By ANTHONY BOTTAN
In front of GOP headquarters on May 20, Bastardi, along with County Executive Tom Suozzi, announced her change in political registration. I didn-t leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me, Bastardi said. Property taxes and a lack of housing alternatives are two major problems facing Nassau County. The Republicans have not come up with any real solutions and continue to be the party of �no.-
Suozzi said he was excited that Bastardi made the switch to the Democratic side of the political spectrum and is looking forward to working with her to fight rising property taxes. Nina understands the problems facing the future of Nassau County and has the courage and conviction to do something to address these issues, Suozzi said.
Bastardi said she was the president of the Nassau County Young Republicans Club for two years, but she began getting frustrated with the stagnation of her former party. Everyone is leaving Nassau County, Bastardi said. With property taxes so high, no one can afford to live here. I realized that the Republicans here say no to everything and don-t offer solutions.
She noted that she agrees with Suozzi-s plan for cool downtowns where housing would be created near or over commercial businesses to expand the tax base and revitalize business districts. [Suozzi] supports smart growth, she said. He makes the tough choices that need to be made. She added that she has seen a lot of patronage in the county, and employing friends into political positions is a waste of money and bad for the county.
Nassau County stood as a beacon for those in search of a suburban way of life, but no more thanks to the cronyism of the GOP, she said. I want to be part of the solution, which is why I vow that I will fight to end those practices as soon as I take office.
Though Bastardi vows to bring change to the county, her announcement in front of GOP headquarters caused Republicans to lash out at her and Suozzi. Many jeered and booed Bastardi-s political change, including Fred, a 22-year-old Republican from West Hempstead. As far as the atmosphere goes, it wasn-t negative until they started passing comments, Fred said, My thing is Suozzi came to our headquarters, which is a pompous move. He wanted to use our crowd to his advantage. But kudos to them for their tactics.
Bastardi, 26, has a bachelor-s degree in government and politics from St. John-s University and earned a law degree from St. John-s Law School. She is an attorney at Farrell Fritz and handles cases in the land use, municipal and tax certiorari departments.
Comments about this story? ABottan@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
