Biography
Harvey B. Levinson
Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors
 Harvey B. Levinson has served as the elected Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors since January 2004. He is the only elected county assessor in the State of New York.
In addition to improving the accuracy and fairness of the County’s assessment rolls, Chairman Levinson achieved many legislative successes including working with state legislators to overturn a multi-million dollar school property tax shift that affected co-ops, condominiums and small businesses in Long Beach.
To help homeowners slowly adjust to the levels of taxation that are imposed by the myriad of taxing jurisdictions each year, Chairman Levinson introduced a resolution at the June 7, 2005 meeting of the Board of Assessors freezing the Level of Assessment on residential properties beginning with the 2007-08 tax year. By passing this resolution, Mr. Levinson made sure that, beginning with the first assessment roll under his complete control and outside of the jurisdiction of the New York State Supreme Court, assessment increases will be capped by six percent each year and 20% over five years, no matter how high the real estate market rises. He also reinstated the cap (suspended under the previous administration) which phased in assessment increases in equal amounts over a five-year period for commercial properties and high-rise condominiums, to help commercial properties including “Mom and Pop” stores in our struggling downtown areas.
Since assuming office, Mr. Levinson has received praise from the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services for improving the accuracy and fairness of Nassau County’s assessment rolls. He is the leading advocate for the elimination of the residential portion of the school property tax and replacing it with a modest income tax; proposed the sharing of the commercial property tax base throughout Nassau County for taxation purposes; called for greater town control over the budgets of special taxing districts in the unincorporated areas; and, has asked our state delegation to fix the STAR formulas that have shortchanged Nassau homeowners for nearly a decade.
To help preserve and protect Nassau County’s quality of life, Chairman Levinson implemented an initiative aimed at ending the profitability and curtailing the growth of illegal and unsafe multi-family accessory apartments in single-family homes by reclassifying the offending property from residential to commercial use for taxation purposes. On average, the commercial property tax rate is 2½ times higher than the residential rate. Mr. Levinson’s program has provided local authorities with a new enforcement tool that will prove to be invaluable in the struggle to enforce local building and zoning laws.
Always looking to enhance government services, Chairman Levinson appointed a highly qualified management team, employed new computer and communications technologies to increase productivity, restructured daily departmental operations, and established an ongoing dialogue with government associations, school boards, business and community groups, the media, and homeowners.
Prior to his election as Chairman of the Board of Assessors, Mr. Levinson distinguished himself as Chief Assistant Nassau County District Attorney for 25 years. In addition, Mr. Levinson served as a Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee for the Nassau County Bar Association.
Harvey B. Levinson is a lifelong resident of Long Island. He is a graduate of Wantagh High School, New York University (with a B.S. in Economics and M.B.A.) and Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C. (with a J.D. and L.L.M.). Chairman Levinson and his wife, Gail, reside in Garden City.
AFFILIATIONS, AWARDS AND HONORS (Past and Present)
- Advisor, L.I. Community Foundation, District Attorney’s Rising Star Program
- Special Assistant for Tax Reassessment, Nassau County
- Member, Board of Directors, Nassau County Bar Association
- Member, Judiciary Committee, Nassau County Bar Association
- Chairman, Nassau County Bar Association Consumer Protection Committee
- Charter Member Faculty, Department of Criminal Justice, C.W. Post College
- Mentor, Jackson Elementary School in Hempstead
- Member, Board of Trustees, Garden City Jewish Center
- Volunteer, Mercy Hospital Emergency Room
- 2004 Achievement Award, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce
- 2004 Distinguished Service Award, Great Neck Co-op and Condo Council
- Certificate of Appreciation, L.I. Board of Realtors - Central Nassau Chapter
- Public Service Award, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office
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