Far too often, partisanship impedes progress at the Nassau County Legislature. Our July 27 meeting shows what we could achieve through collaboration and by putting the needs of the people first.
One of the most impactful actions taken during that meeting was the approval of Nassau County’s capital plan, through which we will deliver tens of millions of dollars in critical public safety investments in the communities of District 5. These include a $10 million traffic safety and beautification project focused upon Uniondale Avenue; reconstruction of the West Hempstead PAL hockey rink, which is currently underway, and improvements to Hall’s Pond Park; continued investments in the Joysetta & Julius Pearse African American Museum of Nassau County, and capital improvements to the Martin Luther Jr. Peace Park in Uniondale.
In addition, tens of millions of dollars more, for improvements to regionally significant County roads in Hempstead Village, including Washington Avenue, Franklin Street, Peninsula Boulevard, Fulton Avenue, Clinton Street and Greenwich Street, are on the way.
Under the Nassau County Charter, a 13-vote supermajority is necessary to approve the bond authorization that funds the projects, and because of the current political configuration of the Legislature, a willingness to negotiate and collaborate was essential for reaching that benchmark. Additional benefits will be on the way for our communities because of how my Democratic colleagues and I utilized that leverage.
As part of the agreement to approve the capital plan, a total of 32 Community Revitalization Program (CRP) grants were approved for Democratic-represented districts, ending the yearslong partisan blockade erected by the administration of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. These resources include funding for investments to improve the auditorium at Uniondale High School and repair the flooring at the Uniondale Public Library.
These funds represent our ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of Nassau County’s young people and families, and I am committed to working closely with community leaders and stakeholders to identify further opportunities to support our shared priorities.
Another bipartisan action from the July 27 meeting will benefit neurodivergent individuals living in our County. The “Blue Envelope Program” will provide people living with autism spectrum disorders the opportunity to receive a blue envelope to store essential vehicle documents and communication instructions. The goal is to make traffic stops as safe and straightforward as possible for both the neurodivergent driver and officers alike.
The capital plan and the Blue Envelope Program are good steps forward in our shared mission of making Nassau County a more resilient, safer, and enjoyable place to live. More must be done, however, to fully restore balance to County government.
Commonsense proposals, such as my legislation that would modernize Nassau’s e-bike and scooter laws in the interest of public safety and clarity, have been ignored. So too has a bill I introduced to ban the County administration from moving interest and investment income earned through the opioid settlement fund – which became necessary after we thwarted the Blakeman administration’s attempt to move $13.7 million of those proceeds into the general fund to prop up the County budget.
My proposals to create a 3-1-1 non-emergency hotline, which would make the government services and critical departments that we fund with our tax dollars easier to access on all platforms and launch an app for reporting potholes and dangerous road conditions, have met similar fates thus far.
Meanwhile, Legislator Cynthia Nuñez’s proposal to waive fuel taxes when prices exceed $3/gal, are still being blocked by the Legislative majority – even as prices soar past $4 in Nassau County.
Previously, the Majority stymied legislation that would require EpiPens in every Nassau County police vehicle and refused to hold a hearing on another piece of legislation that would have equipped every County park and court facility with automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Good ideas should not be judged whether the sponsor’s name has a D or an R next to it. They should be vetted and debated on their merits.
Passing Nassau County’s capital plan, where cooperation was necessary, and the unanimous embrace of the Blue Envelope Program, shows us there is a better way forward. By embracing it, we will maximize our opportunities to efficiently meet the needs of every community we serve.
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, represents the communities of District 5 –Franklin Square, Hempstead Village, Uniondale and West Hempstead – in the Nassau County Leg