Nassau County Legislature Candidates: Meet John Ferretti Jr.

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.

John Ferretti Jr.

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 36
• Town of residence: Levittown
• Position sought: Nassau County Legislature, District 15
• Party affiliation: Republican
• Family:Wife, Maryellen; son, Johnny (7); and daughter, Natalie (2).
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Yes.
• Education: Bachelor of arts from Hofstra University; juris doctorate from CUNY School of Law.
• Occupation: Attorney, 10 years
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: Nassau County Legislator
• Campaign Website: NassauCountyGOP.com

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 intend to continue my record of passing no tax increase budgets. Additionally, I successfully fought and defeated the county executive's "little league tax." I have introduced and passed the Assessment Bill of Rights to bring 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 she 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.

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

N/A.

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.

Additionally, far too often the rights of criminals are put before rights of law-abiding citizens. This was illustrated when the county executive evicted ICE. We have made great strides fighting the opioid epidemic, but there is more to be done. I plan on continuing our mission to eradicate the opioid problem we face.

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 brought transparency to a new level sending weekly e-newsletter to a growing amount of people, now over 1,500. I have held over 20 town hall meetings in 20 months in office.

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, 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. My pledge to my constituents is that I will fight until the end to prevent Nassau County from becoming the sixth borough of NYC. The city is a great place to visit, but if I wanted to live there, I would move there. I love representing the only community I have ever known and ask for your support on Nov. 5.