Howard Kopel sworn in as Nassau County Legislature's presiding officer

Republican Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel is the Legislature’s new presiding officer, replacing Richard Nicolello, who has retired after 28 years.

Kopel, 72, of Lawrence, was sworn in on Jan. 5 along with the rest of the 19-member Legislature, in which Republicans hold a 12-7 majority.

U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Town of Hempstead officials also attended the ceremony.

“I know that he will do an outstanding job,” Blakeman told the crowd in the Peter J. Schmitt Legislative Chamber, referring to Kopel. “He is thoughtful, he is bright, and he really cares about the people in the county, understands the legislative process and how it works.”

With Kopel’s ascension to leader of the Legislature, the power of county government is now centered in the Five Towns area. Blakeman lives in nearby Atlantic Beach.

The owner of a national title insurance and settlement business in Valley Stream, Kopel began his political career in 2010. In November he was re-elected to his eighth term representing the 7th Legislative District, which includes the Five Towns and a handful of surrounding communities.

The deputy presiding officer will be Republican Tom McKevitt, who represents the 13th District.

Kopel requested to be sworn in by Nicolello.

“Howard Kopel, my friend, brings a tremendous amount of business acumen, thinks outside the box, reaches consensus, is innovative, is going to be a terrific presiding officer,” said Nicolello, an original member of the Nassau Legislature, having represented the 9th District since 1996. “He is going to be a terrific presiding officer.

“Just to give you an idea of what the transition will be,” Nicolello added with a chuckle, “the presiding officer parking spot, where there used to be a boring (Ford) Edge — there is now a hotrod Dodge Charger.”

Nicolello and Kopel’s wife of 47 years, Esther, swore him in.

In his remarks, Kopel recognized other former presiding officers during his political career, beginning with the man the legislative chamber is named for.

“I’ve always thought of Peter (Schmitt) as a happy warrior,” Kopel said. “He took me under his wing when I first started and he kind of showed me the ropes. I’ll always be grateful to him.”

Under Norma Gonsalves, who retired when her term expired in 2017, Kopel began to see what leadership was like, he said. Kopel served as deputy presiding officer under Nicolello, beginning in 2018, and said that he epitomized leadership based on dignity and respect for colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

“I’ve learned from each of these fine public servants, and I’ll try to build on that service,” Kopel said.

In a pre-election roundtable discussion with the Herald last October, Kopel noted the county’s several years of budget surpluses and said that Nassau “is in a lot better shape than many other counties” — and that the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which has overseen the county’s finances for more than 20 years, has outlived its usefulness.

Although Republicans hold the majority, Kopel emphasized that county lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are friends. “We are going to inevitably agree on most of what we do,” he said. “We’ll work together. We’ll agree on what we can, argue when we must, and we’ll shake hands and go home as friends.”