Cynthia Nuñez would focus on transparency in legislation

After four years on the Valley Stream District 24 school board, Cynthia Nuñez is ready to represent her community. Nuñez, 47, is running for a seat on the Nassau County Legislature in the newly redrawn District 14, which includes Lynbrook, portions of Valley Stream and Malverne. Her platform highlights communication with constituents and legislative transparency.

Nuñez and her husband have lived in Valley Stream for 16 years, and raised two children. A Suffolk County native, she studied professional legal studies at St. John’s University, and is currently pursuing an MBA at NYU. She is the director of legal operations at Labaton Keller Sucharow, where she focuses on data privacy and consumer rights violations. “I represent the little guy who’s been wronged by the big conglomerate,” she explained.

Nuñez has been a school board trustee since 2022. She ran for the position after realizing that her son didn’t receive the opportunities her daughter had a few years earlier.

“We chose to live in South Valley Stream, particularly District 24, because of the wonderful opportunities the school district had to offer,” she said. “Six years later, we realized those programs weren’t there anymore. That propelled me to run for the school board.”

As a trustee, Nuñez helped restore programs, supported the construction a sensory playground, and secured a $500,000 grant for the district. “I addressed a need for the community,” she said. “I can do that on a large scale, and that’s what I’m prepared to do on the Legislature.”

If elected, Nuñez would like to tackle county finances and transparency. “I need to know where the money is going and I need to share that with the community,” she said. “I need the community to understand where our taxes have been allocated so we can figure out if it’s in the best interests of this district. If not, then let’s create a plan and see where we can implement changes.”

Nuñez is an alternate committee member for Valley Stream’s Board of Zoning & Appeals, appointed by Mayor Edwin Fare. She believes her relationship with Valley Stream officials would help her succeed as legislator.

“I come from a lifetime of service,” she said. “Service is entrenched in me. I’ve dedicated my life to giving a voice to those that don’t have one. My experiences on the school and the BZA boards have demonstrated, with proven results, that I can help my community as a whole.”

Nuñez is also a member of the National Association for Latino Officials, the New York State School Boards Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, the Valley Stream Beautification Club, and the high school Parents Club.

“One of the benefits of this position is that I’m advocating for issues that directly impact myself and my family,” she said. “I think we need to have a voice that will raise the concerns of our constituents.”

Nuñez is a proponent of town halls. “What I’m hearing is that people are being spoken at instead of spoken with,” she said. “We need to create a freeway of communication. Constituents have a right to voice their concerns before decisions are made, not after.”

If elected, she said is committed to working with her colleagues. “I cannot, in good conscience, just collaborate with Democrats and think that will resolve everything,” Nuñez said. “We have to be able to collaborate as a unit.”