John Canning hopes to return to the Nassau County Legislature 31 years after he helped establish the governing body, and is campaigning on opposition to an energy project, preserving local control of development and keeping taxes in check.
The 63-year-old Sea Cliff resident, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Delia DeRiggi-Whitton in the 11th Legislative District.Canning was elected in 1995 to the county’s inaugural Legislature, and served two terms representing a North Shore district that included Glen Cove, Sea Cliff and communities farther east.
As chairman of the Government Services and Operations Committee, he helped establish legislative procedures. He also helped bring about the rebuilding of a storm-damaged waterfront park in Sea Cliff, and protecting open space near Mill Neck Creek.
Now, Canning said, the proposed Propel NY Energy transmission project is a central motivation for him to seek office again.
He argued that construction along major North Shore roads that the project would require would disrupt daily life for residents and businesses. He expressed concerns about traffic through Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and neighboring communities, as well as potential environmental impacts on Hempstead Harbor.
“It would cause havoc on the roads,” he said.
Canning also questioned the project’s energy sources and necessity, describing it as a “cable to nowhere.”
The 11th District’s waterfront communities, he said, share concerns about environmental protection, transportation and the consequences of large projects.
Development is another of his concerns. Canning pointed to potential housing projects at the North Shore and Engineers country clubs, warning that additional traffic could strain busy roads. “We have to limit those developments so that we’re not overwhelmed,” he said.
Asked to identify his three leading priorities, Canning named public safety, affordability and protecting local control over development and energy decisions.
He said he first became interested in public service when he joined the Nassau County Auxiliary Police as a teenager, and served for a decade.
Expanding on the topic of affordability, he praised recent county property tax freezes and said he would work to prevent increases. “People are under tremendous strain,” Canning said, noting that school taxes and household expenses also weigh on residents.
On immigration enforcement, he said that authorities should focus on people who have been convicted of crimes while remaining sensitive to longtime residents and families. He did not advocate broader enforcement in communities where people are simply going about their daily lives.
Turning to the county budget, Canning emphasized controlling expenditures and scrutinizing staffing costs. He currently serves as the Town of Oyster Bay’s human resources commissioner, a position he has held for roughly 15 years.
A practicing attorney since 1991, Canning earned a law degree from St. John’s University, a master’s in European history and an undergraduate degree in classical languages from the University of Toronto. He has served on state environmental commissions and volunteered locally, emceeing North Shore Reads events and wheelchair basketball games, and serving on the Glen Cove Cares board.
Canning said he would bring that varied experience, along with a willingness to work across party lines, back to Mineola. “I’m hoping that the voters of the 11th Legislative District can make John Canning the comeback kid,” he said.
