Meet The Candidates: John Ferretti For Nassau Legislature

LEVITTOWN, 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.

John Ferretti is running again to keep his seat representing Nassau County's Legislative District 15. The Republican is being challenged by Democrat Matthew Malin.

The 38-year-old Ferretti is an attorney by trade and a lifelong resident of Levittown. He lives there with his wife, Maryellen, and their two children. He has represented the district since 2018.

The 15th LD includes Levittown and parts of East Meadow and Salisbury.

Why are you seeking elective office?

To continue representing the only community I have ever known and to work to maintain our suburban quality of life.

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

Taxes and high cost of living. I have amended the County Executive's budget to cut property taxes 120 million dollars and have cut over 100 million dollars in onerous County fees. I have continued to fight for accuracy, fairness and transparency to the county executive's flawed and error riddled reassessment. I plan on continuing to fight to make Nassau a more affordable place to raise a family if re-elected.

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

I am not familiar with my opponent, other than to say he lacks the experience I have gained, not just as county legislator, but in my eight years in Nassau County government prior to becoming legislator when I worked as the deputy/chief deputy Nassau County clerk.

I believe my record of outstanding constituent service, and "getting things done" speaks for itself. I successfully fought to have our 8th precinct reopened, and when the county executive evicted ICE agents from the Nassau jail, I successfully fought to have them returned.

I will never support defunding our police and will always back the brave men and women in blue.

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

While officials worked across party lines to get through the worst of the pandemic, the current County Executive vetoed property tax relief the Republican majority proposed for 2021. This, combined with the administrations disastrous implementation of reassessment has brought tremendous financial hardship on Nassau taxpayers.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I will continue fighting to make Nassau more affordable. Taxes are the number one issue, but public safety is right there as a top issue. We need to staff our precincts with the proper number of detectives, arm our officers with the proper equipment, and be ready in case of an active shooter situation. I will ALWAYS oppose any attempt to defund our police and I will continue to oppose the heinous "criminal justice reforms" out of Albany including NY bail reform.

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

I believe my record speaks for itself. I have tackled large issues facing all Nassau residents, like passing a law to require signage at red light camera intersections, down to the local issues such as eradicating rodent infestations at local businesses. I passed bike "ride-out" laws to protect our kids and an Assessment Bill of Rights focused on bringing accuracy, fairness and transparency to reassessment. I have drafted and passed a law to create a dangerous dog registry to protect residents and animals.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Good government is good politics.

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

I have lived in Levittown all my life. I attended Abbey Lane elementary, Wisdom Lane middle school, and I am a proud graduate of Division Avenue High School. My son currently is a student at Abbey. To put it succinctly, I ran in 2017, 2019 and am running again this year to preserve our suburban quality of life, and fight to ensure middle class residents can afford to stay in Nassau.