Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton was the guest speaker at the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce’s monthly board meeting held on April 10. She discussed several initiatives with which she is involved at the county level, as well as projects underway or planned for Port.
The legislator first addressed the county’s plans to fight corruption that was rampant under the Ed Mangano Administration. Aside from appointing an independent inspector general— which she and other Minority Legislators have been urging for two years— there were added layers of security and greater checks and balances will also better help protect taxpayer dollars. DeRiggi-Whitton stressed confidence in Comptroller Jack Schnirman based on meetings with him, as well as his success in cleaning up Brookhaven.
Delia then spoke about the tax assessment overhaul that will bring greater parity to homeowners’ tax payments. She added that the approximately $50 million paid annually by the county to tax law firms will instead be used for constituent services and to reduce the budget deficit.
Regarding LICAP (Long Island Commission For Aquifer Protection), she and Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth are working to increase the number of environmentalists on this committee to increase its effectiveness in true protection the aquifers, which are Long Island’s sole source of fresh water.
An environmental issue Delia was successful in overcoming is legislation she submitted with the help of Grassroots Environmental Education’s Patti Woods that bans the use of fracking wastewater byproducts in Nassau County. She has also been actively involved in the fight to prevent New York City from securing permits to re-open Queens wells, which, if used, could render the county’s drinking water useless for generations.
For Port Washington specifically, DeRiggi-Whitton discussed how pleased she is to be able to move forward with Manorhaven Boulevard’s $3 million renovation now that bonding has been approved. She added that reversing the erosion problem along Shore Road in the Village of Baxter Estates and renovations to Elderfields, home of The Art Guild are key capital budget items.
Feel free to contact Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton with any questions or comments at 516-571-6211 or dderiggiwhitton@nassaucountyny.gov.
