Election Day 2023: Freeport's Debra Mulé Seeks Another Term

FREEPORT, NY — As voters get ready to go to the polls, Patch is helping residents learn about the candidates on this year's ballot.

Name Debra Mulé

How old will you be as of Election Day? 61

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here. https://www.facebook.com/debra...

What city or town do you live in? Freeport, N.Y.

What office are you seeking? Nassau County Legislature

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here. Sixth Legislative District

Party affiliation. Democratic, Working Families

Education. As a Social Worker and community leader, Debra Mulé has been giving back to the residents of Nassau County for more than two decades. While serving on her daughters’ PTA, Debra was elected to the Freeport School Board. During three terms, she was elected Vice President and ultimately President. From there, she won election to the Village of Freeport Board of Trustees in 2015 and served in that capacity until 2018, when she was elected to her current role as the Nassau County Legislator for the Fifth Legislative District. In the Legislature, Debra is the Ranking Member on the Veterans, Senior Affairs and Aircraft Noise Abatement committees, and serves on the Legislature’s Towns, Villages & Cities, Economic & Community Development, and Minority Affairs Committees.

What is your occupation? Full-Time Legislator (2018-present)

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them. Debra resides in Freeport with her husband Steve, with whom she raised two adult daughters.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No. Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective? Yes. Nassau County Legislature 2018-present Trustee, Freeport Village Board 2015-2018 Trustee, VP and President, Freeport School Board ( - three terms, 2006-2015

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office? I am committed to public service and bring experience as a past Freeport School Board trustee and President (9 years), Freeport Village Board Trustee (3 years) and Legislator (nearly 6 years) to this position. I am also committed to seeing several key initiatives that I have embarked upon through to completion and am excited for the opportunity to serve the residents of the Sixth District for the next two years if afforded the privilege by voters.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it. Our cost of living. To address this matter in a comprehensive fashion, I believe two steps must be taken. In the short term, I support the Minority's proposed $128 million tax cut, which will deliver real and immediate relief to property owners. Longer term, we must stop the backslide in the integrity and accuracy of our assessment system and repair the damage that has been caused by the recent freezing of our tax rolls. It is essential for us do both - no matter how much we cut taxes by, residents will not experience the benefit if they are carrying an unfair share of the burden.

What needs to be done to address water quality issues on LI? I remain committed to the success of the Bay Park Conveyance Project and am pleased to see that it is nearing completion, which will redirect effluent in a manner that greatly decreases the amount of nitrogen in Reynolds Channel and the Western Bays. This will restore the health of aquatic ecosystems in these areas. Furthermore, in light of recent infrastructure failures that have resulted in numerous sinkholes and broken sewer mains, I have ramped up my advocacy for significant investments in securing and upgrading our aging water and sewer infrastructure, and am making such improvements my top priority in my 2024 capital budget proposal. I continue to work diligently with my partners in government to ensure that resources are in place to protect our drinking water supply from emerging contaminants such as 1, 4 dioxane and PFAS.

What do you think can be done to help improve our infrastructure, highways, etc? In light of recent infrastructure failures that have resulted in numerous sinkholes and broken sewer mains, I have ramped up my advocacy for significant investments in securing and upgrading our aging water and sewer infrastructure and am making such improvements my top priority in my 2024 capital budget proposal. Previously, I have secured more than $14.4 million in capital plan commitments for Baldwin Complete Streets; $3 million for traffic and pedestrian safety improvements on Merrick Road; and more than $18 million in capital plan commitments for Grand Avenue traffic safety improvements, including a new phase stretching from Stanton Avenue to the Southern State Parkway. With an eye toward preserving our community’s historic and natural treasures, she has secured $1.5 million to date for the rehabilitation of Baldwin’s historic Kellogg House and millions more for drainage improvements and beautification at Silver Lake Park. In South Hempstead, my office shepherded a crucial flood mitigation project on Long Beach Road under the Southern State Parkway in South Hempstead to completion and will build upon that progress with $9.44 million in additional capital plan funding for a second phase of extensive traffic safety improvements to Long Beach Road. And in Freeport, she worked to deliver $7.6 million for improvements to North Main Street.

How would you plan to help local business owners, who are struggling because of high rents, inflation and labor shortages? I will continue to support the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to fund grant initiatives and low-interest loan programs to help boost our local entrepreneurs. Looking ahead to the future, I will continue to support initiatives, such as the revitalization of downtown Baldwin, to increase and diversify our housing stock and generate the type of economic growth that attracts and retains a strong, skilled workforce.

What is your stance on the current migrant situation affecting New York? And migrants were to be directed to shelters on Long Island, how would you prepare/plan for that? As a social worker, I am keenly aware of the inherent trauma associated with a person fleeing their home country because of war, poverty or oppression. The United States has asylum programs in place to aid individuals who are in this state of crisis, and for the sake of both the welfare of our nation and the people coming here, it is vital for this to be an orderly process. While Nassau County does not set federal migration policies, we are tasked with addressing the outcomes of these policies. Ongoing, proactive communication with our state and federal partners must be at the core of any response, and they must deliver supplemental resources to ensure that our ability to deliver resources to Nassau County residents is not compromised in any way by a potential increase in demand.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I bring two decades of community service in educational, village and now County settings to my work in the Nassau County Legislature, and I am committed to delivering top-notch community service to the communities I am entrusted with serving.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community? What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign? I strongly believe that we must leverage our strong fiscal posture to lower property taxes for residents in the FY 2024 budget and simultaneously take steps toward fixing our broken assessment system. Because it would be unacceptable for residents to pay more than their fair share of even a lowered tax rate, I believe this cannot be a “one or the other” situation. The recent Sept. 29 storm was the latest example of how fragile our infrastructure systems are, and it is a wake-up call showing that we must act quickly to secure it and reinforce it to deal with 21st-century threats amidst climate change. In the realm of public health, Nassau County has received nearly $83 million in opioid settlement funds, but disbursed only $2.24 million as of last count. With so many families in need of prevention, treatment, and recovery services, we must vastly expedite the delivery of these funds to agencies.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I have successfully led several key infrastructure projects to completion during my time in the Legislature after significant delays and have engaged directly with municipal budgeting in each of my elected roles.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? Don't take things personally.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions? (no response given)