Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Dr. Doug Segan, a 71-year-old Woodmere native and a longtime emergency medicine physician, is challenging Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel for the 7th District seat, saying his medical and legal background would bring a different perspective to county government.
“I believe that I have a unique skill set,” Segan said.
Segan spent 35 years working in emergency medicine, at hospitals in Michigan and several Naval facilities. He has taught first-year medical students at Hofstra University’s Zucker School of Medicine for a decade.
“There are many issues in Nassau County that impact on health,” Segan said. “To just name a few, car accidents, violent crime, all sorts of pollution, overcrowded housing.”
He cited a recent conversation with a 911 operator about staffing shortages as an example of why he believes his medical expertise could be valuable in the Legislature. “If a person had to be on hold four minutes for a 911 call, I’m not sure the average member of the … Legislature understands four minutes for a medical emergency is an eternity,” he said. “You have somebody in cardiac arrest, four minutes is the difference between brain recovery and not.”
Affordability, Segan said, is the issue residents raise most often as he campaigns door to door. “This is their main concern: How do I afford to stay in this home in Nassau County?” he said.
Public safety is another major priority for Segan, who said his years in emergency rooms have made the consequences of crashes and violent crime personal. “These issues are not theoretical statistics or buzzwords,” he said. “I’ve told people that they’ve lost a loved one due to violent crime. I’ve told people they lost a loved one in a car accident. Those conversations stay with me forever.”
Road conditions, speeding, poor roadway lighting, potholes and a lack of sidewalks are among the concerns he has heard about from residents. “Public safety is government’s number one responsibility to our citizens,” he said.
Segan also said that protecting houses of worship and combating antisemitism and other hate crimes would be priorities if he were elected. “People have to feel safe when they enter their house of worship,” he said. “People should not be afraid to go to their house of worship for fear of being attacked.”
Elected officials, he added, should lower the temperature of political rhetoric. “Our leaders have to tone down the rhetoric, to set an example,” Segan said.
He also wants to support police and volunteer firefighters, and has visited several firehouses, Volunteers need additional help with recruitment and retention, he said.
“It’s a big ask for someone to be a volunteer firefighter,” he said. “Training, the time, the interruption of sleep and work and family life. It’s a big ask. And we should show our appreciation.”
Asked about development, Segan said he supports what he called smart and careful growth rather than either unrestricted construction or no development. “We have massive traffic problems on West Broadway and Broadway already,” he said. “We have problems with flooding, and we have to be very respectful of our green spaces.”
Ultimately, Segan said, his campaign is centered on utilizing his professional experience to benefit residents. “Public health, affordability, public safety,” he said. “Those would be my three top priorities from Day One.”
