Calcaterra Launches Bid for State Senate

Jan 10, 2010

EASTPORT, NY - Regina Calcaterra, D-New Suffolk, officially launched her campaign for state Senate Saturday with a vow to attack the government waste, ineptitude and growing unfairness for Long Island fostered by lifetime Albany insiders, saying it was no longer acceptable for political insiders to make Long Islanders choose between high taxes or quality education for kids, good jobs or safe communities.

"The reform starts here. The reform starts now," she said

Speaking to about 150 supporters at the American Legion Hall in Eastport, Calcaterra lauded the people of the First Senate District - - crediting the region for producing world-class agriculture, scientific research, world-renown tourism and even its history for launching the country's first submarine base and work for the U.S. space program in helping put a man on the moon.

"Eastern Long Island has shown the world there are no challenges too big to tackle, no problems too difficult to solve," Calcaterra said. "So, when lifetime Albany insiders like my opponent say we can’t balance the budget; we can’t provide cancer screening for women; we can’t teach Long Island’s schoolchildren without bankrupting their parents; we can’t make government efficient; we can’t create good paying jobs, they just don’t know who they’re talking to," Calcaterra said. "We put a man on the moon, we can fix this broken government."

Calcaterra is campaigning for the state Senate seat currently held by state Sen. Kenneth LaValle. In her remarks, Calcaterra pointed to LaValle's weak oversight of state government spending, noting that since he has been in office the state budget has grown three times as fast as the rate of inflation; and LaValle's inability, and the inability of others, to reign in wasteful budgets that have led to insufficient funding for police, state education and highway and infrastructure projects in the district, she said.

"When you disregard waste, fraud and abuse, you're actually encourage it to continue," she said. "He encouraged it to continue; he encouraged it to grow."

Suffolk County Democratic Chairman Richard Shaffer addressed Calcaterra's supporters, and she was introduced by Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko.

Since last fall, Calcaterra has met with residents in every town in Eastern Long Island, and supporters have contributed more than $118,000 to her effort.

All 62 seats in the state Senate are up for election this year.