Meagan McCarty of Port Washington said she believes it is time for a fresh set of eyes for Nassau County’s 11th Legislative District. She is running against seven-term incumbent Delia DeRiggi-Whitton as the Republican candidate on Nov. 2.
McCarty, wife of a Port Washington police sergeant and mother of two, has experience working in campaigns for former state Sen. Elaine Phillips, former North Hempstead Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio, and state Senate candidate Dave Franklin.
“I’ve always been a heck of a volunteer,” McCarty said in an interview with Blank Slate Media.
One of McCarty’s main issues is slowing down tax increases for her district, which encompasses Albertson, Glen Cove, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Locust Valley, Manhasset, the Port Washington peninsula, Roslyn, Roslyn Heights and Sea Cliff.
If elected, McCarty said she would tackle this issue by supporting the idea of an elected assessor who lives in Nassau County.
“I’m opposed to the lack of transparency that’s going on,” McCarty said. “I don’t know the formula that was used and no one can give me that information. That’s what the major opposition is with that I want to hold the assessor accountable.”
Also important to McCarty is assisting small businesses, an issue she wants to work on after seeing so many “For Rent” signs in the North Shore’s business districts. She said that she would host quarterly round tables for business owners across the district to see what the county could do for them.
“That’s something that I’ve already started doing,” McCarty said. “I’ve really enjoyed hearing from small-business owners and what their concerns are, and how I can help them out.”
McCarty says she would also take a look at “quality of life issues,” including county parks needing upgrades.
McCarty said she believes that information and accessibility should be at the top of any elected officials priorities. She said she has grown frustrated with arduous processes and officials not meeting their taxpayers in the middle.
“It’s your job to get all the information out there,” McCarty said.
The Port Washington resident also said she has confidence in the Nassau County Board of Elections.
When asked whether or not Joe Biden won a free and fair election, she said we have more to bring us together than divide us.
“The bottom line is Joe Biden’s our president,” McCarty said. “When you break it down, and we have great conversations, we have more in common and I think once we realize that, we’re going to all be able to work together and accomplish a lot more.”
Overall, McCarty said she wants to be a spark for Nassau County and add a new perspective for her district. She said that if elected, it would be one of her life’s greatest honors, alongside being a mother.
“I’m a motivated person, I’m a proven problem solver,” McCarty said. “I have a real passion for constituent services, I really want to be the people’s legislator. We’re all in the middle somewhere, and we all have more in common than we don’t.”
