Thursday, January 16, 2025
In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3-5 tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” In the spirit of that section of scripture, we learn that there is a time to come and a time to go — and these words ring especially true with my departure from the Nassau County Legislature.
Taking the oath of office to serve the people of the State Senate’s 6th District on Sunday has led me to reflect on my nearly 11 years serving the people of Nassau’s 2nd Legislative District. From my first day, Feb. 24, 2014, it has been my mission to serve my constituents with intensity by drawing on my compassion for their challenges and my lived experiences to do all I could to lighten their load.
Serving in the Legislature’s minority caucus required me to keep an open mind and bridge the partisan divide to deliver for my constituents. From the outset, I worked with former Legislator Fran Becker to secure funding to train members of the public in the discipline of mental health first aid. I built on this by authoring and enacting bipartisan legislation in late 2018 that requires all public-facing county employees to receive training.
One of our foremost responsibilities as lawmakers is investing in our collective future. The first capital infrastructure project I worked on was with former legislator and fellow Westbury resident Laura Schaefer, and together we secured improvements to the Westbury Public Library that ensured that patrons benefited from the dignity of convenient, ADA-compliant bathrooms.
We have also worked diligently to bolster public safety and strengthen police-community bonds. Starting with a legislative proposal, years of sustained advocacy by Legislator Carrié Solages, former Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams and I yielded a police body-camera program that is now active and protecting officers and the public alike.
Later, by standing with my Democratic colleagues and demanding greater equity in the county’s capital plan, I secured over $69 million for major streetscape and traffic safety initiatives in Hempstead, Uniondale, Westbury and Lakeview. Most recently, I worked with Legislator Scott Davis to obtain $1.75 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to equip Hempstead Village to modernize its water infrastructure and remove 1,4-dioxane and other emerging contaminants from its potable water.
Last, but certainly not least, as a more than two-decade breast cancer survivor, I am keenly aware of the importance of water quality and its inextricable connection to public health. To that end, I authored and passed the Ground Water and Public Water Supply Facts Report law, spearheaded legislation to create the Smart Sprinkler Reimbursement program, and wrote a Nassau County Industrial Development Agency initiative that rewards businesses for completing green upgrades — which resulted in the installation of solar panels at Grumman Studios that contribute 3 megawatts of clean solar energy to the power grid. I implore my colleagues to ensure that the county remains in compliance with the Water Supply Facts law after the first report is published, and to continue to fund the Smart Sprinkler Reimbursement law so that we continue building on the 3.5 percent reduction in water use that the county has already achieved.
My new role in the State Senate brings about great change — for one, I will be serving in the majority.
However, my experiences advocating for my constituents from the other side of that dais demonstrated how it is a tremendous responsibility to be wise stewards of the people’s agenda, and I will take that duty to heart as I endeavor to achieve balance through the initiatives I support and the funding I secure for the betterment of Nassau County and our region.
I have often said that there’s more to be done — and it is with that spirit that I will always extend my advocacy to all of Nassau County as we strive for better public schools, improved public health, and greater prosperity and opportunity for us all.
As we embark on a new year replete with promise, I wish you all good health and God’s blessings, and pray that He will continue to keep you as we continue to labor collectively for a brighter future not just for Nassau County, but the entirety of the Empire State.
Siela A. Bynoe concluded nearly 11 years in the Nassau County Legislature on Dec. 31, and now represents the 6th Senate District.
