Alexis N. Pace for Nassau Legislative District 4

The 4th District includes the South Shore from Atlantic Beach to Point Lookout plus Island Park, Harbor Isle, Barnum Island and parts of Lawrence and Oceanside.

The roiling, bruising politics of Long Beach are legendary, and this season wind is fanning the flames. The effort by energy giant Equinor to get community support for its plan to bring a cable from its offshore turbines to a substation in Island Park exploded this spring when questions about residents' health and the safety of such a project became entwined in city council elections and the vote to replace retiring incumbent legislator Denise Ford.

Since then, New York State has refused the request by Equinor and another firm to sweeten pending contracts, placing the project in limbo and possibly killing it altogether after Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for the transmission cable to come ashore. While wind project politics overshadow the Nassau legislative race, the reality is that county lawmakers have no role in the fate of the renewable energy project. 

Two first-time candidates, Republican Patrick C. Mullaney and Democrat Alexis N. Pace, both Long Beach residents, agree on some county issues. They recognize that increased rainwater from more severe storms is overwhelming the area's drainage and sewer systems, and that the county must play a role in remediating the causes. Both say the district is pretty dense with not much room for more housing.

Pace, 47, a sales representative for rare oncology medications, is a member of the Long Beach school board. She supports expanded efforts to stop hate crimes, especially the recent spurt in antisemitism. With her background in health care, she is especially focused on the mental health crisis and opioid addiction and is concerned the county doesn't have a clear plan or sense of urgency on how to use the millions of dollars awarded in opioid settlements. One possibility, she said: expand inpatient treatment services at Nassau University Medical Center. She wants to know why Nassau has significantly fewer red-flag enforcements than Suffolk; the state law prevents people who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing firearms. Pace also wants first responders to have more mental health resources available to them. She supports a law requiring co-op boards to explain why they reject a potential buyer. 

Mullaney, 48, is a New York City firefighter assigned to special operations in Brooklyn. He also runs a part-time home inspection service. While he supports the current freeze on property values, he said he needs more information on what the county should do next. He thinks opioid funds should be used to educate the community about the dangers of addiction. He says that more of a police presence on the roads can curb reckless driving. 

Pace has demonstrated consensus-building skills and understands the value of listening and gathering the facts. She is a worthy successor to Ford. 

Newsday endorses Pace.