Nicholas Andrew Passaro for Nassau Legislative District 19
Nicholas Passaro, Democratic candidate for Nassau County Legislature District 19. Credit: James Escher
Find out the candidates Newsday's editorial board selected on your ballot: newsday.com/endorsements2023
The 19th District includes southeastern Oyster Bay Town and part of Seaford.
As a result of redistricting, both the number and the boundaries of James D. Kennedy's district have changed for this election.
The Massapequa Republican is the five-time incumbent of the former southeastern Nassau District 12, and he's now vying for the seat in District 19, which no longer represents Farmingdale, but extends into Seaford.
Kennedy, 51, remains in the background, lacking focus and leadership on any specific legislation. He blames New York State for many county problems, arguing that state criminal justice reforms are inflaming the opioid crisis, Nassau University Medical Center is a state issue, and that Gov. Kathy Hochul's housing plan was the problem with the housing shortage.
But pointing fingers does not fix these situations, and Kennedy offers no solutions or ideas to tackle these challenges. Despite being on multiple influential committees like Veterans, Economic/Community Development/Labor, and Minority Affairs, he can't point to movement in any of those areas. Especially troubling is his lack of focus on environmental initiatives like flood mitigation, since he represents a flood-prone South Shore constituency.
His opponent, Nicholas Andrew Passaro of Massapequa Park, moved to the district three years ago. The 31-year-old Democrat promises independent thinking and to carefully review the details of legislative proposals, which he is qualified to do as a lawyer.
On housing, he laid out a step-by-step consensus-building approach that is exactly the tone the county needs. He understands that many of his neighbors fear that change will hurt property values, since most of their wealth is tied up in their homes, but he says legislators have an obligation "to be a force for both education and community building." His tactic would be to point to areas like Farmingdale and Rockville Centre that have successfully built more housing and show how housing values there rose after development projects.
He admitted not knowing every detail about the Nassau Hub casino project and the assessment situation, but that's more understandable for a newcomer than for someone like Kennedy, who should have a command of these topics after nearly a decade serving in the legislature.
Newsday endorses Passaro.
ENDORSEMENTS ARE DETERMINED solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.
