69.0°,
Mostly Cloudy For the new county executive, no shortage of challenges
During my time as an elected official, I was frequently asked whether being a state legislator was one of the toughest public jobs. My position was very demanding, but being a village mayor or a school board president is right up there in the ranks of jobs closest to the people. A state legislator will meet constituents at supermarkets, community events and many other places on weekends, but your mayor or school board official is confronted by the public on a 24/7 basis.
The follow-up question was, what job has the potential to get the most done in the shortest amount of time? I always went with county executive. I have interacted with eight people who have held that job, dating back to the late A. Holly Patterson. Some of the executives were go-getters, and were effective at getting the job done. Others were caretakers, focused on serving out their terms and collecting a pension.
The new county executive, Bruce Blakeman, will have an opportunity to make his own history, because the county faces so many challenges.
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a great toll on small businesses in Nassau County, and too many innocent people have died. Our health challenges are not over, and the statistics prove it. Blakeman, whom I have known and respected for many years, will face a number of new headaches in addition to the Covid fallout, and here are just a few.
There is no doubt that at the top of the list is the archaic way that homes and businesses are assessed. Blakeman’s predecessor, Laura Curran, did the best she could with a temporary plan, but the system needs a permanent solution, and to date the challenge has proven unsolvable.
The county’s mass transportation needs a fresh look. Any bus system has to be re-examined periodically to determine whether it is accommodating the workers who need to travel from distant points to get to their jobs. Bus operators want only profitable routes, but sometimes buses have to go where the jobs are, and that takes some imagination, and comes at a cost. To assume that the current bus system is perfect would be a mistake. An objective look at the operation is in order even if it steps on some toes. A look at the county’s day care program goes hand in hand with getting people to work.
A potential job windfall for the region is waiting to be unleashed. At this moment, Amazon and other tech companies are buying numerous properties, planning to turn them into training sites for delivery jobs. At the same time, they are gobbling up large office buildings in the five boroughs, creating high-paying positions for engineers and technicians. Why not have a sit-down with these companies to get them to expand their footprint in Nassau County, beyond package services? We have great rail service and a quality of life that you don’t get in the city.
Thanks to President Biden’s infrastructure law, communities all over the country will be eligible for funding to improve roads and bridges. Our county has hundreds of miles of roadway that could use upgrade, whether in technology or maintenance. An updated infrastructure plan could merit fresh federal dollars and make our communities safer. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The list of things we need to get done is endless, and beyond the reach of just one person. But there are plenty of opportunities for Blakeman to write a positive chapter in our county’s history book.
Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.
