On Greece, health care and leadership

No one reported any problems at JFK Intermediate School in Deer Park, which was designated as a polling site to replace two other schools in the local school district. Poll workers said they had no problems with the optimal scanning machines and lines of voters have been steady.

Robert Saia, 79, of Deer Park, an adjunct college professor, said he voted for Mitt Romney. “I just couldn’t vote for Obama. He’s done such a horrible job.”

Saia said he is particularly against Obama’s health care plan. He said there was nothing in particular he liked about Romney, but that he is “the lesser of two evils” and he thinks Romney could do a better job with the economy. “For that matter, I could do a better job with the economy,” Saia said.

Margaret Neuberger, 69, of Deer Park, a retired administrative assistant, also voted for Romney. “We desperately need a change otherwise we’re going to end up like Greece,” she said. “Not to mention Libya. There’s just a lack of leadership there.” She said she feels Romney will be a better leader in areas such as the economy, energy and foreign policy.

Chris Gill, 30, of Deer Park, a social studies teacher in New York City, voted for Obama. Gill said he works with kids living in a high degree of poverty. “I see what federal funding does for kids, how it changes their lives,” Gill said. “I consider myself a moderate. I see both sides equally but being an advocate for education, I felt I had to vote for him.”

Gill added, “I agree with him on a lot of policies, at least domestically.” And on other issues, he said, “It’s more of the fact that I don’t agree with most of Romney’s positions.”

Gill said he does not vote straight across for either party. “I think Obama is better at being a moderate than most people think,” Gill said.

Genie Lieberman, a designer from Deer Park who said she is in her 50s, voted for Obama.