An interview with Legislator Siela Bynoe

When Siela Bynoe ran for the office of Nassau County legislator in 2014, she already knew Legislative District 2 very well. She had resided in one of its main coverage communities, Westbury, for more than 30 years.

Eight years and many completed projects later, Bynoe has decided to run for Congress, representing Congressional District 4, potentially to replace Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, who has decided against running for reelection. The position would give her access to federal funding and legislation for a wider area than she now represents in Nassau County.

But meanwhile, Bynoe’s eyes remain on L.D. 2, where she looks forward to advances in health, safety, and infrastructure.

Elder care is one arena that touches on both health and safety. On Feb. 16, Bynoe partnered with the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center to host a virtual “Sip & Talk” workshop, in which participants could learn how to spot the warning signs of dementia, what to do if warning signs appear in oneself or a loved one, and resources and programs that are available to help.

“We had close to 100 people that registered,” Bynoe said. “It was a robust presentation and appeared to be very well received by those who attended. We’re going to have a second installment which is going to highlight specifically the stages of Alzheimer’s, in April or the end of March.”

Related to elder care, though not confined to it, is the problem of cognitively impaired people wandering from their residences. The matter was brought into sharp focus when a Nassau County intern, Sendy Veillard, lost her father Chesnel Veillard. He wandered from their New Cassel home and died crossing Long Island Railroad tracks near Mineola.

“We all put our heads together to try and figure out what we can do to make sure that tragedies like this are not the reality for families in the future,” Bynoe said. “So the bill [to make the Nassau County Lifesaver Program free to residents] is in his memory in an effort to make sure we can safeguard our residents from this type of danger or harm.”

While Nassau County currently utilizes the Lifesaver Program in conjunction with its Silver Alert System, participants must pay $325 to enroll. Under Legislator Bynoe’s proposal, County funding would ensure cost-free access to Project Lifesaver for all clinically eligible residents who apply or whose families or caregivers apply on their behalf.

“This program would also provide the police department with resources to track the individual as quickly as possible,” said Bynoe, “so they do not have to utilize as many resources as they do in cases where people wander who do not have Lifesaver Bracelet.”

Also prominent in Bynoe’s mind are streetscape projects planned for Westbury, Lakeview, and Hempstead Village. These are densely populated areas whose streets were not designed for the heavy vehicle and foot traffic they must carry. Not only have the areas lost esthetic appeal with the reduction of green space and increase of multi-unit buildings, they have also decreased in safety.

Bynoe sees a way to fix all that.

“The term that’s used for what we are doing is ‘crime prevention through environmental design,’” Bynoe said. “It includes lighting and where you might place park benches as opposed to other areas. It has to do with everything from where bus stops will embark and disembark passengers, to redesigning street curbs and crosswalks. It runs the full gamut of elements of the design that can really assist in making an area safer.”

In Hempstead Village, capital investments include funds to set into motion the design phases of the Washington and Franklin Avenue streetscapes—projects that will yield a $6 million infrastructure upgrade. Furthermore, the county will dedicate an additional $1 million toward the Joysetta & Julius Pearse African-American Museum of Nassau County over the next four years. Lakeview’s Woodfield Road streetscape is also receiving funding toward the design phase of a $1 million project.

Legislator Bynoe additionally secured new bond approvals for improvements to Union Avenue between the railroad and Brush Hollow Road, and improvements on Maple Avenue from Union Avenue to Post Avenue. Upon their completion, these streetscapes will reflect an $8.5 million investment in Westbury’s revitalization.

These improvements still leave unanswered one of the toughest dilemmas the county faces: providing enough affordable housing. Though Bynoe disagreed with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to mandate that accessory dwelling units be allowed in every New York county, she does not disagree that the problem exists, and she knows that informal, illegal accessory dwelling units are already out there.

“My thought on the matter is that this is not a situation that was created overnight and it’s not a situation that we’re going to turn a light switch on to do a one size fit all on to rectify,” Bynoe said, “but I do believe that, with the opportunities that exist in each community, we could make significant headway with the challenges that we face locally for all types of housing that’s needed.”

Regarding existing, potentially illegal accessory dwelling units, Bynoe said, “I think there should be some kind of amnesty period so that the local building departments can go in and certify the dwelling units or deem them unsafe for that type of occupancy, because I don’t want to see people harmed or hurt if they’re living in spaces that are not safe.”