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A Few Clouds Meet your new legislator
Howard Kopel will represent the Five Towns and nearby areas of the county
On Jan. 1, Howard Kopel, a self-described “recovering lawyer” and businessman, replaced 10-year incumbent Jeff Toback in the Nassau County Legislature, representing the 7th Legislative District, which includes parts of Oceanside and Island Park.
This was the second time that Kopel, a Republican, challenged Toback. In 2007 he lost by about 700 votes. Last month he defeated Toback by more than 1,000. Republicans captured the majority in the county Legislature, and could see one of their own take over as county executive. As of Monday, incumbent Tom Suozzi was trailing Republican challenger Ed Mangano by about 250 votes.
Kopel insists he is bringing a fresh approach to politics, and, as he prepares to take office, he is trying to meet as many people and understand as many points of view as he can. A resident of Lawrence for the past 22 years, he is the CEO of Sutton Alliance, a title insurance company in Valley Stream with about 50 employees. He says he believes he has the business experience and decision-making record to help fix the county's financial problems. “You get a different outlook on managing money,” he said of his real estate career.
Kopel said he was always interested in politics, but never got involved until he met some other people who were. He found that the Republican party's ideals aligned with his own, and, encouraged by friends, decided to get more involved.
“It's time to give back a little bit to the community that's done so much for my family and me,” Kopel said. Married for 36 years, he has four children and five grandchildren, most of whom live on Long Island. “I live in the community, I'm part of the community, and for the most part I want the same things that everybody else in the community wants,” he said.
Of his soon-to-be new role in his community, he added, “It's a great thing, it's an important thing, and it's going to be fun, I think.”
Du taxes ring his campaign, Kopel promised to rein in spending and fix the county's assessment system, which he said drives up property. He also said that the county could cut spending by eliminating patronage and examining every line of the budget. He pledged to vote against tax increases and bring spending under control.
