its kind in the nation. In 2008, I sponsored another law aimed at prohibiting the sale and possession of Salvia Divinorium by youngsters under the age of 19. In addition, I proposed a measure establishing a public education campaign for Wireless AMBER Alerts. The first few hours are crucial in locating a missing child so I believe the more ways to communicate this tragedy, the better we are serving our community and safeguarding our children. Please sign up today at www.suffolkcountyny.gov so you can receive free wireless amber alerts on your cell phone or personal computer.

Throughout the years I have been working with area hospitals to provide residents with a “Take Back of Unwanted Medications” program. St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center has incorporated this program into their annual Health Fair and in 2009 Stony Brook University Medical Center held a one day event which collected over 500 pounds of medications. Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport takes back unwanted medications on a daily basis.