Lafazan, 23, of Woodbury, is running on the Democratic, Working Families, Independence, Women’s Equality and Reform party lines. Lafazan is a 2012 graduate of Syosset High School. He became one of the youngest elected officials in the history of New York State in 2012 when at age 18 he was elected to the Syosset school board. He was re-elected in 2015 and is currently serving his second term. Lafazan graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, and in May he earned a master’s degree in education policy and management from Harvard University. Lafazan works as a title insurance sales representative for Beta Abstract in Oceanside. He is a TEDx Talk speaker and an author. He is not married.

Lafazan said he is running for the legislature because, he said, “I can be the fresh voice that Nassau so desperately needs.” He said that “the citizenry of Nassau County is not being served by its government,” and, he added, “our political discourse is dominated by stories of indictments and corruption.” Lafazan said, if elected, he would work to create a county inspector general position. He would also work to “cap political contributions from vendors receiving contracts, and eliminate taxpayer-funded mailers poorly disguised as government updates.” Lafazan said county government should be discussing ways “to stimulate our local economies and downtowns, repair our roads, pay down our debt and keep future generations here on Long Island.” He said he will propose legislation imposing term limits on elected officials. Lafazan added, “Having served for four years on the Heroin Prevention Task Force, I also want to make tackling the heroin and opioid epidemic a legislative priority.”

MacKenzie, 47, of Oyster Bay, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. He is seeking his third term on the legislature. MacKenzie is an attorney in private practice in Oyster Bay hamlet. He graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a degree in business economics and received a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. MacKenzie started as a prosecutor in the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. He was a court attorney in the Nassau County District Court law department and was a prosecutor for the Village of Roslyn Harbor. He served as a commissioner in the Oyster Bay Water District and was second vice president of the Nassau-Suffolk Water Commissioners Association. He is married and has two children.

MacKenzie said that he will “continue to support an agenda that emphasizes protecting taxpayers, public safety and economic development.” He says the legislature’s current Republican majority has “saved each homeowner thousands in taxes at the county level.” MacKenzie said that under Republican leadership Nassau County enjoys “the lowest unemployment rate in the region” and said Republicans have launched an “aggressive plan” for Nassau County’s future focused “on job creation, retention and attracting new business.” He said the legislature has “made additional savings through the downsizing of government, reducing the county workforce by over 2,000 workers and consolidating departments.” In light of recent corruption scandals, MacKenzie said the legislature has passed laws banning felons from holding office and amended the county code of ethics to include a “politically diverse” board of ethics. He said the legislature is also requiring ethics training for county officers and employees. MacKenzie added, “We have passed laws to enhance the transparency and openness of county government, including new disclosure requirements for lobbyists, vendors and consultants.”