Kevan Abrahams, minority leader of the Nassau legislature, won't seek reelection

Kevan Abrahams, Democratic leader of the Nassau County Legislature, announced Friday he will not seek reelection after serving more than 20 years as a lawmaker.

Abrahams, 48, of Freeport, is the fourth county legislator to announce plans to retire at the end of the year, after adoption of new maps for all 19 legislative districts in February.

Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) also has said he won't seek reelection this year, after 28 years in the legislature.

Legislators this fall are set to run on new maps, and Abrahams’ district was to change drastically, encompassing areas with more Republican voters. Republican legislators currently have a majority of 12-7 in the chamber.

Historically, Abrahams had represented significant portions of communities such as Freeport, Roosevelt, Hempstead and Baldwin.

Abrahams notified Democratic Party leaders, including state and Nassau County Chairman Jay Jacobs, of his decision Friday morning.

“I’m going to finish out the term, continue to meet with my constituents of the First District," Abrahams said.

Abrahams said he understood political observers would conclude that redistricting influenced his decision. "I know a lot of people will come to that conclusion; it’s a lot of things at this point," he said.

But he said he would have missed serving the heart of his current district: Baldwin, Uniondale, Hempstead, Roosevelt, East Meadow and Freeport. 

"I would’ve missed serving those communities," he said.

Abrahams in 2002 became the youngest member ever elected to the county legislature, and in 2011 became the chamber's first Black caucus leader in the legislature's history.

He said 21 years as a legislator was "definitely enough for most, and it's definitely enough for me." 

Abrahams also works at Northwell Health, where he is Director of Strategic Planning.

Jacobs said Abrahams' district no longer will have a majority of minority residents.

"The Republicans drew this intentionally to mess with our incumbents; unfortunately, he just didn't feel that this was the right district for him," Jacobs said.

Nassau Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo said in a statement Friday that the GOP maps "appear to be fair, competitive, and compliant with all federal and state laws, as well as other redistricting imperatives."

Jacobs said Democrats are considering lawsuits challenging the maps in federal court, for violations of the federal Voting Rights Act, and in state court, for bipartisan gerrymandering.

Abrahams said during his time in the legislature he has focused on bringing constituent services to his communities, so individuals "would never have to go to Mineola," referring to the county seat, and be mired in bureaucracy.

“I tried to make representing them and those services as accessible as possible," he said.

Two other members of the Republican caucus are not running for new terms: Laura Schaefer, of Westbury, and Denise Ford, of Long Beach.

In a statement, Nicolello praised his counterpart on the legislative dais.

"Minority Leader Abrahams has been a strong, seasoned leader in the legislature. He has served with distinction and has been a passionate advocate for his caucus and the community. On behalf of the majority, we wish him success in his next endeavor."

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement, "while we haven't always agreed on the issues, he has been an ardent fighter for the residents he represents and I have always respected him." 

When Abrahams won his seat in 2002, he had been the budget director for Democratic legislators.

He won his legislative seat in a special election, succeeding Democrat Patrick Williams of Uniondale. Williams had pleaded guilty to federal charges involving inflating the salaries of mortgage applicants while he was a broker.

In 2014, Abrahams ran unsuccessfully in a Democratic primary for Congress against then-Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Rice won in the general election.

With Candice Ferrette

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.