Ford, Lovas vie for the 4th Legislative District seat

Denise Ford, the veteran county legislator, is being challenged by a new comer to electoral politics,  Claudia Lovas, a Democrat.  Ford is campaigning on her nearly 20 years as a legislator and her years of service to the community. She emphasizes that she has been particularly  involved with environmental issues. Lovas argues that it is time for a change,  that as a newbie, she would not be tied to traditional ways of doing things in the Legislature and that she would bring new spirit and energy to the job.

Herald: What do you consider the most important issue facing Nassau County residents this year?

Ford: Residents are concerned over the high cost of living as we pay the second highest property taxes in the country. As a result of the reassessment, over 65 percent of homeowners have seen their assessed values increase, which will impact their taxes. Some have had their incomes reduced due to the pandemic and struggling to make ends meet or own small businesses and were also impacted by the pandemic due to shutdowns. Despite this, people are still moving into Nassau as we have a good quality of life and are one of the safest counties in America. With the change in the bail reform laws, many are concerned over the continued safety in their communities as they are constantly reminded to lock their cars and homes. Residents want to make sure that as they make sacrifices to afford to live here that they continue safely and securely.

Lovas: Covid remains a significant concern for constituents of Nassau County given that the virus continues to spread throughout our country.  Initially, Nassau County had one of the highest numbers of Covid cases outside of New York City.  County Executive Laura Curran efficiently took control of an unprecedented situation.  Now, 17 months later, over 90 percent of adult residents in Nassau County over the age of 18 have received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Laura Curran has done a remarkable job handling the worst health crisis in over 100 years.  However, the threat is not over and the task cannot be performed alone.  This undertaking requires a government that is committed to working with Laura Curran, not against her.  As legislator, I will be dedicated to helping the county executive in her continued efforts to make vaccines readily accessible to all residents so we can keep our communities and first responders safe.  In the continued control of the pandemic, I will partner with the county executive in her steady approach of supporting families and small businesses to continue restoring the fiscal health of the County.   

Herald: Home prices have skyrocketed in Nassau this year, leaving a number of middle- and lower-income families unable to afford a home. Rentals have also skyrocketed. What is the solution to this problem?

Ford: One of the reasons home prices rose so much was due to the fact that many in New York City chose to move to Long Island. It became a seller’s market, as there were more buyers than homes for sale. Rents were impacted as well, as many were looking to relocate here. As this appears to be settling, we need to look at ways to make it easier for our lower- and middle-income families. There is a need for more affordable housing, and we need to work together to bring these types of units into our communities. One way would be to partner with organizations such as the Long Island Housing Partnership, which has helped people get homes they otherwise could not afford on their own. As land values are high, we can look at abandoned sites to determine if housing would be suitable there, which would also eliminate blight. I have always advocated for our rent stabilized apartments, which allow people to stay in their communities. When developers are given any tax breaks, they are required to set aside a certain number of affordable units and this can help. Expansion of the Section 8 program can provide vouchers for low- and moderate-income families to offset the rent.

Lovas: Economic development has been an important issue for the county executive.  Before we can be more supportive of local issues such as affordable housing, we need to continue and maintain the fiscal health of the county achieved by Laura Curran and her administration.  Maintaining fiscal discipline, a balanced budget and holding the line on property taxes ultimately translates into housing affordability. It is a domino effect that starts from the top down. Despite a global pandemic, the county now has a budget surplus, and Laura Curran has proposed tax cuts for 2022.  This is a direct result of the hard work of the Curran administration. Moving forward, we need to eliminate the continued obstacles created by the Republican legislative majority that derail initiatives proposed by the county executive to the detriment of Nassau County residents. I am prepared to work collaboratively with the county executive, and my priority is to find more solutions aimed at keeping young people in the county, to raise families and eventually retire here. 

Herald: Many of the county’s downtowns are aging and in need of repair. Do you favor raising taxes to fix the downtowns? Are there other solutions available?

Ford: Our downtowns are the core of many communities as they attract residents and visitors to the neighborhoods. As important as they are, I do not favor raising taxes. Businesses would not be immune to this tax increase, which would make it harder to continue to stay open. There are other solutions; for instance, municipalities can take advantage of grants and funding to help renovate the stores and sidewalks. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development provides Community Development Block Grant funding, which can be used to beautify the area as well as fix storefronts. New York state representatives should help secure additional funding from the state, which could provide for downtown revitalization. Also, the federal government is distributing infrastructure funding, which could be used for street repair and drainage to help protect these shopping and commercial areas. There are grants being offered through Boost Nassau for our local businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. This assistance can help keep them open.

Lovas: I am not in favor of raising taxes.   We can develop alternatives such as seeking grants for municipalities and other financial incentives for developers in order to reinvent the county’s downtowns.  This is already in the works in many of our Nassau communities. Villages are applying for state programs like the Downtown Revitalization Initiative that has the potential of bringing millions of dollars for the purpose of the redevelopment of the downtowns. Additionally, allowing the execution of large quality projects in Nassau County also bolsters the viability of the downtowns. The county executive needs more supporters to help her in the headway that has been made thus far. We need to continue to build on this progress. The county has been plagued with fiscal issues for over 20 years that trickled down to the local communities.  Despite a pandemic, Laura Curran has resurrected this county, bringing fiscal health and ending decades of government corruption.  The Curran administration eliminated a culture of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption, notwithstanding a Republican legislative majority whose goal was to block her attempts at every turn. Just think of all she could have accomplished with an advocate like me in the Legislature fighting for her, instead of against her.