Mineola, NY – On January 5th, elected officials, dignitaries, residents, and family members of the legislature gathered to attend the swearing in of the new class of the 2024-2025 Nassau County Legislature. The ceremony was held at the Peter J. Schmitt Legislative Chamber inside the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative Building. Howard J. Kopel was sworn in as the new Presiding Officer and Delia Deriggi-Whitton was sworn in as the new Minority Leader.
Presiding Officer Kopel was first elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2009 and began serving in 2010. He had been Deputy Presiding Officer for 6 years previously, under former Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello. He was sworn in by the former Presiding Officer, and stood next to his wife, Esther.
Joining the Presiding Officer in leadership positions in the Republican Majority Caucus are new Deputy Presiding Officer Tom McKevitt and new Alternate Deputy Presiding Officer John Ferretti.
This iteration of the legislature also marked one of the biggest changes in membership in decades of the legislature. Five new members were sworn in after retirements last year. The new legislators include Scott Strauss in District 9, Patrick Mullaney in District 4, Samantha Goetz in District 18, Scott Davis in District 1, and Seth Koslow in District 5. Legislative Districts also changed due to redistricting. The Republican caucus maintained its majority with 12 members to the Democratic Minority’s 7.
“As we begin a new legislative term, I want to welcome all the new legislators from both sides of the aisle and emphasize that while we might disagree on some things, we will be able to work together on many more to create a better government for the residents of Nassau County,” Presiding Officer Kopel said. “I look forward to our first official legislative meeting and rolling our sleeves up to start getting work done.”