The special election on Tues., July 29 is set to the backdrop of some real political drama. The seat was va­cated suddenly by former S.C. Leg. Elie Mystal who was "outed" for living outside of the district, and this week the Republican candidate Jordan Wilson was disowned by his party after campaigning for a Democrat to run against Republican Sen. Owen Johnson. (See related story, page 2). Beyond that, however, the three candidates each have a vision for the district that includes Amityville, North Amityville, and parts of North Babylon and Wyandanch. And they're out meeting constituents and trying to get their message out.

Independent Ed White Democrat DuWayne Gregory is Mystal's former aide. If elected, he said he'd hit the ground running Aug. 5 when the new legislator is sworn into office, working on several priorities.

One is to establish an offensive against gang violence in the district.

"We have to address this problem and bring the com­munity and law enforcement together," said Gregory. "Right now there is a lack of trust by the community to­ward the police that has to change and the police have to do a better job in communicating with the public." If elected Gregory said that he would hold community meetings and work with existing groups such as Stop the Violence in the Wyandanch area to form a cohesive ap­proach to reduce and eliminate gang activity.

Republican Jordan Wilson In addition, Gregory supports legislation recently pre­sented by S.C. Leg. Wayne Horsley, (D-Lindenhurst), to fund a study to determine if it is feasible to take a lawsuit against subprime mortgage lenders. With Suffolk hav­ing some of the highest percentages of foreclosures in the country, the 15th district has among the highest in the county.

"That means we are losing the pride of home owner­ship here and that is resulting in a loss of the American dream," said Gregory. "That translates into a depressed economy and a depressed community." If elected, Gregory said he would work to transfer more foreclosed properties to the town, which, in turn, would turn them over to not for profit organizations such as Hab­itat

for Humanity. After renovating, the homes would be sold to low-income families at below market prices.

Democrat DuWayne Gregory Most important, said Gregory, he would work to pro­mote the office as a resource for the public. "We cannot sit in our offices and wait for people to call or come in," he said. "Many families have two and three jobs to make ends meet." To help accomplish that, Gregory said he would hold regular "office hours" at libraries throughout the district at night and on weekends.

Republican Jordan Wilson said the 15th legislative district is in dire need of county capital work projects and that it has not, for many years, gotten its fair shaore of the capital improvement budget of more than $300 million.

"They (the County) should come in and redo roads and install a sewer district here," said Wilson, who called the residents of the area underserved. "Not only will that im­prove the area, but it will also get people back to work." Wilson said that 62 percent of the county is without sewers and that this is a project Suffolk can undertake to protect health and improve the economy.

With two health centers in the District, Wilson also said he'd begin working Aug. 5, if elected, to make certain that the county does not cut a single dollar of funding from these facilities and pass legislation that would require that the county's HMO utilize the centers to ensure their vi­ability. "These centers are very important in the commu­nity," he said. "There are a lot of people who can't go the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital."

Finally, Wilson said he'd review the distribution of county sales tax revenues to ensure that the 15th district is treated equitably. "Everyone in Amityville, North Ami­tyville, Wyandanch and North Babylon, is contributing to that fund, but I don't think they are getting their share back." Independent Ed White said taxes would be his first priority. If elected, he would reduce his $80,000 annual salary by ten percent and donate it every year to charity. "Government has to cut costs and we have to start some­where," said White. "I would start with my salary and shame all the other legislators into doing the same."

He'd also work to revitalize dilapidated build­ings in the district. One in particular on Strong Avenue, can be turned into a recreation center for young people. "We are not talking about anything elaborate," he said.

Like Gregory, he believes that the county should take abandoned and foreclosed properties and get them rehabilitated for low-income families. But, he said he believes the local churches are the ones to do that, not a 501C-3 non-profit corporation. "Some of these organiza­tions are great, but others spend a lot of money on paying very high salaries. They are as good as the people running them. I say, bring the churches in."

Finally, White said he'd focus time on the East Farm­ingdale area, which is an often forgotten portion of the 15th district. "I am promising them a revival there," said White. Their parks pale in comparison to others in our area and they should be treated the same way as every other part of the community."

White said he'd also work to bring funding to the Co­piague Youth league, which had been promised $20,000 from Mystal's office that never materialized. The fourth candidate is Lou Molinaro, who is running on the Conservative line. While he is on the ballot, Mo­linaro is supporting White.