Nassau Legislature Candidates: Meet James Kennedy

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Voters in Nassau County will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for Legislature.

In District 12 — including Massapequa, Massapequa Park, East Massapequa and South Farmingdale — voters will select from two candidates: incumbent Republican James Kennedy and challenger Michael Pesce, a Republican running on the Democratic line.

Patch reached out to both 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.

James Kennedy

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 47
• Town of residence: Massapequa
• Position sought: Nassau County Legislator, 12th District
• Party affiliation: Republican
• Family: Married with two small children.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Yes.
• Education: Fordham University, bachelors of arts in communications. CW Post M.S. childhood education.

• Occupation: Nassau County Legislator.
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: Nassau County Legislator.
• Campaign Website: N/A.

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

First and foremost, we have to address the lack of transparency in County Executive Laura Curran’s broken assessment system. Residents have complained that their calls to the department and administration go unanswered and our own county assessor has not held a single public hearing to explain his process and assessment methodology. Residents attending tax grievance workshops and the exemption workshops are outraged about the lack of information and transparency by the Curran administration and the assessment department. To combat this troubling lack of transparency, I have sponsored legislation to require tax impact notifications be mailed to every county homeowner to provide additional information as to how the county executive’s reassessment will impact their tax bills. Additionally, I sponsored legislation to require the disclosure of the complete assessment algorithm used by the Department of Assessment to determine residents’ assessments. I have also sponsored legislation to require the Department of Assessment to answer the phone calls of concerned residents and to force the county assessor to hold public hearings on the future issuance of the tax assessment roll. It is my intention to make the assessment process as transparent as possible, to treat Nassau residents with the utmost fairness, and allow their voices to be heard.

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

As Legislator, it has always been my sole priority to do what is best for the people of the 12th Legislative District. Over the years, I have spent hours going door-to-door, holding town halls, and meeting with residents around the county to ensure I am representing their views to the best of my ability. I have been a force holding the line on county taxes and I am fighting to bring fairness and transparency to the county executive's error riddled reassessment process. I have also sponsored numerous measures to ensure that our streets – and our children – are protected; including advocating for the installation of security cameras in the Massapequa Preserve. Simply put, I have been a fierce advocate for what’s right for Nassau residents, and I have the record to prove it.

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

No response.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

County spending has been completely out of control and needs to be reigned in. As legislator, I have supported and will continue to support necessary capital spending in order to maintain and repair our roads, beautify our parks, and maintain our buildings. However, we must find every efficiency, control costs, and identify new revenue sources and grant opportunities if we are to continue to do so without raising any taxes.I also worked to establish the Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection, a joint Nassau/Suffolk agency to address threats to Long Island's groundwater and to advocate for a coordinated, regional approach to groundwater resources management. I have also been a fierce opponent to the proposed reopening of the New York City Queens groundwater wells which carries unpredictable risks to Long Island’s sole source aquifer system — our only source of drinking water. I have also sought additional funding from New York State and the federal government to address groundwater contamination emanating from the Grumman facility in Bethpage, without putting the financial burden on Nassau taxpayers.

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

Whether it was hearing resident's concerns with reassessment and sponsoring the "Assessment Bill of rights," seeing the need for cameras in the Massapequa Preserve and securing the funds, or fighting for cleaner water believe I am able to effectively advocate for the issues residents care about.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

"Just be yourself."

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

No response.