Jeffrey Pravato, the mayor of Massapequa Park, is running for the New York State Senate. Mayor Pravato will face incumbent Senator John Brooks. The mayor is running on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform party lines. He has worked in the private sector for over twenty five years and he is a graduate of C.W. (LIU) Post.

The Mayor said he was inspired to run “because we need to provide the best opportunity for success for our children—our future.“  He had stated that he feels that “Albany is at a tipping point—we are one seat away in the State Senate from seeing full one-party control.  The last time that happened was in 2009 and 2010. During that time the NYC politicians created 14 Billion dollars of new taxes and fees, including creating the MTA Payroll tax that was a tax on all employers.“  

With his experience, the mayor feels confident he can handle the job.

“As Mayor for the last 5 straight years I have kept property taxes flat—while investing in local infrastructure projects that have improved our roadways and protected our shoreline” Pravato stated. “I have worked with small businesses to help them grow. I have taken my experience, over 25 years in the private sector and used it to get things done for our village.”  

If elected, Mr Pravato plans to “ work to lower the tax burden for families, seniors and businesses.”

“I will work to reduce unfunded mandates and job-killing regulations” Pravato said. “I will absolutely secure more funding for our Schools so they get their fair share from the State.”

Concerning the drug epidemic on Long Island, he said that “ I will work to protect children and families from the scourge of heroin and opioids by securing more funding locally for programs, treatment and enforcement.”  

Regarding young people on Long Island and their future,  he feels that “we need to do everything we can do to provide the opportunity for our young voters to stay here on Long Island and work and raise a family here”. Involving jobs, he said that it  “starts by improving our job climate, and to do that we must work to cut taxes and control spending. We must also invest in our infrastructure— roads, highways and the LIRR must be maintained.”

The mayor is also concerned about the political influence of New York City. “ If the majority in the State Senate flips—the NYC politicians will view Long Island as an ATM for New York City, and that will lead to higher taxes and more spending and the loss of state aid that we depend on for our schools and local municipalities.  All of this will make it much harder for young voters to stay on Long Island” he said.

When it comes to the environment Jeff Pravato has helped implement a new environmentally-friendly method of recycling which turns ¨trash into cash¨. Rather than cost taxpayers money, Town of Oyster Bay´s recycling now generates millions for residents and helps hold the line on property taxes.

Election day takes place on November 6.  Readers who are eligible to vote have a choice between Jeff Pravato or John Brooks in the Eighth Senate District.