By Delia DeRiggi-Whitton
Since its inception in 1996, the Nassau County Legislature has been divided into 19 districts, and the populations of each district are fairly equal. That is by design to ensure equal representation within the halls of county government.
Constant vigilance is necessary to achieve this outcome, and the ideal of balanced governance has not always come true. However, during the last four-plus years with Bruce A. Blakeman serving as Nassau County executive, the divide has grown as stark as it has ever been.
Nothing has been off limits, whether it was grants for first responders in districts served by Minority Legislature members; funding for critical infrastructure projects in Nassau County’s capital plan; or grants for arts and cultural organizations within Democratic-served districts. By sticking together and utilizing the leverage afforded to the Minority Legislators in the Nassau County Charter, we have achieved some success in breaking this nonsensical blockade on several occasions.
Where the county executive and the Legislative Majority have been unyielding, however, is the matter of common-sense legislation put forth by Minority Caucus lawmakers. Rather than do their jobs and hold public hearings to weigh a proposal’s merit, the Majority Legislature follows the orders of the county executive to ignore our legislation — in effect turning this into a do-nothing, rubber-stamp Legislature rather than the deliberative body it was meant to be.
As you consider some of the life-saving measures that have been caught in this blockade, it makes you ask yourself what other than politics could be the cause:
The “Families Against Fentanyl Act,” which has been stalled for over two years, would require the inclusion of fentanyl-detecting test strips in Narcan kits distributed by Nassau County agencies. While they are not foolproof, they are considered highly effective by experts and cost about $1 each. Passing this law would increase the chances of saving lives and give people who are struggling with addiction a second chance to pursue long-term, sustainable recovery.
“Gio’s Law,” which has been blocked since November 2024, requires all Nassau County police vehicles to be equipped with epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens) and train officers in their use. The measure is named for Giovanni “Gio” Cipriano, who tragically lost his life in 2013 following an allergic reaction, and since Nassau police are often the first to respond to an allergy emergency, they should be equipped to spring into action.
“Robbie’s Law” would require the installation of external defibrillators (AEDs) at all county-owned and operated athletic fields and courts and mandate training for relevant county personnel. The legislation’s namesake is Robbie Levine, a 9-year-old boy who died in 2005 after suffering sudden cardiac arrest during Little League practice on a field without an AED. It was first filed last July — and still, nothing.
Additional measures would make County government work better for everybody – but they have received no response from the Majority.
These include recent proposals introduced by Legislator Olena Nicks (D-Uniondale) to establish a 311 non-emergency hotline — something which would have been especially useful during this most recent, historic blizzard — and Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Debra Mulé’s (D-Freeport) effort to slash the outrageous and illegal fees Nassau homeowners are charged to file paperwork at the County Clerk’s office.
Other initiatives that would have reduced exorbitant permit fees for county businesses and made plans for refunding drivers who paid illegal fees on their red-light camera tickets were similarly ignored.
Then, there is the matter of cultural competency and respect for our workforce. Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday in 2021, marking the anniversary of June 19, 1865, the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and enforced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the last enslaved Americans. Since then, every U.S. state and every town and city in Nassau, has recognized the day as an official holiday. Nassau County remains the only outlier — despite our four attempts to pass legislation correcting that.
In recent months, County Executive Blakeman has sought to rebrand himself to the rest of the state as a bipartisan leader, but those of us who have dealt directly with him and his administration know nothing could be further from the truth.
Now is the time for the county executive to step up and show that he can work with us in a truly bipartisan manner. When his words match his deeds, Nassau County’s families and communities will be better for it.
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, of Glen Cove, is the Democratic Minority Leader of the Nassau County Legislature. She represents the 11th Legislative District and has served since 2012.