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In 11th L.D., Barraga seeks re-election; his opponent is MIA Saying that he enjoys working on behalf of the people of Republican S.C. Leg. Tom Barraga (11th LD) is seeking re-election and is opposed by Democrat John R. Alberts who is running a non campaign, virtually giving Barraga a no pass this year "I enjoy what I'm doing and I have a good feeling of what the people in our district want," said Barraga. "The residents may not be sure what I do but they trust that I'll do what's in their best interests and they know my door is always open to them." After a long career in the state legislature, Barraga is seeking his second term as a county legislator. He considers taxes, cleaning up manufactured gas plants and the proposition to extend the Suffolk County's one-quarter percent drinking water protection program as major issues in Suffolk County government. "A taxpayer in our area works from January 1 through May 9 just to pay the tax bill," said Barraga, "New York is the number one state in local taxes and people are having difficulty meeting their mortgage payments." Barraga says that the burden is on legislators to approve a budget that is not higher than the rate of inflation. He states that in order to keep the budget and taxes in check, programs must be constantly evaluated with those that no longer serve the public or are not serving enough of the public, should be eliminated. "If there is a real need for a program, I'll do my best to get it, but not for something that is wanted but not needed," he said. "Government should try to get around in a Chevy not a Rolls Royce. I have not and will not support a budget that exceeds the rate of inflation. People can't afford it." With that philosophy, Barraga has strong reservations about County Proposition 1 on this year's ballot to extend the one-quarter cent sales tax to buy and preserve open space in the county. The proposition also allows for the county to sell bonds to speed up the process. "We already have an excellent program in place and the statute runs until 2013," said Barraga. "Why extend it until 2030 when we don't know what we will be facing in the future? Let's get to 2013 and address it then." Specifically, Barraga is concerned about the impact on taxes as the county will borrow $322 million over the next four years and have to pay back about $570 million, if the proposition is passed. Barraga favors working with the towns to increase the density so that more homes can be built and supports building housing and on odd-sized lots to provide more affordable housing. The incumbent is also in favor of legalizing two-family homes, believing that legitimizing them will create more density and allow the county to have a larger tax base. One issue that Barraga is particularly proud is the cleanup of the gas plant in Bay Shore. That facility is one of the biggest of the now defunct plants in Suffolk and is the only one to have started a clean up. "I worked very hard with Keyspan and now National Grid to clean up the entire facility. There is a plume under the ground. When something concerns the health and safety of our residents, it is a top priority." According to Barraga, National Grid (formerly Keyspan) has spent $50 million to begin clean up of this facility and will eventually spend $250-$300 million. Tom Barraga is running on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Working Families lines. He lives in West Islip with his wife of 40 years, Joanne. The couple has two daughters and five granddaughters, all of whom live in West Islip. Barraga was first elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 2005, when he defeated George Hafele with 63 percent of the vote. Prior to that, he served in the State Legislature from 1983-2005 and he previously was the Town Clerk in Islip from 1977 through 1982.
The 11th district covers West Islip, most of Bay Shore and portions of Brentwood and Fire Island. There are 42,071 registered voters. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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