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Mostly Cloudy Looking back on 14 years
Roger Corbin recounts work as a county legislator
Outgoing county Legislator Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) said that serving in the Legislature since 1995 has been a rewarding experience because it has enabled him to create change in the county.
Corbin, 63, started his journey in public service in the late 1980s, after he saw a need for more minority elected officials in county government. During his years as a community activist in Westbury and as a county legislator for the 2nd Legislative District, Corbin said, he never backed away from fighting against injustice because he was a product of the civil rights era, when millions of African-Americans pushed for equality.
"There was never a fight or situation that I took a step back from," he said. "I always made an effort to fight on the constituents’ behalf, and I'm very proud of that."
Work as a legislator
In an interview with the Herald at his office in Mineola last week, Corbin recalled that when he became a county legislator in 1995, there were many issues that needed attention. He said he made establishing town meetings in each area of the 2nd L.D. his first order of business, because it allowed county department heads to meet with residents and explain their responsibilities.
"Serving on the Legislature for the first time was an exciting time for me because I made it a priority to go door to door and learn what was on the minds of residents," he said. "When I learned that there was a need for more education about how government works in my district, I started the town meetings, and that had never been done before. Those meetings are still mimicked by other elected officials today."
In the late 1990s, when the Republicans had the majority in the Legislature and Republican Tom Gulotta was county executive, Corbin said, he still managed to bring funding and other resources to the 2nd District because he never saw being in the minority party as a hindrance. To many, he is known as “a legislator without borders” because he made the effort to find out how certain issues affect communities across the county.
