Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker has been a strong voice for District 16 since 2016, when he won a special election following the death of Judy Jacobs.
He is currently serving his second full term as the representative for the 16th Legislative District, which includes the communities of Plainview, Old Bethpage, Jericho, Syosset, Woodbury, Hicksville, Old Westbury and Roslyn Heights.
A lawyer and lifelong resident of Plainview, Drucker has promoted quality-of-life issues through legislation requiring the installation of cameras on school buses, raising the age to purchase tobacco and related products to 21 and restricting the sale of flavored vaping products.
He has also worked on behalf of social issues, advocating for reproductive health care access, passing legislation to mandate sexual harassment training at the county level and vocally supporting of the LGBTQ+ community.
Drucker has also taken a sensible position on retail cannabis sales, saying efforts to opt out will result in lost revenues. He has instead called for regulations that ensure the product is not sold to people under 21 and require testing for drivers suspected of being under the influence.
Drucker has also advocated for smart, walkable downtowns and has pressed the county to maintain sidewalks at homes along county roads.
We were disappointed that he joined three other Democratic legislators in sponsoring legislation giving Nassau County police the right to sue protesters for harassment that opponents said would stifle free speech, particularly for minority groups.
To his credit, he withdrew his support after a hearing in which opponents pointed out the harm it could cause – something Republican legislators did not do.
But that is a small blemish on an otherwise strong record.
Drucker is opposed by Republican Dan Alter, a professor of dentistry and entrepreneur.
Alter brings a businessman’s eye to downtown developments that is welcomed to the county’s discussion.
But he, like many Republicans, blames the reassessment of all property under Nassau County Executive Laura Curran for what he calls “unaffordable” taxes.
This prevents a realistic discussion of residents’ taxes – most of which go to district schools and a much smaller but still important part to the county as well as towns, villages and special districts.
Alter also touts a scientific approach to COVID, but says he does not believe mask mandates are needed in schools – despite the advice of virtually every expert.
We strongly endorse Arnold Drucker for re-election in the 16th District of the Nassau County Legislature.
