Suffolk County Legislator - 18th District

REPUBLICAN

Chelius, 49, is running on the Republican and Libertarian lines. He is seeking his first two-year term on the county Legislature.

• A top priority, he said, would be to work toward getting the county out of “financial distress” as described by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
• He also would seek for the county to do a better job of keeping the younger generation here in Suffolk.
• Another top issue, he said, is creating an attractive business environment to draw new organizations into the county and increase corporate and payroll tax revenue.

DEMOCRATIC

Spencer, 52, of Centerport, is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence party lines. He is seeking his fifth two-year term.

• Addressing the vape crisis is a major concern, he said. He is working with the schools and the Health Department to educate parents and students on the dangers of vaping and introduced legislation to help address the epidemic.
• Protecting tax dollars is another priority. He said he has worked to hold the line on taxes by reducing the size of government.
• Water quality is another major issue. He said he was proud to have been the lead sponsor to create LICAP (Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection) in 2013.

CONSERVATIVE

West, 56, is running on the Conservative line for his first two-year term on the Legislature.

• Lowering taxes is a top priority. West said the county needs to look at cutting spending in places where it is not needed, such as entitlement programs and places where money is wasted.
• Affordable health care is a top concern, he said, and high premiums should be controlled. Before the Affordable Care Act was implemented, he said, health care was more affordable for a lot of business owners, and now they have sky-high premiums.
• West said Second Amendment rights are another major issue. He said he believes more gun laws are going to make people less safe, and if guns are banned, only “bad guys” will have guns.