By Delia DeRiggi-Whitton
As many may know, I was raised in a family that was deeply involved in politics and government. My father, Donald DeRiggi, served as mayor of Glen Cove, a finance commissioner, a city councilman and a Nassau County court judge before he retired.
For as long as I can remember, he taught us that it was a privilege to be a public servant, and that, even though governance may sometimes be contentious, it was important to govern fairly and in the best interests of the people, regardless of political affiliation.
The three and a half years of the administration of County Executive Bruce Blakeman have therefore been a jarring experience for me. His administration has erected countless roadblocks to shield itself from scrutiny — so much so that my colleagues Scott Davis and Debra Mulé were forced to sue the county executive to secure information about his armed “militia” — including simple details about how its members are being trained, equipped, supervised and paid.
Similarly, Blakeman’s administration has refused to say how the future of the Nassau University Medical Center would be protected. This regional hospital network is an essential safety net for the community, and must not be neglected. To get any answers, we’ve had to resort to using the Freedom of Information Act. It has been such a challenge that, after Matthew Bruderman was fired as the NUMC’s board chairman following the mysterious break-in and alleged theft of sensitive documents from his Centre Island home, we had no other recourse but to call on the FBI to conduct a probe and to demand a criminal investigation.
As NUMC’s board spiraled out of control, the hospital’s leadership was accused of taking advantage of the public. After learning this summer that former CEO Meg Ryan was ousted after allegedly giving herself and 12 other employees $1 million in wages and leave payouts they were not entitled to, Newsday revealed that members of the top hospital brass were treating themselves to lobster dinners on the taxpayers’ dime while this essential facility was on the verge of collapse.
You might think that Blakeman would rightly condemn such damaging behavior by appointees in such crucial roles, but to date his silence has spoken volumes. His actions have similarly sent a clear message demonstrating a lack of interest in fair, equitable and responsive government.
We are continuing to fight for fairness in the distribution of Community Revitalization Program grants, where Blakeman’s partisan bias is obvious. To date, districts represented by Republicans have had a staggering 50 grant requests approved, while districts served by Democratic members have received zero approvals through the normal legislative process. In fact, the only grants we received came after we successfully leveraged our votes for the 2025 capital plan — which required a 13-vote supermajority to pass — to force Blakeman to add funding for 14 CRP grants for first responders, totaling $1.3 million, into the capital plan bond ordinance.
More than 30 Democratic CRPs remain caught in the blockade. Specific to District 11, this includes $350,000 to improve Pascucci Field in Glen Cove, $275,000 for an all-ability playground in Port Washington, $110,000 to upgrade Maccarone Stadium in Glen Cove and $100,000 for a local history center at the Port Washington Library. These funds are not being held up on their merits. Rather, they’re being held up over partisan politics.
During my two decades as a public servant and an elected official, I have learned that effective leaders, regardless of political affiliation, must not operate in secrecy. They must not demand political allegiance — and they must not unilaterally shut out opposition voices.
To operate in a purely partisan manner, as the Blakeman administration has done for the past three and a half years, betrays the spirit of community service and our duty to fight for the greater good of the people —
all of the people.
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, of Glen Cove, represents Nassau County’s 11th Legislative District and is the Legislature’s minority leader.
