Nassau County Legislature Candidates: Meet Frances Avnet

LEVITTOWN, NY — Voters in Nassau County's 15th District will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for Legislature in a three-way race where a Democrat and Libertarian are each trying to unseat the incumbent Republican.

The district — which includes Levittown, Salisbury and parts of East Meadow, Bethpage, Wantagh and Seaford — is represented by John Ferretti Jr., who seeks a second term after first being elected in 2017. Frances Avnet is challenging Ferretti on the Democratic ticket and Jonathan Gunther is mounting a challenge as a Libertarian.

Patch reached out to all three candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Frances Avnet

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 56
• Town of residence: Levittown
• Position sought: Nassau County Legislature District 15
• Party affiliation: Democrat
• Family: Don't wish to share.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No.
• Education: BA and MA from Hofstra University
• Occupation: Secretary for 16 years.
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: Executive board of OPEIU Local 153.
• Campaign Website: FranAvnet.com

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

Dealing with a community that is becoming more diverse and older. Look at increasing public transportation so those who can no longer drive can get around. Work with various ethnic groups to sponsor nationality nights where the community can get together, eat some ethnic food, have entertainment from the spotlighted country and just get to know each other. Work with libraries to offer free language courses. See that new buildings are built with the needs of the elderly in mind. Look to see if the timing of lights need to be modified to let the elderly get across the street safely.

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

Other candidates lack a vision for the future. There is no talk of a redesign of Levittown to make it attractive to millennials or attract visitors.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

He is too partisan and demonizes the opposition party instead of working with them. He is an attacker and not a problem solver.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

A downtown Levittown; a safe haven law for pets; tackling age discrimination; and look at ways to retrain people who lost their jobs due to technology so they can become employed again.

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

As a union rep I am the go-between workers and management and it's up to me to find a workable solution. The bringing together of parties with different ideas to come up with a solution is to me the very definition of being a legislator.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Always drive for the other driver. You know what you are going to do, but you don't know what he is going to do. It was advice about driving a car, but it applies to life as well.

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

I did not travel the usual road to becoming involved in politics. I did not become a lawyer who became a politician. I did not become a PTA or school board member. I came to politics from the labor movement. I learned that the best way to help people is to be involved in the crafting of laws. If you are there at the birth of a law, you can ensure that it is compassionate and fair.