Blakeman: Flags in Nassau will be lowered to honor Jimmy Carter

Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said flags will be lowered to half-staff to commemorate former President Jimmy Carter, ending a period of uncertainty over whether the county would take part in the symbolic nationwide tribute to the Democratic 39th U.S. president.

County buildings in Nassau will lower flags from Tuesday through Thursday, a national day of mourning for Carter, who died at 100 on Dec. 29.

"The flags in Nassau County will be at half-staff for President Carter from the commencement of Lying in State on January 7th through burial on January 9th," Blakeman said in a statement Sunday.

Nassau Democrats had criticized Blakeman for not lowering flags in the county. On Friday, Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Blakeman, told Newsday that flags had not been lowered. At the time, Boyle would not say whether Nassau County planned to lower the flags.

President Joe Biden had instructed that flags nationwide be lowered from Dec. 29 until Jan. 28 at federal government buildings.

Although flags can be lowered in several circumstances, the U.S. flag code directs that American flags be lowered for 30 days after the death of a president, including at military installations, foreign embassies and other U.S. buildings abroad.

Nassau Legis. Seth Koslow, a Democrat who had asked that flags be at half-staff, said in a statement Sunday he was disappointed the county executive chose to lower flags "for only three days."

"For some, it seems even basic respect for an actual uniformed veteran of the armed services comes with an expiration date," Koslow said. "President Carter’s lifetime of service, both as President and a proud naval officer, deserves far more than a three-day platitude."

With Matthew Chayes and AP

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.