FRANK SCATURRO 4 TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ASKS, "WHERE'S WALDO?" AS BLAKEMAN DODGES DEBATE
In another disappointing public forum, Frank Scaturro, Congressional Candidate
in CD-4, once again was the only Republican and Conservative candidate
to appear at Monday's Uniondale Community Council pre-primary event
at the Uniondale Public Library. Said Scaturro of his opponent, Mr. Blakeman's,
failure to appear, "Our electoral process should give the voting
public the opportunity to closely examine the record and positions of
prospective candidates so they can cast an intelligent vote. An informed
electorate is critical for democracy to function." The Primary is
scheduled for Tuesday, June 24th. Scaturro continued that "My opponent
has chosen to play '
Where's Waldo,' purposely evading any sort of open dialogue and debate to help Republican
and Conservative voters choose their nominee."
This was the third no-show for Blakeman. He failed to appear at an April
28 "Meet the Candidates" forum in Long Beach. He also turned
down an invitation from the League of Women Voters to discuss where he
stands on issues at their Candidates Forum, which had been planned for
Molloy College in Rockville Centre on June 16. As a result, the debate
was cancelled.
To add insult to injury—on the same day as Blakeman's Uniondale
no-show—his campaign robo-called voters with a "WARNING"
about Frank Scaturro falsely accusing him of giving another vote to Nancy
Pelosi and recycling a long discredited lie that Scaturro is a liberal
by dropping the name Arlen Specter with falsified chronology. (Scaturro
worked exclusively for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, including
Specter before he switched parties.) Unfortunately, because Mr. Blakeman
never appears at public candidate forums, he cannot be questioned about
the truth of this or his equally slanderous TV commercials.
Informed constituents across the district expressed outrage that Blakeman,
whose shadowy firm supported liberal Democrats like Eliot Spitzer, Anthony
Weiner, and Kathleen Rice, would not only lie, but show such hypocrisy
given that he had personally donated thousands of dollars to Specter!
Scaturro explained, "The last thing Mr. Blakeman wants is a campaign
based on the issues. His literature and ads don't tell the electorate
anything about his record of performance when he was actually given a
public trust—because that would explain why he truly offers us so
little now. He hopes to keep the voters in the dark about how he raised
our taxes several times and STILL exercised such abysmal fiscal stewardship
that our county was nationally lampooned for its mismanagement. Without
a forum to question him, he can get away with running an absurd commercial
depicting himself as a sanitation worker who will fight Obamacare. The
truth is that he, a privileged socialite whose principal residence was
a fashionable East Side apartment, had rubber-stamped Nassau County's
own health care fiasco—the corrupt BPA deal that cost the county
$70 million—long before Obamacare was introduced into the federal
lexicon. The truth is Mr. Blakeman has a record of raising our taxes,
including a 3.6% property tax hike, a 9.4% tax hike, a real estate transfer
tax, and millions in new fees. Additionally, he doesn't want to publicly
explain the unprecedented debt incurred under his legislative watch, which
included an MTA debt swap that ultimately cost Nassau County taxpayers
$240 million and a budget deficit that grew to $300 million, which ultimately
led to a NIFA control board. We didn't see him for the many years
he lived in New York City before claiming a residence here only months
ago. That this major donor to Arlen Specter would dodge the issues and
dodge debate while he defrauds the voters by distorting someone else's
ties to Arlen Specter shows just how much contempt he has for the Republicans
and Conservatives he asks to vote for him.
"In my campaign, I present to you my record so that you know who
I am. I give you actual proposals because voters should know that candidates
who stand for change put their actions where their words are. I firmly
believe that the Republican and Conservative voters of the 4
th Congressional District are entitled to hear personally the views and positions
of candidates. We naturally believe in free speech and free markets. These
will yield the candidate most likely to defeat the Democratic nominee
in November. If Mr. Blakeman were to win the primary by shutting down
forums for debate—something no candidate could get away with during
the general election season—Republican and Conservative voters will
have months to witness the spectacle of the Democratic nominee riding
to victory by using Mr. Blakeman's abysmal record on fiscal stewardship
and health care to undermine what should be a Republican nominee's
most persuasive arguments for victory this year.
"People want new blood. We have a chance to bring real change. The
forces of the status quo, of the failed leadership that dug Nassau County
into such a deep hole, are going to all lengths to cut the people out
of the process. But we should cherish this moment because the voters of
Nassau County DO have a choice. If you send the message that you will
not tolerate candidates like Blakeman who shut the voters out of the process,
we will pave the way for voters to continue to have a choice in the future.
"What are you afraid of Mr. Blakeman, the truth? I'm ready for
a public debate any time you are!
"To paraphrase boxing great Joe Louis, Mr. Blakeman, you can run
for office, but you can't hide forever."
Frank Scaturro
Republican and Conservative Candidate for the 4 th Congressional District
New Hyde Park, New York
Email frank@frankscaturro.com
(516) 640-4117