Rich McGrath & Joe Fusaro

In advance of the September 13th Independence Party primary for the 17 LD of Suffolk County, we would like to pledge our support for Dennis Garetano.  Mr. Garetano’s record as a fiscal watchdog while serving as a member of South Huntington’s Board of Education is well known.  In his eight years of service, he was an articulate advocate for fighting state and federal mandates that have saddled taxpayers with tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending that a local district, such as South Huntington, (the second largest Huntington district) has no control over.  Mr. Garetano has repeatedly fought against higher taxes. As a business owner, he knows firsthand the devastating impact government mandates and taxes have on all of us.
Mr. Garetano’s opponent, incumbent Lou D’Amaro, has criticized Mr. Garetano’s actions as a member of the school board. As longtime school board members, we are tired of these attacks on volunteer school board members, who are on the front lines fighting tax increases while politicians do nothing to help our cause. Unlike Suffolk County’s budget, school budgets are not approved or rejected by Garetano or the School Board collectively, but rather by the residents in an annual school budget vote.  Yes, Dennis took the lead in reducing spending, but ultimately, every budget was passed by the residents – a tremendous show of support!
Instead of criticizing the South Huntington School Board and its residents, we suggest Mr. D’Amaro focus on the number one responsibility of any county legislator: public safety. He has failed miserably in this area, as the parents who used to send their sons and daughters to the now-shuttered Jack Abrams Intermediate School know better than anyone. 
During Mr. D’Amaro’s six years as a legislator, the police annex on NY Avenue was closed and the gang task force was removed from the 2nd Precinct, all while gang violence surged.  Another murder occurred two weeks ago in our community which is sadly now routine.
Let’s move forward with someone who has a history of quality public service and “getting things done”, someone who is a small business owner and knows first hand the problems of the average taxpayer.
Vote September 13th and elect Dennis Garetano for the 17th Legislative District!

Richard McGrath – Huntington
Joe Fusaro – Elwood