Long shot in 12th Assembly District doesn't see himself as such

The race for the 12th Assembly District seat pits Republican incumbent Joseph Saladino against Democratic challenger Kevin C. Gorman in a heavily Republican district.

Saladino, who has held the office since 2004 when he won a special election, is also running on the Tax Revolt Party, Conservative, Independence and Working Families lines.

He said his chief concerns are lowering property taxes and state spending and reforming the Medicaid system.

Saladino said he wrote legislation that would repeal the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax in Nassau County, and co-sponsored legislation that would cap school spending by, among other ways, requiring all school districts to purchase health benefits and supplies together as one unit.

"It provides for them to save on money and supplies and the unit cost of a lot of items," Saladino said.

An independent voice

Gorman knows his candidacy is a long shot in a district where nearly half of the voters are Republicans.

The district has 95,308 registered voters, of which 43,569 are Republican, 26,022 are Democratic, and 20,918 are not registered with a party.

Gorman, 59, of Wantagh, has run for office repeatedly over three decades, starting with an unsuccessful bid for Hempstead Town Council in 1983. He ran for state assembly, for Nassau legislature, and Hempstead Town clerk. Gorman ran for Hempstead Town supervisor against Kate Murray in 2007, filling the slate after the Democratic challenger left the race.

His bid against Saladino also began after the Democratic pick, Kevin P. O'Hagen, dropped out.

Still, Gorman said, he's far from a placeholder. "I am running on the issues. It doesn't make a difference whether I started on July 1, or I started on May 1," Gorman said. "I'm running an active campaign."

Gorman said as a longtime outsider, he can bring a fresh perspective to government.

"It's just too many special interests that control everything that goes on in Albany," he said. "There are not enough independent voices there to get everything done."

Gorman said some of his most pressing concerns have to do with controlling taxes and instituting ethics reform. He supports Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo's proposal for a 2 percent cap on property tax increases, and said he wants to see a spending cap and a one-year spending freeze in state government.

Gorman also said he wants to create a commission to examine all state agencies and commissions, and determine which ones can be either disbanded or consolidated. And he called the MTA payroll tax a "mistake."

"A number of people who don't use it have to pay for it, and also it's an unfair burden on small businesses on Long Island," he said.

Gorman also said he wants stronger ethics and disclosure laws, including a requirement for full disclosure of outside income for all legislators, including attorneys. He also supports a public financing option for people running for office.

"If you have the opportunity to get elected without taking money from special interests, that would decrease the amount of influence there is on how you vote," he said.

Gorman said he has not raised any money for his campaign, relying instead on handing out fliers and talking to residents.

Medicaid reform

A lifelong Massapequa resident, Saladino has worked as a news anchor and a government administrator in the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

He said he also wants to reduce Medicaid spending by finding fraudulent claims, and wants to allow counties to choose whether to provide extra services to Medicaid recipients that aren't required by the federal government, such as house cleaning and free full-time home nursing.

He also said he supports requiring co-pays from Medicaid recipients, and wants to institute home inspections to find fraud among recipients. "We have to root out people taking advantage of the system," he said.

Saladino said he wants to combine or eliminate some state departments to save money, and wants a state hiring freeze and a halt to most new state vehicle purchases.

"There are some areas where we don't have control, but all the areas where we do have control, the state needs to be cutting back greatly," he said.

He also said he has been active in pressing for legislation to protect women and children from sexual predators, and has written legislation that would keep perpetrators from living close to their victims.

According to the state Board of Elections, Saladino has $63,626.04 in the bank and has spent so far, $4,013. There are no recorded contributions for Gorman.