This fall, Delia secured a long-awaited $7,000 Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax Fund grant for the Glen Cove Business Improvement District and its beloved Downtown Sounds concert series.

“Although this grant took more effort than usual to secure, I am already looking forward to applying for an additional grant for next season’s shows. I am thankful to my colleagues in the Democratic Minority Caucus for standing with me to ensure that communities across our County receive their fair share of resources,” she said.

In December, Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton joined her Democratic colleagues in unveiling the “Fair Fees and Accountability Act” - a set of proposals that would permanently repeal excessive and illegal red-light camera fees and create a blueprint for refunding drivers.

Spearheaded by Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow, the Fair Fees Accountability Act will ensure Nassau drivers are granted justice by creating a dedicated fund in the budget, from which eligible drivers will be reimbursed for the excessive fees they were forced to pay. An independent oversight committee will manage the process to ensure transparency and prevent political interference.

County Executive Blakeman’s administration is persisting in its stubborn refusal to approve Community Revitalization Program (CRP) grant funds in Democratic Minority Caucus districts, stalling funds for essential investments in the safety of first responders in District 11 and across Nassau County - in some cases for years.

The funding in question is for essential law enforcement and lifesaving equipment and has been delayed despite the approval of funding in previous capital plans, which were adopted in a bipartisan fashion. Some examples in District 11 include:

July 29, 2021: $100,000 for Port Washington Fire Dept. turnout firefighting gear

Oct. 31, 2022: $90,000 for Port Washington Fire Dept. breathing air compressor

Feb. 16, 2022: $70,000 for Sands Point Police Department communications system

August 8, 2022: $37,400 for Glen Cove EMS cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices

“The safety of our first responders and our communities should never be compromised by partisan politics,” Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton said. “The people of Nassau County deserve better, and this issue must be addressed before we pass a capital plan.”

In December, the Legislature accepted $1.185 million in new opioid settlement funds - renewing concerns about the Blakeman administration’s failure to deliver the nearly $100 million in settlement funds it has already received to agencies on the front lines of responding to the opioid crisis. Those new funds will be placed into a dedicated fund for agencies that provide addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery resources across Nassau County. However, a Newsday investigation revealed the Blakeman administration has distributed just $3.01 million – or 3.15 percent of approximately $95.5 million it had received – despite a four-year plan released in May 2023 that pledged $60 million to agencies over that time. 

“The Blakeman administration’s persistent failure to effectively distribute these crucial settlement funds is unacceptable,” Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton said. “While I am gratified that the County is receiving this new influx of resources, we must use this as a catalyst for finally getting these funds out of the County’s bank accounts and where they belong – in the hands of trusted agencies that are doing the work to save lives from this scourge.” 

Shortly before that Dec. 16 vote to accept the latest settlements, the Legislature heard directly from Corinne Kaufman, whose granddaughter, Paige Gibbons, died on Nov. 20, 2022 – just four days after her 19th birthday – after she consumed a small piece of what she thought was a Percocet pill at a sleepover with friends. It turned out to be entirely fentanyl. In the aftermath of Paige’s tragic death, Kaufman has become a fierce advocate in the fight against fentanyl.

“It is discouraging not to see settlement funds used for strong, proactive programs yet,” Kaufman said. “We are seeing the slow drip of settlement funds when you really need those funds to be working to prevent these disasters. You all hold such great power in your hands to save lives by expediting these funds. It’s time to save lives now.”

In December, in Glen Cove, Delia presented a $43,000 grant to NOSH Delivers. The Legislature had voted unanimously on Nov. 20 in favor of releasing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding in support of the 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization’s hunger-fighting outreach and

programs. NOSH Delivers was launched in March of 2020 to bring food to local families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to serve more than 600 families spanning Glen Cove to Bayville. After being displaced for more than three years ago by a devastating fire, NOSH recently celebrated the grand reopening of its food pantry at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 347 at 15 Hill Street in Glen Cove.