Samantha Goetz for Nassau Legislature - District 18

Nassau Legislator Joshua Lafazan (D-Syosset) is seeking another term in the Nassau Legislature - but is also running - again - for US Congress. He seeks to represent the new 18th district that includes Oyster Bay, Bayville and Locust Valley - and extends to East Williston and Herricks.

Lafazan started 12 years ago as a fresh-faced "kid politician" running for the Syosset school board - and winning a seat as a high school student. But after a decade of endless politics, constant election campaigns, and millions in political donations raised and spent, Lafazan has become something totally corrupt and unrecognizable. Lafazan sadly learned the same lesson that George Santos exploited in his campaigns: When you lie, scam and grift all the time - and manipulate people who can give you money - you can succeed – at least for a while.

But just like Santos, Lafazan’s lies have caught up to him. Lafazan is now known as a corrupt man who will “do anything” - lie to everyone, scam, grift, cheat and steal - to feed his ambitions and advance his political career.

This newspaper long ago sniffed-out Lafazan’s frauds – and endorsed Lafazan's opponent two years ago. Lafazan already had an eye-popping mix of extremism (Communist Party, BLM), and betrayals (against the police, selling Stilwell Park to developers), and frauds to his record.

Since then, he has taken $720,000 in stolen money from indicted Crypto-criminal Sam Bankman-Fried (yes that "SBF"); conned and taken $100,000 from an elderly Centre Island couple; lied on his financial disclosures; concealed illegal loans; exploited high school interns; illegally mixed his various campaign accounts - and just this past month lied in campaign mailings about the police endorsing him (they didn't) precipitating an unprecedented "emergency police press conference" last week, where the Nassau PBA and other police groups denounced Lafazan as a total "Liar."

Lafazan has been denounced by Democrats and Republicans alike. But amazingly Lafazan has just gotten the support of his fellow scammer George Santos, who "backs him up" with fake claims of Republican "antisemitism." You can't make this up.

Samantha Goetz is the Republican nominee. A pleasant, personable, competent and sincere 35-year-old mother of two young kids, Goetz and her husband live in Locust Valley, and for many years before that in Bayville.

Goetz works as an Assistant Nassau County Attorney. She has all the police endorsements - and the full endorsement of this newspaper.

The Leader endorses Samantha Goetz for Nassau County Legislature.