Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Christina Lemyre never realized that “anyone” could run for office.
Describing herself as an “everyday person,” Lemyre is a mother of three, a Levittown homeowner and a proud union construction worker. A registered independent running on the Democratic Party line for the seat in Nassau County’s 13th Legislative District, she’s embracing her first campaign, getting out, talking to people and not being afraid of hard conversations.
“The divide-and-conquer game has clearly torn our country into pieces,” she told the Herald, “and it’s really created this fear of each other, which is difficult to navigate.”
Lemyre spoke passionately about her decision to join a union at 30, which she said led her to a path of homeownership as a single mom. Connecting her career decision to affordability struggles on Long Island, she said there needs to be greater awareness of union work as a path for young people to pursue.
“Not everyone’s going to college,” she said. “When we talk about affordability on Long Island, I think a lot of kids don’t understand that there are alternative places you can go, that you can have a successful career.”
Lemyre was critical of the way local government approaches certain issues. She pointed to a tax grievance workshop being held in the middle of the day, at a time when most homeowners are likely working.
“A tax grievances [workshop] at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday — no one’s going to that,” she said. “These things are set up in a way where we’re not going to be successful.”
Nassau County has more than $80 million in unspent opioid settlement funds, which Lemyre said reflects broader issues, including the stigma surrounding addiction and a lack of understanding about available social services.
“There’s a drug epidemic on Long Island that nobody wants to talk about,” she said. “We have a lack of funds for social services, and once again, I think it’s a lack of education of what social services means.”
Lemyre described herself as very “pro-cop,” and said that Nassau is the safest county in the U.S. not because of its current leadership, but rather because of its police force. She also criticized County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s controversial deputy program, which recruits and trains armed civilian volunteers for emergency deployment.
Much of her criticism, she explained, comes down to what she sees as a lack of questioning and collaboration among local leaders. “The fact that no one is questioning these things goes back to [the idea that] we forgot to be neighbors,” she said. “…I’m not married to one party. I can listen to both sides. I’m a regular person who got involved — and to be honest, I think it’s important that we have regular people getting up and going to work.”
She may be new to politics, Lemyre said, but she wants voters to know she’s on their side. “I can represent you, locally,” she said. “Transparency and the power of rotation is important. When we don’t have rotation, we get people who are comfortable, and when people get comfortable, they get complacent.”
