Mule, 55, of Freeport, is running on the Democratic, Working Families, Women’s Equality and Independence party lines. Mule served three terms on the Freeport school board, including a stint as president, and is a trustee on the Freeport Village Board. She has a bachelor’s degree in music from the College of William and Mary, and received her master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a social worker for the Salvation Army’s Wayside Home School for Girls in Valley Stream; a medical social worker for a doctor’s practice in Suffolk County, and director of the children’s choir for Our Holy Redeemer Church in Freeport. She is married and has two daughters.

She said her experience on the village and school boards will help her as a county legislator. She said she had dealt with many of the same issues in the village, where the board held the line on taxes while adding to the police force, repairing village roads and mitigating street flooding. She is concerned about corruption in the county and problems with the assessment system. She said the county must do a better job in assessments because property owners now need to grieve every year to pay their fair share of taxes. She said her experience as a social worker will help her address the opioid epidemic on Long Island. She said she treats her village trustee job as a full-time position and will do the same if she becomes a legislator.

Spatz, 65, of South Hempstead, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. Born in Austin, Texas, Spatz moved “all around” when she was young because her father was in the U.S. Air Force. Her mother was from Long Island, and her grandparents lived here. A graduate of a San Antonio high school, Spatz is a retired teacher’s aide for the Rockville Centre school district. This is her first run for public office. Spatz is married and has five sons.

Spatz said she has been involved in her community as president of the South Hempstead Civic Association and recently branched out into Baldwin issues, including redevelopment of Grand Avenue. She wants to address the problem of zombie houses, neglected properties and flooding on Long Beach Road. She is concerned about the opioid crisis and veterans benefits and services, and wants to take steps to protect the quality of Long Island’s drinking water.