My first five months as a Nassau County legislator have been an eye-opening lesson in the operations of government, and it has reinforced my belief in how necessary bipartisanship is for a strong government to function effectively and equitably. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s hyper-partisan approach to local government has erected unnecessary roadblocks, creating an indelible impression in my mind of the tremendous obstacles that are created by such an approach.
Since the start of this legislative term, Blakeman has processed dozens of Community Revitalization Project grants for districts served by Republicans, allowing 50 of their requests to reach the legislative calendar. Meanwhile, he has stonewalled every request for districts served by Democratic legislators, delaying funding for improvements to local parks, schools and libraries and impeding the delivery of resources for the firefighters, EMS and local police that keep us all safe.
As a longtime Uniondale Fire Department member, it is mind-boggling to me that someone would prioritize funding for our first responders based on political representation. Every first responder steps up to serve and protect the public without fear, favor or consideration of the party registration of the people they’re helping.
Funding for these grants is allocated to each legislative district through the county’s capital plan, so the money is already in place. While the county executive’s role is strictly to process the applications onto the legislative calendar, he has consistently refused.
This spring, I stood with my Democratic colleagues as we drew a line in the sand, agreeing that we would not release our votes for the fiscal year 2025 capital infrastructure plan, which requires a 13-vote supermajority to pass, until Blakeman funded first responders in all of our communities. By including guardrails such as this supermajority requirement for bonding, the drafters of the County Charter recognized the role of bipartisanship in healthy local government — and the importance of giving the minority appropriate leverage with which to force an obstinate majority or executive branch to the negotiating table.
Limiting or politicking CRPs is just one example of how dysfunctional government becomes when even routine issues become a political showdown. Consider the following:
Nassau County is the only municipality in our region that does not recognize Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in America, as an official holiday. I recently filed legislation, which was introduced in 2021 by then Legislator Siela Bynoe, now a state senator, to effectuate this change and require the county to begin good-faith negotiations with our unions. Democrats have filed this legislation four times, and each time the Republican-controlled Legislature has refused to advance it. A separate measure I cosponsored to match Suffolk County in recognizing July 1 as Muslim American Appreciation Day has similarly not moved.
Democrats have introduced common-sense legislative proposals to put EpiPens in every police vehicle, equip every park and athletic facility with defibrillators and bundle fentanyl testing strips with every Narcan kit we distribute. Blakeman has blocked each of these, with assistance from a Republican majority that operates more as a rubber stamp than a coequal branch of government.
And as we speak, the county is sitting on $98 million in proceeds from various settlements with opioid manufacturers, retailers and distributors. To date, Blakeman has gotten just 9 percent of those funds to agencies that provide prevention, treatment and recovery resources.
Which brings us back to where we are now: The county executive is still refusing to process our CRPs in regular order. Now we are fighting for his administration to release long-stalled grant funds for local libraries, schools and parks — including $150,000 to modernize Hempstead Village’s Mirschel Park, and $162,150 for a Westbury Fire Department memorial to members who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty.
To be clear, bipartisanship does not entail sacrificing one’s core values. It calls upon us to seek areas in which we share common goals — supporting our first responders, making communities safer and stronger for our families, and ensuring effective, responsive government. Making one community more vibrant benefits all of Nassau County, and it is essential for us to work together to achieve that outcome whenever we can.
Although these first several months have brought their share of frustrating moments, I remain optimistic and committed to doing my part to restore a spirit of collaboration to our county and our nation when it is needed the most.
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, represents Nassau County’s 2nd Legislative District.
