Legislative Candidate William Lindsay Addresses The Issues

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY - Next Tuesday residents will be hitting the polls to vote for their representatives. One of the local races is for Suffolk County 8th legislative district. Currently, the seat is taken by incumbent William J. Lindsay. He is being challenged by Anthony Piccirillo.

The 8th legislative district includes Bayport-Blue-Point, Holbrook, Holtsville, Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale and parts of Ronkonkoma, Bohemia and Medford.

Before residents within the district cast their votes on Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 5, Patch spoke to Lindsay on the most pressing issues in the community.

Here's what Lindsay had to say about his plans to solve problems in the area:

Patch: You said the most pressing issues in the district is sewers along the coast, what is your plan to tackle this problem?

Lindsay: For the last four years I fought for and successfully obtained funding to do the design work for a sewer line from Oakdale through West Sayville and Sayville. Thanks to that effort when $26.4 million in funding became available I was able to secure it in order for Suffolk County to sewer the first section of Oakdale (Phase 1A). I am in the process of advocating for additional funding to expand that project throughout all of Oakdale. I will continue to work with state and federal officials on these efforts.

Patch: Why is your plan to tackle this problem better than your opponent's?

Lindsay: To the best of my knowledge my opponent doesn’t have a plan. He appears to be more of a grenade thrower rather than a consensus builder. The ability to bring people together from different levels of government and different parties is essential in getting any project of this scale completed.

Patch: Your opponent says the biggest issue in the district is high cost of living and high taxes, do you agree? Do you plan on tackling this issue as well?

Lindsay: I agree the high cost of living is a huge issue for everyone in the County. That is why I support transit oriented development, to not only add more affordable living units to the market but also to increase the tax base in an effort to get taxes under control. I believe the tax cap will help this effort as well and I support further consolidation of all levels of government to streamline costs and functions. With 901 taxing districts on Long Island we need to reduce the redundancies that exist throughout.

Patch: Why do you think you are better suited than opponent to solve this issue?

Lindsay: My opponent hasn’t articulated any ideas to address this issue and has only made rhetorical statements without details or a plan. This isn’t an issue a single legislator can solve, it requires working with other elected officials from all parties and my opponent has never displayed any ability to bring people together for the common good.