To the Editor:
Thank you. I cannot say it enough. Thank you.
Serving as a Nassau County Legislator for the last two years has been a tremendous honor, and an even greater privilege.
I joined the Legislature at a challenging time for the Democratic Caucus. Being in the minority, each of us individually, was the last line of defense against a Republican supermajority and absolute one-party rule in Nassau County. For two years, we fought at every turn for our constituents. We fought to get our communities the resources from the county that they not only deserve, but pay for with their tax dollars. Under the leadership of Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, we proudly stood shoulder to shoulder and delivered.
We successfully leveraged our votes for the 2025 capital plan — which requires a 13-vote supermajority to pass — to force the county executive to process 14 long-awaited grants for first responders serving Democratic districts, including $100,000 for the Merrick Fire Department. We enacted a fiscal year 2025 capital plan that delivered tens of millions for essential infrastructure investments in Democratic districts and funded first responders, law enforcement, and critical countywide infrastructure upgrades that benefit all of us.
As a caucus, we fought for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that Nassau received following the COVID-19 pandemic to be set aside for community organizations that helped us weather the storm and strengthen the fabric of our communities. In District 5, we supported our youth by securing $100,000 for Rising Stars in Freeport and $50,000 for the Cedarmore Corporation. We confronted hunger by delivering over $22,000 to the Ladles of Hope food pantry at Our Holy Redeemer Church in Freeport.
In the face of a county executive who regularly crosses the line separating the executive and legislative branches of our government, our caucus fought for commonsense legislation that would protect the public and save lives.
Personally, I proposed “Gio’s Law” to mandate epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens) in all Nassau County police cars and “Robbie’s Law” — which would equip all county-owned and operated athletic fields with Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). My Democratic colleagues proposed the “Families Against Fentanyl Act” — which would require the inclusion of low-cost, highly accurate fentanyl-detecting test strips in Narcan kits distributed by Nassau County agencies. We proposed these pieces of legislation because, quite frankly, they made sense. All three proposals focused directly on the health and safety of our community members.
I proudly stood with my colleagues as we sounded the alarm on tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending on politically connected outside legal spending contracts. At the same time, we shed light on the chaos at Nassau University Medical Center amid the ongoing battle to save a vital safety net hospital that so many people rely on for care. We fought for policies to make Nassau more affordable by reducing permit fees for businesses and returning illegally collected red light camera ticket fees to drivers.
Unfortunately, while none of the Democrat-proposed legislation made it to the legislative calendar for a vote, I have great optimism that the momentum we created will continue into 2026. One recent example comes to mind: at a recent meeting of the Merrick Community Civic Association, I was especially grateful to witness a powerful presentation by Kennedy High School students Ava and Ethan Robinson in support of Robbie’s Law. Their passion shows that the fight for this lifesaving idea is far from over.
To be clear, there is more work to do, but I have the utmost confidence in the Democratic Caucus I leave behind. I owe each of them a debt of gratitude. My success representing the Fifth Legislative District is directly related to the support, advice and guidance I received from my fellow legislators. Thank you, to each of you.
My term as legislator ends on December 31, but my work as legislator continues until then. I will use every moment to help our community. I am happy to announce that we are hosting a winter coat drive in partnership with the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club. If you have new or gently used winter coats and accessories, please drop them off during normal business hours at the Freeport, North Bellmore or North Merrick Libraries or the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club’s headquarters at 294 W. Merrick Road, Suite 12 in Freeport. The drive ends on December 14.
I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the unwavering love and support that my wife, Jill, three children and extended family gave me along this journey. Without you, none of this would have been possible. I am forever grateful to all of you. Thank you.
Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to serve for these two years. From my family to yours, we wish you all a wonderful, healthy and prosperous holiday season and an amazing 2026. I look forward to seeing you in the community as we continue the work to make Nassau County an even better place to live, work and raise our families.
Seth I. Koslow (D-Merrick) represents the 5th District in the Nassau County Legislature. He lives in Merrick.