John Ferretti for Nassau Legislative District 15

The 15th District includes Farmingdale, Plainedge, South Farmingdale and parts of Bethpage, Levittown, North Massapequa and North Wantagh.

Incumbent John Ferretti, seeking his fourth term, is a son of Levittown. Redistricting, however, sliced away half that iconic community from his district.

Ferretti, 40, favors keeping the tax rolls frozen and waiting for any new assessments until housing prices settle down. He advocates for filling all county police department vacancies so overtime can be reduced.

Farmingdale, now in his district, is a model of redevelopment near transit that Ferretti says should be replicated in other suitable locations. In distributing the Nassau County's opioid settlement money, he said the need for more resources has to be balanced with safeguards to make sure the cash is well-spent. On balance, however, he acknowledged the grant process needs to be streamlined; it's an issue he should address with heightened urgency.

While Ferretti's lawmaking record is scant, in 2021, he shepherded to approval "Benny's Law" which creates a registry of dogs ruled dangerous by a judge and requires that notifications about the dogs be sent to those who live nearby. The database for which less than a dozen dogs would be included has yet to come online. He also worked to pass a law to prevent bicycle "ride-outs" and impound the bikes of those who violate the law. He said it has successfully stopped the dangerous practice by teens.

Matthew W. Malin, 31, of Wantagh, who is deputy executive director for the Nassau Democratic Party, ran for state Assembly in 2016 and against Ferretti in 2021. He is not actively campaigning.

Newsday endorses Ferretti.