Meet The Candidates: Laura Curran For Nassau County Executive

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. With voting just around the corner, Patch is reaching out to candidates across Nassau County to find out why they're running for office, and what they hope to achieve for residents.

Democrat Laura Curran is seeking her second term as Nassau County Executive. Prior to being elected the first female county executive, Curran served in the County Legislature, and previously served on the Baldwin Board of Education.

A reporter by trade, Curran previously worked as a journalist for both the NY Daily News and NY Post, and taught journalism at SUNY Purchase.

Curran, 53, lives in Baldwin with her husband and three daughters.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking re-election as Nassau County Executive because I want to build on all the progress Nassau has made in the past four years. Nassau families deserve to know their hard-earned money is being spent responsibly. That’s why I devoted my first term to cleaning up the mess others left behind and bringing real accountability to government. Through dogged fiscal discipline, my administration turned budget deficits into surpluses. We achieved the rankings of safest community in America by U.S. News and World Report for the last two years, and maintained our status as the highest vaccinated county in all of New York. These are big accomplishments, but there is more to do. In my next term, I will maintain our record of fiscal responsibility, continue to invest in public safety, support our small businesses and downtowns and build tomorrow’s Nassau through sustainable infrastructure.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Before I took office, County government was plagued by corruption and fiscal mismanagement. I am proud of the historic reforms I put in place to rein in the culture of patronage and reckless spending. The County books are now balanced and we are in a position to responsibly provide a $150 million tax cut across the next four years. The most important issue facing Nassau is an imperative to build on the progress secured by my administration. Nassau is too good to go back to the mismanagement and corruption of the past.

We navigated through COVID, emerging with the highest vaccination rate in the state. Through strategic investments, we have earned the ranking of “safest community in America” – twice. As our County faces an evolving economy and an evolving climate, we will use our successes as a springboard. I am overseeing a robust response to climate change; shoring up our infrastructure and ensuring Nassau’s middle-class reaps the benefits of green energy opportunities.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My record of results sets me apart from other candidates. When I ran for County Executive, I promised to return Nassau government to the people by tackling corruption and fiscal mismanagement. I delivered on those promises, implementing historic reforms and achieving Nassau’s first positive bond rating in more than a decade.

My leadership has secured real, tangible results for Nassau County. We are now the number one vaccinated county in the state, and second highest vaccinated in the country among large counties. U.S. News and World Report has ranked us the safest community in America for two consecutive years. I put real investments behind my stated priorities, and the data proves it.

I have the experience and the political courage to take on tough fights and make life better for all Nassau residents. I will continue to do this in my next term by maintaining fiscal discipline, continuing to invest in public safety, supporting our small businesses and downtowns and building tomorrow’s Nassau through sustainable infrastructure projects.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I am so grateful to our residents and our incredible workforce for emerging from this crisis as the highest vaccinated county in the state. The pandemic revealed that county government is where the rubber meets the road. As County Executive, I led — working with our health department, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Office of Emergency Management, our medics and police personnel, our outreach offices, our Department of Social Services — as well as hospital, community, faith, and business leaders throughout the county — to make sure the people of Nassau had what they needed.

We also looked out for the needs of our business communities. As County Executive, I knew I had to simultaneously answer the health crisis and the economic crisis created by COVID-19. I was unafraid to go toe-to-toe with Albany, fighting for re-opening when it made sense. As we recover, the county is reaching out to small business owners and nonprofits through our Boost Nassau program to get $10,000 in individual grants to those that need them. County mobile vaccination teams are visiting businesses directly and providing vaccinations to staff. Paramedics are taking vaccines to the homebound. We will also provide $100 million in American Rescue Plan funds to some 400,000 households as $375 direct cash payments, which will help families buy school supplies, cover utility bills, and stimulate our local economy as we continue to come back stronger.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My vision for the next four years encapsulates four key pillars: maintaining fiscal discipline, continuing to invest in public safety, supporting small businesses and building tomorrow’s Nassau through sustainable infrastructure projects.

I will provide a fiscally sound tax cut to residents after fighting tooth and nail to wrestle our finances and tame the beast of Nasssau’s historically plagued budget. I will keep Nassau the safest community in America and strengthen trust between police and the communities they serve through strategic investments in public safety. I will support our small businesses through the recovery while developing our downtowns to increase affordable housing and create dynamic centers of entertainment and commerce. And together, we will tackle the threat of climate change with ingenuity – embarking on sustainable projects to build tomorrow’s Nassau; shoring up our infrastructure, creating jobs and protecting our environment in the process.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Under my watch, Nassau County has been ranked the safest community in America for the last two years. I am increasing the Nassau County police department headcount for the first time since 2009 and have successfully implemented Nassau County’s first police body worn camera program. We have the highest vaccination rate in New York state — 94% of Nassau adults have received a vaccination. I have tackled Nassau’s chronic deficits: balancing our budget, earning consecutive surpluses, and delivering a responsible property tax cut of $150 million across the next four years.

We are delivering on the basic functions of county government, like maintaining sewage and road repavement. The previous administration left Nassau’s infrastructure crumbling. My administration answered by doubling the miles of road repaved per year. I am taking the threat of climate change seriously. Infrastructure has been a priority of my first term and will continue to be in my second. We have embarked on the largest infrastructure project of our lifetime – the Baypark Conveyance Project — to clean nitrogen out of our precious water and grow back our marshland to protect our shores from storm surge. We are tackling the challenges of the future with ingenuity, working with businesses and labor unions to turn obstacles into economic opportunities for middle-class families right here in Nassau.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Someone once said to me “it feels good to do the things you don’t like,” which I have always taken to mean: don’t procrastinate when it comes to doing the difficult things.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am not afraid of taking on tough fights or breaking with my party if I believe it is the right thing to do for the residents of Nassau County. I am so proud of what we have been able to do together these last four years. I ran for office because I knew our corrupt and reckless government just wasn’t living up to what the people of Nassau deserved. Now, our budget is balanced and we are the safest community in America. Every day, I wake up and do all I can to deliver for our residents. With the highest vaccination rate in the state, we have the opportunity to not simply recover but build back stronger than ever before. With your support, we will lead Nassau into a bold new chapter.