Thursday, October 1, 2026
Scott Davis is no stranger to public service — though it wasn’t always part of his plan. A longtime Rockville Centre resident who grew up in Hempstead, Davis was first elected in 2023 to represent Legislative District 1, which covers Rockville Centre and Hempstead.
Now seeking re-election, he reflects on a first term defined by community outreach, legislative advocacy and fighting for equity in a County Legislature where Democrats remain in the minority.
Davis, 63, lives in Rockville Centre with his wife, and they have three children, all college graduates. A first-generation college student himself, he became a criminal defense attorney, where he works to educate and advise his clients about their cases and the criminal justice process. His early years, growing up biracial in Hempstead and losing his mother when he was young, shaped his belief in perseverance and giving back, as he described to Herald reporters during a Roundtable interview.
“In my first term as a legislator, all that concern, all of that desire to do good, it’s presented a platform for me where I can actually do that,” he said. “I get access to resources, I get access to information, and probably one of my favorite things of all that I really, really like to do is I’ve gone everywhere in my district and I’ve developed relationships, and I’ve been able to create a synergy of putting different people together for a good end.”
Davis said his proudest legislative achievement was securing $1.75 million in clean-water funding for Hempstead after learning about contamination issues, particularly the elevated presence of the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.
“It took us nine months, but I got the money, and (as) a first-time legislator, to be able to have the minority caucus get together and prioritize that as an issue — it’s recognizing that issue, and then it’s fighting for that issue,” he said. “And people were sick of me, because everywhere I went, I talked about it, and it was a great day to be able to get that money.”
Nine months of advocacy, including joint efforts with now-State Sen. Siela Bynoe, eventually paid off. Davis believes that work also helped shine a light that led to a later $37 million allocation by the state.
District 1 was redrawn for the 2025 election, and now encompasses Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Roosevelt and parts of Baldwin and Hempstead. Davis emphasizes showing up — in churches, libraries and schools — to understand his constituents, both old and new, because “you can’t effectively represent anybody unless you know who they are.”
“I go everywhere all the time, and it’s for a reason, and it’s not for the photo ops,” he said. “It’s to learn, to develop relationships, to do my job the best way that I can.”
Davis said that progress is slowed by partisan gridlock, and that the minority caucus of Democratic legislators struggles to get its capital project requests granted.
Despite these challenges, he said, if re-elected, he plans to keep fighting for equal access to county resources, improve infrastructure and support local nonprofits addressing food insecurity, youth services and education.
Davis’s vision includes renovating Mirschel Park in Hempstead, installing exercise stations at the Rockville Centre Recreation Center and expanding summer camps for underserved children.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to do my job, and do it well,” he said.
