A rematch for the 5th Senate District seat

The State Senate race between longtime Republican incumbent Carl L. Marcellino and Democratic challenger Larry Silverman features a rematch from 10 years ago that largely splits on how both men define reform.

Silverman made his reputation as the chairman of a Long Island Rail Road watchdog group, a position he was later ousted from by Republican Gov. George Pataki. He says Marcellino, who's running for his eighth term, is "part of the Senate club."

"He hasn't been proactive in helping solve the state's fiscal problems," Silverman said.

Marcellino blames Democrats in the state Assembly for creating budget problems and gridlock. He says he supports ethics reforms, including a pledge written by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat.

"If you're going to throw people out, you've got to throw out the right people," Marcellino said. "Sometimes there are people who are doing the right thing."

Push for renewable energy

Marcellino, 67, of Syosset, has represented the 5th Senate District - which stretches across Nassau and Suffolk counties from Glen Cove to Fort Salonga - since winning a special election in 1995.

GOP voters outnumber Democrats in the district, but only slightly.

The district has 73,599 Republicans, 71,572 Democrats and 11,187 voters registered with four smaller parties.

Marcellino was born in Brooklyn and worked for about 20 years as a science teacher and administrator in the New York City school system.

He became Oyster Bay town clerk in 1987 before his election to the Senate.

He is also running on the Independent, Conservative and Tax Revolt party lines.

Marcellino chaired the Senate's environmental conservation committee from 1995 until Democrats won a majority in 2008.

His legislative work includes bills on brownfields, pesticide notification and the removal of MTBE from gasoline.

He's obtained state grants to help local agencies buy and maintain open space, including on Oyster Bay's "western waterfront."

If re-elected, Marcellino says, he will push to expand renewable energy programs and other environmental laws.

"I have written more laws than any senator in the history of the state on environmental issues," Marcellino said.

Served on MTA board

Silverman, 59, who is also running on the Working Families line, grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Huntington.

He works as an attorney in Commack, handling commercial litigation and white-collar crime.

In 1994, Silverman joined the Long Island Rail Road's Commuter Council to speak out about problems with train maintenance and overcrowding.

He became the council's chairman the following year and served as a nonvoting member on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board.

Silverman was eventually ousted from the council in 2001 by Pataki after his first race against Marcellino.

Both men agree that Albany's budget process is broken, and both want to repeal the unpopular MTA payroll tax.

Silverman said he blames Marcellino and other state legislators for issuing billions of dollars in bonds in 2002 to pay for the MTA's budget.

"They kicked the can down the road," he said.

He wants to revive proposals for congestion pricing in Manhattan and tolls at East River crossings.

Marcellino says the loss in tax revenue from the 9/11 attacks forced the legislature to make tough decisions, and said the MTA would have "to live within its means."

Silverman said he wants to enact a long list of reforms: public campaign financing, limits on donations, and nonpartisan redistricting of election districts.

Some of those reforms would end up saving taxpayers the cost of "political favors" borne from donations, Silverman said.

"In the long run, people are going to save money," he said.

But Marcellino says he's willing to make changes to the system and accused Democrats of holding up reform and delaying the state budget.

"They stopped talking to Republicans in either house," he said. "Did they come to the Republicans and say, 'We have a problem, let's talk?' That didn't happen."

He defined himself as a pragmatist in response to a question about the lessons he's learned in office.

"Sometimes, you've got to horse-trade," Marcellino said. "Bomb throwers, they just go away. They achieve nothing. They disappear."

Fundraising

In their first match 10 years ago Marcellino outdid Silverman by almost 5 to 1 in raising campaign funds.

Marcellino has an even bigger advantage this year: As of Oct. 6, his campaign account had $246,028, and Silverman's account had $20,492.