The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce hosted its second election forum ahead of the countywide race to fill the commissioner seats representing District 2 and District 4.
On Thursday, the three candidates vying for the District 4 seat — incumbent Thomas Ford, former commissioner George Spicer and newcomer Alyson McCullough — sat down for a roundtable style discussion on the major issues facing Nassau County.
The first topic revolved around governance of the county, in particular, what the commission has done well and where it needs improvement. Ford took this opportunity to highlight county staff’s achievements in light of the rapid growth facing this community.
“Our board works together. It’s not always been that way. It’s not always been a peaceful meeting and sometimes there’s been a lot of dissension among the commissioners,” Ford said. “The fact is, there’s a lot of 5-0 votes, but everything has been beaten up to the point where we all agree, we all know the issues in the decisions we make.”
McCullough, however, focused less on the commission and more on Nassau County’s education system.
“I’ve been there for 13 years. We’ve been through the trenches. We’ve been through different supervisors. I’m going to use that as my stepping stone as an area of improvement,” McCullough said.
She elaborated that commissioners are in a good position to fill job vacancies through an internship program rather than on-the-job training workshops for students.
“We are placing these students with employers. We’re growing our community workforce because they are the future. If we want Nassau to be the best county we can be, we’ve got to invest in the people here,” McCullough added.
The candidates were then asked about the relationship between the commission and its people, more specifically about whether there should be more community involvement in discussions prior to final votes.
“A very good tool that commissioners use is workshops. I think we’ve gotten away from that a little bit these days and I think that our workshop is a great opportunity for the public to be heard and a great opportunity for the commissioners to get a better idea of what each other is thinking,” Ford answered.
Spicer, who served on the commissioner from 2014-2018, stressed the importance of incorporating the Chamber of Commerce in more discussions before board deliberation.
“When I sat on the board before, we always had the Chamber involved on a lot of different issues along with the Economic Development Board. The more public input to bring to the commission, the better it is for Nassau County,” Spicer said.
On the other hand, McCullough concentrated on the testimony she’s heard canvassing the community for this election.
“They don’t even know who their commissioner is. They don’t understand what the commission does and I think that’s a key relatable thing for everyday households and neighborhoods,” McCullough said.
She harkened back to a conversation she had with a resident who balked at the idea of workshop, preferring the county government visit members of the community on their own turf.
“I’m looking for commissioners who are going to lead the initiative on having more civil engagements in neighborhoods and the workshops being there instead of a public facility. I thought it was a great idea coming from a constituent,” McCullough said.
The election forum concluded with a discussion about raising taxes in Nassau County. Spicer was quick to remind the audience about the hefty millage rate increase the county faced in 2018.
“My argument was, ‘Why do we need to raise taxes in such a huge amount? To pay for future growth? That would put the burden on the people that are here now to pay for future growth and I’m opposed to that,” Spicer said. “You have to be very frugal with hard-earned businesses’ and taxpayers’ dollars here and you have to be very smart on how you invest it and spend it.”
Ford, however, concentrated more on the present tax economy in Nassau County, most specifically, which direction the millage rate has gone while he served on the commissioner.
“We were actually able to reduce the millage rate this past budget season by a modified rollback rate, which basically protected homestead property owners and their taxes didn’t go up. It went down $25, which is not that much, but it’s something,” Ford said. “For me to promise I’ll never raise taxes I think is difficult. That’s a hard decision to make. I don’t have a crystal ball to look and see what happens.”
McCullough staunchly rejected possibly raising property taxes based on her own experiences growing up in Nassau County and owning a home with her husband later in life.
“My husband and I have both always worked two jobs and we paid off our mortgage in less than 15 and that’s unheard for an educator and small business owner. I believe in pulling our irons out of the fire. Before we start this project or that project, I’m committed to not raising property taxes. If that means we’re putting other things on hold for a second, reigning in the budget and we’re completing the task at hand before we expand and grow, then that’s what I’ve got to do for our constituents,” McCullough said.
The countywide election to determine the next District 4 commissioner begins August 23.