Mark Gallo, Republican, with fiance Geraldine DeMeo. Like his Democratic opponent, Mark Gallo has served his country in the military. Like his opponent, he ran unsuccessfully for a school board seat, and like his opponent, he is seeking to now serve his community. The Lindenhurst Republican is running for the Town Board seat currently held by Democrat Dave Bishop who is not seeking reelection, and squares off against Copiague resident Jacqueline Gordon.

He agrees early on in a recent interview at his office, Patriot Security in Lindenhurst, that he is running against not only Gordon but also a powerful Demoratic Party in the Town of Babylon led by a wellliked and popular Town Supervisor, Democrat Steve Bellone. Yet, he believes he has something to offer the administration and the people of Babylon.

"This is a great Town and it has a good government, but the 40,000 registered Republicans in Babylon have no voice on that board," he said. "I would like to be their vocie and the voice of all of the people in Babylon and provide a different perspective."

Gallo grew up in Lindenhurst and graduated from Lindenhurst High School. He joined the United States Navy in 1986, and served in the Persian Gulf and throughout the world during his four-year military career.

Jacqueline Gordon, Democrat He returned home to Long Island and stayed in the Navy Reserves until 1999. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York and worked for both the United States Border Patrol and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, where he gained a lot of experience in security, public safety and immigration policy, he said. If elected, he would like to bring some of that expertise to the Town.

"Security is not only a national or state issue," he said. "it is a local issue and with my background in law enforcement and security I believe I can work with local officials and our federal representatives to make sure our community is safe." That could include conducting classes on security and anti-terrorism training for local law enforcement employees or bringing other programs to the Town that will educate and protect the public. "My background would help because I have insight into all of these issues," he said.

Voters can also expect Gallo to work to ensure that their tax money is being spent wisely, and that the services they are getting are the best. What they shouldn't expect from him, he said, is a negative campaign or a negative term on the board, if elected. "I would look forward to working with Steve Bellone and expressing a Republican point of view that is missing on the board now," he said.

Gallo squares off against Democrat Jacqueline Gordon of Copiague, a member of the U.S. Army and a veteran of Dessert Storm and the war in Iraq. She is a guidance counselor at WilsonT ech.

But on this bright September afternoon, Gallo sits in his office with reshly laundered security uniforms for his staff hanging in a nearby closet and a pile paperwork commanding his attention. He said he has spent the sum- mer boating and fishing- and proposing marriage to is girlfriend at Niagara Falls. Now he's settling down for an 8-week campaign, organizing his supporters and mapping out a strategy.

"She said yes," he said of his fiance. "Even in the heat of a campaign, she is not only allowing me to follow

my dream but is willing to follow it with me."