Editorial

In the 11th L.D., support DeRiggi-Whitton

Posted

We endorse Democrat Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, the incumbent county legislator in District 11. Despite being in the minority, DeRiggi-Whitton has stayed determined to do what is best for North Shore residents.

Some of her most notable accomplishments come in the form of grants that she secured for her communities. She pushed for upgrades for the Sea Cliff sewer system, which will now include the village’s commercial district. DeRiggi-Whitton has also helped secure thousands of dollars of funding to local organizations and programs in Glen Cove, including a $25,000 grant that saved this year’s Downtown Sounds summer concert series.

On issues of water quality and the environment, DeRiggi-Whitton fought to keep the Queen’s Wells from reopening, which could have reintroduced contaminants into Long Island’s aquifers. She also worked with other elected officials to find possible solutions to clean up Crescent Beach so that it can reopen by the summer of 2020.

In her previous term, she introduced the Pharmacy Opioid Notice Law, which would have required all pharmacies to post signs warning of the dangers of opioid addiction. While the initiative did not pass, DeRiggi-Whitton wants to continue not only the county’s fight against the opioid crisis, but also to push for additional restrictions on e-cigarette and vaping products. She said the county should look to ban people from smoking these products at parks and other public locations, similar to the ban on smoking cigarettes.

Although DeRiggi-Whitton usually supports her fellow Democrats in the Legislature and County Executive Laura Curran, she was the sole Democrat who voted to fund contracts to hire outside experts to redo the assessments because she believed the initial assessment process conducted under Curran’s administration was rolled out too quickly and could hurt homeowners in the county. She has long advocated for a smoother transition of the reassessment process, which she recognized as needed changing after the county had neglected it for years.

DeRiggi-Whitton would also be open to help Glen Cove negotiate the coming sewer tax, by either extending the grace period or incrementally including the tax so homeowners would not be hit with the expense all at once.

While her opponent, James Greenberg, is an impressive candidate, DeRiggi-Whitton has too much experience to pass up on. Her ability to work across the aisle and get legislation passed while serving in the minority exemplifies her commitment to the 11th District. It’s also worth noting that she is not only backed by the Democratic and Working Families Parties, but also by the Conservative and Independence parties.

DeRiggi-Whitton is the right choice for the 11th District.