Incumbent Democrat Du Wayne Gregory, left, and his Republican opponent, Ed White, at right. In some ways, the election in the 15th Legislative district is, in the words of Yogi Berra, déjà vu all over again. In that race, Republican Ed White is challenging Democratic incumbent Du Wayne Gregory. White ran two aggressive campaigns for the district, one in 2007 and the other in a special election against Gregory in July of last year. Thedistrict covers Wheatley Heights, Wyandanch, North Amityville, parts of Amityville Village, Copiague, North Lindenhurst, West Babylon, North Babylon, and the Suffolk portion of Farmingdale.

Thistime around, White said he is hoping that with the support of the GOP, and what he described as a “backlash against the Democrats,” he can overtake Gregory and win the seat.

“This district has not had quality representation in years,” said White, who continues to link his opponent to his predecessor, Elie Mystal. Following an exposé by Newsday almost two years ago, which raised questions about the legitimacy of Mystal’s residency in the district as required by law, and his frequent absences from legislative meetings, Mystal stepped down. He was later indicted and the charges against him are pending.

Gregory was Mystal’s legislative aide. “He knew about it and did nothing to stop it,” said White. “He is a co-conspirator and is as guilty as Mystal.”

“Thisis Ed’s third time running for the seat and not once has he run a campaign offering any solutions to problems other than to use attack and smear tactics,” said Gregory. “What we need are people who have ideas and who are willing to discuss the problems and solutions, not negative partisan politics.”

Gregory said that over the past year he has worked hard to be in the district, meeting people and finding solutions to the problems his constituents face. “ I am fairly young, energetic, available and accessible,” said Gregory. “And I am willing to listen to anyone who has good ideas.”

Gregory said he’s worked with the Hate Crime Task Force, and has been addressing the problem of domestic violence.

“What we have found is that in 65 percent of the hate crime incidents, the individuals involved were between 13 and 19 years old,” said Gregory. “That means that we have to try harder to reach young people and provide them with education and information to reduce these incidents.” ‘09

‘09 Gregory said he also supported a move to have incidents of domestic violence reported to local school district social workers. “We know that children exposed to these kind of crimes suffer from them and it can have an impact on their grades and their behavior in school, so we can’t sweep it under the rug any longer. Our schools need to know when a child is exposed to domestic violence and be prepared to deal with them in the proper way.”

But White said the district has been “underserved” by the Democrats for seven years and needs new leadership.

“For years, the residents in Wyandanch and other minority areas were shut out of the southwest sewer district and now, in an election year, they are talking about a plan to resolve that,” said White. “But the fact is that we have had 30 years of Democratic rule in this Town and they never did anything for those neighborhoods.”

“It was under a Republican administration that those areas were left out of the district when it was first established,” said Gregory. “This is just more accusations with no ideas or solutions.”

The plan is first to study the feasibility of expanding the district and to determine the cost. Once that is completed, a proposal will be developed and residents will have input into whether they want to move forward with the plan. The county is also looking to develop 12 other sewer districts in the county, hopefully funded by stimulus money, all in an effort to protect the underground drinking water.

White lost his bid for the Independence line this year but said that he is going to use the circle of friends and supporters he used before to turn things around in his favor this time. He is an attorney with a practice in Lindenhurst and a longtime volunteer and supporter of the Copiague Youth league.

Thedistrict is heavily Democratic. When White ran in 2007, he lobbied for a major party endorsement but was rejected. Instead, the Democrats continued to support Mystal and the Republicans ran Ed Brown of North Amityville. White ran as an independent, losing to Mystal by 3,648 votes or 69 percent to 868 or 14 percent.

In the special election held July 29, 2008, Gregory defeated White with 50.12 percent to Gregory’s 49.88 percent but that was an election that drew less than 9 percent of the 3,268 registered voters to the polls.

Like other Republicans running for county office this year, White believes that the legislature has been remiss in failing to ensure that the ranks of the Suffolk County Police Department are up to full strength. “As far as I am concerned, keeping the public safe should be government’s priority,” said White. “I can go to a county office and wait in line because that takes nothing more than my time,” said White. “And, I don’t care if my roads are not paved or my street is not swept, but I want to be safe and cops should be our top priority.”

Currently, the county is down from its full strength of about 150 police officers. “The Democraticallycontrolled legislature does not seem to care,” he said.

“I have a good relationship with the police and have been working with community members on problems to make sure our neighborhoods are safe,” said Gregory. “The police are doing a good job and we are doing all of this without passing on a greater burden to taxpayers.”

Gregory said that while some county positions were not filled, including some for police, the legislature and the County Executive have been responsive in seeing that the public’s needs are met. “When we saw a dramatic increase in the need for county services as the economy worsened, I supported expanding hours in these offices and the hiring of more people,” said Gregory. “We have to make sure that those who meet the guidelines get the services they need and make it convenient for them, but we also have to do it in such a way that the taxpayer isn’t overwhelmed.”

“They weren’t concerned about the taxpayer when, after the election in 2007, lawmakers snuck in a raise for themselves,” said White. “That was criminal.”

“I think we should be talking about the issues, but my opponent has offered little in the way of debate and dialogue,” said Gregory. “I think the voters are aware of who he is and who will serve the community best. People are hurting and we need solutions, not complaints."

“I am hoping the public gets up from the couch and gets to the polls and votes for me,” countered White. “I am telling them that after years of benign neglect, they will have a voice and representation when I am elected.”

The district has a total of 41,886 registered voters, including 21,728 Democrats and 9,224 Republicans. There are also 1,207 Independence voters, 643 Conservatives, 204 Working Family, 49 Green Party, 7 Liberals and 8,824 independents.

Election day is Tues., Nov. 3. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.