Former Nassau County Legislator John Ciotti dies at 66

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John Ciotti, a former Republican legislator in Nassau County and an executive vice president at Nassau University Medical Center, died on Jan. 7. He was 66.

“Nassau County lost a dedicated public servant today, and my wife Linda and I lost a great friend,” said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in a statement.

Mangano said he served with Ciotti since the legislature’s creation in 1996, and that Ciotti distinguished himself as an advocate for residents.

“John Ciotti served the residents of Nassau County with great pride,” Mangano said. “I thank John’s wife, Mary Jane and their two sons, John, Jr. and Matthew, for sharing John with us and for allowing him to leave behind a legacy that we can all be proud of. My deepest condolences go out to John’s family and all those who had the honor to call him a friend.”

Ciotti was elected in 1996 as the first-ever representative in the 3rd Legislative District of the Nassau County Legislature, which was created that year.

In 2009 he was re-elected after serving a total of 16 years as a legislator, and from 2010 to 2011, Ciotti served as the Deputy Presiding Officer of the legislature and was Chairman of Budget Review, Chairman of Minority Affairs, Vice Chairman of Rules, Vice Chairman of Finance, and is a member of the Public Works Committee.

“I served with John in his final years on the Legislature, which coincided with my early years there. Not everyone agreed with him, but everyone respected his hard work, his dedication to his constituents, and his willingness to work with both sides of the aisle. For me, John served as a model for what a legislator ought to be: knowledgeable, hardworking, constantly fighting for his principles, but always doing so as a gentleman. He will be missed,” County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence).

He graduated from Valley Stream North High School in 1970, and from Hofstra University in 1974. He received his Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern Law School in 1978. Ciotti and his wife Mary Jane moved to Valley Stream in 1962, according to a biography posted on NUMC’s website.

“It is a deep loss for NUMC as John Ciotti had served the community for many years as a Nassau County Legislator and continued his public service in a safety net hospital as vice president and general counsel,” said NUMC President Victor Politi in a statement. “It is with a deep heart that we remember his pleasant disposition and friendly face as well as his unending dedication to the staff at the hospital and devotion to the residents of Nassau. He will be deeply missed and will not be forgotten.”

A funeral mass was held on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Holy Name of Mary church in Valley Stream.