Ciotti, Bastardi vie for 3rd L.D. seat

John Ciotti and Nina Petraro Bastardi, who are facing off for Ciotti’s 3rd District seat in the county Legislature, agree that taxes are out of control in Nassau County.

The county’s recently enacted energy tax, which applies to electricity, oil, gas, propane and firewood, is something Ciotti is fighting to get rid of. He has gathered signatures from residents who oppose the tax, which he said puts an unfair burden on first-time homeowners and senior citizens in particular. “I’ve never seen seniors more frightened than they are right now,” he said. “They can’t adjust their incomes. When you’re fixed, you have nowhere to go but to move out.”

Ciotti, who said he knocks on every door in his district once a year, said 90 percent of the people he talks to say taxes are their biggest concern. The energy tax, he said, is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Petraro Bastardi said she is running for the Legislature because she wants to make a difference in her neighborhood. “We need somebody new, with new ideas,” she said.

Her biggest concern is that young people are leaving Long Island in droves because they simply can’t afford to stay. “It’s a big problem because we pay so much in property taxes to educate high school students and we’re not keeping the work force here,” she said.

The solution, she said, is a combination of enlarging the commercial base to reduce taxes and adding more affordable housing. Petraro Bastardi is co-chair of the housing development task for Action Long Island. She supports the Lighthouse project, which would bring more housing, office and retail space to the county, creating jobs and expanding the tax base. Additionally, she supports the concept of “cool downtowns” to revitalize certain commercial areas and add high-density housing nearby so there will be people within walking distance to support those businesses.

Nassau County has been built out as far as it can go, Petraro Bastardi said, which is why these new and creative ideas are needed to increase the tax base. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing about it,” she said.