Thursday, October 1, 2026
With his family and several friends and supporters in attendance, District 3 Legislator Carrie Solages was sworn in on Jan. 6 at the Nassau County Legislative Building in Mineola.
The ceremony, which Solages said felt different than in 2012 because he was less nervous this time around, marked the start of his second term representing the 3rd District, which covers parts of Elmont, Valley Stream, North Valley Stream, South Valley Stream, North Woodmere and Inwood. Solages, a 34-year-old Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Naomie Jean-Philippe in November, capturing nearly 70 percent of the vote.
In the days following his inauguration, Solages, who was sworn in by Sen. Charles Schumer, told the Herald that there are a number of items on his agenda for his second term. Encouraging more government transparency, fighting for tax relief and focusing on improving local downtowns, he said, are among them.
High taxes, Solages said, “continue to force people to leave. We need a change to our tax system — perhaps a circuit breaker or cap for our hardworking middle-class families.”
The Town of Hempstead, he said, has not been as receptive to residents as he thinks it should be. “Our downtowns continue to not be improved by the Town of Hempstead,” he said. “We were able to achieve change in our county government by my election and re-election, but the town continues to be in the hands of the same political party for over 100 years. The town has not yet responded to public cries for help in zoning and housing.”
Solages said that his renewed fight for more transparency began the day of his inauguration, during a legislative session, when the Republicans wanted to push a procedural amendment that would reduce the amount of time the public had to review new bills from 17 days to 14. Solages opposed the amendment, he said, “because it would give the public less time to review and learn about any bill [and] would discourage transparency and accountability.” The amendment did not pass.
