Editorial: DeRiggi-Whitton serves District 11 well

The Island Now
(Photo provided by the League of Women Voters)

Delia DeRiggi-Whitton has been a strong advocate for both her district and Nassau County during her six terms serving District 11 of the county Legislature, which comprises Port Washington, parts of Manhasset and Roslyn, the City of Glen Cove and a small portion of the Town of Oyster Bay.

The Glen Cove resident was a leader in the Democratic effort to reform the county procurement process, including the push to create an inspector general to oversee county contracts. She also introduced a law setting a maximum spending limit for county contracts.

County contracts previously only disclosed a minimum spending amount.

She said she has also stopped the passage of contracts that were signed by the Mangano administration and pressed for a new requirement that contracts require a second signature.

DeRiggi-Whitton has also been a strong advocate for policies to protect Long Island’s single-source aquifer as a member of the Long Island Coalition for Aquifer Protection, reduce the county’s reliance on fossil fuels and increase the use of renewable energy sources in Nassau County.

She has also done a good job in obtaining county money to revitalize the Village of Manorhaven’s main street, Manorhaven Boulevard. The road will see handicap-accessible sidewalks, new paving and enhance the area’s nautical charm among other efforts.

She has also demonstrated an independent streak as well as a willingness to work with Republicans.

We have been disappointed by her call to delay the county reassessment of all property in Nassau County because of concerns about its accuracy – a position disputed by assessment experts.

In fact, based on anecdotal evidence in her district, she expresses less confidence in the reassessment than Richard Nicoello, the presiding officer of the Republican-controlled county Legislature who has waged a partisan campaign against the reassessment.

Nicolello said he believes the new system instituted under Curran is better than the previous one under which Nassau incurred $50 million a year in successful assessment challenges. DeRiggi-Whitton said she believes the results of the new system will be worse.

We agree with her that the Town of North Hempstead should work with Macy’s and Brookfield Properties on a redevelopment plan they have proposed for the Macy’s site in Manhasset.

DeRiggi-Whitton is opposed by James Greenberg, a lawyer living in Glen Cove with an inspiring life story of being rescued by his parents from an orphanage in Bogota, Colombia, and being raised in Roslyn Harbor.

Greenberg said he would give up his law practice to work full time as a  county legislator. Among his priorities, he said, would be holding down taxes and keeping millennials in Nassau.

He said he sees downtown revitalization as crucial to keeping millennials in the county, and said that “smarter development” of affordable rental apartments is necessary.

Greenberg said he would like to see rentals and condominiums near the water, taking advantage of Long Island’s assets, including the Long Island Rail Road.

Blay Tarnoff, a Libertarian who lives in Port Washington, is also challenging DeRiggi-Whitton. He offered no specifics other than to call for less government and lower taxes.

Blank Slate Media endorse DeRiggi-Whitton.

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