Becker, Scaturro battle for 4th District nomination

They faced each other two years ago, but this time around, congressional hopefuls Francis Becker and Frank Scaturro are running in a significantly different district. On June 26, they will face off in the Republican primary in the 4th Congressional District, a seat now held by Democrat Carolyn McCarthy of Mineola.

When the district lines were redrawn in March, much of Valley Stream was taken out of the 4th District and placed in the adjoining 5th District. The east end of the village, as well as Gibson, part of South Valley Stream and a corner of North Valley Stream remain in the 4th District.

Becker, a Lynbrook resident and a Nassau County Legislator, defeated Scaturro in the 2010 primary, with 10,361 votes to Scaturro’s 7,733, but eventually lost to McCarthy by a margin of 7.2 percentage points. This time around, however, he said, the new district lines will work in his favor. “It’s really a wonderful opportunity, I believe,” Becker said, “for Long Island to get an opportunity to get representation in Washington that reflects our beliefs.”

With the new district lines, Scaturro said, it is even more important to replace McCarthy in Congress, but simply putting any Republican in the seat is not enough. Nassau County Republicans have not guided the county successfully in the past, he said, noting that its finances are being supervised by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state control board. Scaturro said he believes that Becker would only echo the county’s current Republican policies in Washington. “Things have not gotten better,” he said.

Since the 2010 election, both candidates have had more time to campaign while learning about the public’s needs. Becker said that 4th District residents are concerned about high taxes in the county and across the country, and that President Obama’s administration, as well as congressional Democrats like McCarthy, have allowed spending to get out of control. The federal government’s debt ceiling, now nearly $15 trillion, is unacceptable, according to Becker.

Scaturro also decried spending and the national debt. In order to get the country’s fiscal house in order, he said, a simpler tax code needs to be written. He would also like to see the formation of a congressional committee that would look into ways to cut spending.

By taking these steps, Scaturro said, elected officials could keep spending to a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product that reflects past spending rates.

Locally, Becker said, regulations aimed at the financial industry need to be re-evaluated. He also said that, if elected, he would like to follow U.S. Representative Peter King’s tough approach to homeland security. When the areas surrounding New York City receive national security funds, “we want to make sure that Long Island gets its fair share,” Becker said.

Scaturro is also concerned about financial regulations. They need to encourage growth in the economy, he said, but they are not currently doing that. “We need a regulatory system that encourages free markets and innovation,” he said, “rather than stifling innovation.”

Both candidates say they can beat McCarthy in November. Becker said that his extensive record as a county legislator has helped residents develop trust in him, while Scaturro believes his combination of youth and experience will help him prevail.