Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi said that if he is elected to be the next Nassau County Executive he would balance the county budget, establish a plan for growth, work with the Jewish community on the issue of tuition affordability and support efforts to get Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aid for houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Suozzi spoke before a crowd of Jewish community, synagogue and day school lay leaders who convened at the Orthodox Union (OU) on Tuesday for its series of forums with the candidates for Nassau County Executive.

“Nassau County is a fantastic place, but we have stopped growing. We need to create environments where young people want to live,” Suozzi said, adding that he would expand the tax base through the construction of office buildings with ground floor shops and eateries and the creation of downtowns that would bring in revenue from sales tax.

During the OU Advocacy-NY-sponsored forum, Suozzi spoke candidly about issues of importance to the Jewish community, including education, a proposed cap on property taxes and finding synergies between the various districts within the county.

When asked about his position on obtaining FEMA aid for houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy, Suozzi responded that he would support the bill “one hundred percent.” He also said that he would work to mitigate the ongoing effects of the storm on families who are still recovering, adding that “it doesn’t make sense that there is no database in the county of who’s still out of their houses.”

During his introduction of the candidate, Maury Litwack, OU Advocacy Director of State Political Affairs and Outreach, stressed the importance of community meetings with candidates and legislators for the Jewish community. “The way the Jewish community gets its voice heard is through participation in events like this candidate forum. We appreciate former County Executive Suozzi joining us today to hear from members of the Nassau County Jewish community and address our concerns.”

OU Advocacy is hosting a meeting with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano on Monday, Oct. 28th, 2013.

(YWN Desk – NYC / Photo Credit: Meir Kruter Photography)