Pace ready to continue being an advocate

Alexis Pace wouldn’t say she has had the longest career in politics. She would say, however, that she’s been a community advocate for quite some time.

And that’s all thanks to Pace’s daughter. Without her, Pace says she wouldn’t be where she is today — running for a seat with the Nassau County Legislature.

Pace’s daughter was born with Down syndrome, and when it was time for her to start school, the family faced some resistance. Pace had to be her daughter’s number-one advocate, which ultimately taught her a lot.

“She showed me how to really fight for people who don’t have a voice,” Pace said. “My daughter literally can’t speak. What that means for families is I know how intimidating it can be when you have the world or things stacked against you, and you need somebody to be able to be a strong, fierce advocate.”

She doesn’t want people to think she’s just a special needs advocate, though.

Pace has been on numerous school boards, including as co-president of the Special Education PTA, and vice president of the Central Council PTA. She has been on the Long Beach school board since 2021. Working through these groups has given her insight into what exactly she wants to address in Mineola.

“The inequities that I saw really motivated me to take a step further,” Pace said. “I'm always looking to fill gaps, be a community advocate, and be the voice of people that just don't have one. I would say that's the best way to describe who I am as a person.”

A lot of that starts with millions of dollars of Covid-19 relief money that had been earmarked for Nassau County. Some funding has gone out, but not among the communities Pace hopes she’ll have a chance to represent.

Biking in and around Long Beach, East Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach and Lido Beach rivals driving as the main form of transportation. Biking is these areas can be a tad tricky — and dangerous — since a lot of the lanes are on the sides of the streets, except for the Long Beach boardwalk.

Pace wants to work on expanding the areas for bikers, and making them safer.

“When I say bike lanes, I don't mean taking away lanes of traffic,” she said, “but specifically working on making our area more comfortable for bikers and for walkers.”

As a school board member, Pace has seen how many middle and high school students live too close to their respective schools to get a bus. So, they walk or ride in the mornings and afternoons, which in turn has created significant safety issues since current traffic patterns don’t necessarily support pedestrian-friendly travel.

She also has an eye on safety and policing. She would like to see more police officers hired, but also more emphasis on addressing their mental health — especially after working so many hours during the pandemic when most everyone else was inside.

Additionally, for nearly the past year entirely, Equinor, Empire Wind and alternative energy has been a back-and-forth discussion — and sometimes argument. A plan was made to build giant wind turbines off the coast of Long Beach that would bring power for those living in its wake. There are people for it and against many parts of it — like cables running under streets — if they’re not against the project altogether.

Pace’s big thing? How details are getting out.

“I immediately identified that there were some serious issues with the way the information was being shared with the public,” she said. “When you have a project of this magnitude that is going to be so different than what people are accustomed to, no matter what, it causes some level of fear, questioning and anxiety. It’s just human nature.”

Her issue with the way it has been rolled out is that without the input from Equinor and some of the other key people that can be objective, it has allowed so much noise on each side, completely politicizing the topic. It is no longer, in her estimation, about the project anymore, but about people's agendas — which she is adamantly against.

Pace is running for Denise Ford’s seat, and commends the long-time public figure’s advocacy for regular breast cancer screenings and mammography vans in and around Long Beach. Pace was diagnosed with breast cancer last October and had her mastectomy a month later.

Her one-year anniversary of the surgery? Election Day, Nov. 7.