FEBRUARY 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 15
Left to right: NY Islanders John Tavares, Andrew Ladd, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, and Islanders
Johnny Boychuk and Cal Clutterbuck. (Photo by Irwin Mendlinger)
LIP: Will you honor that order?
How will you achieve those cuts?
LC: Well, we have to do it. NIFA
has imposed a deadline by March
15th, so we have to honor that.
LIP: Why did you sign your
executive order barring appointees
from leadership roles in the party
and donating to your campaign?
LC: It was a campaign promise,
and I thought it was very important
to deliver on that promise as soon
as possible because I want there
to be no question as to why I am
appointing people in government.
It is to serve the residents of Nassau
County, right? It is the government
of the people of Nassau. I want
there to be no question as to why
they are there.
LIP: What is your economic
development vision?
LC: This is something I am very
passionate about. I have appointed
a deputy county executive for
economic development specifically,
which we haven’t had for a long
time, because I believe we need
to have that laser focus. I am
committed to transit-oriented
developments. I am committed to
working with Supervisor Laura
Gillen in the Town of Hempstead
to develop the Hub in a way
that makes it a live-work-play
destination. The county owns it
and the town zones it. It is very
important that she and I work
together and we are off to a very
good start. That and Belmont is a
great opportunity right there for
real economic development, and we
want to make the most of it. We’ve
got to keep our young people.
We’ve got to have a wide variety of
housing options at different price
points to keep our young people
and attract young people, which
will then bring the jobs.
LIP: How important is the thirdtrack
project to Nassau?
LC: I am super excited about
the third track because it will
help foster that kind of transitoriented
development along the
main line that we need in places
like Westbury. Mineola is off to a
strong start, with transit-oriented
development. Plus, people will
be able to reverse commute. It
would help people to get on and off
and around the Island, which we
need for economic development.
Young people don’t want to drive
as much, and the more people can
get around, the more people are
going to want to live here.
The other thing I am
very excited about is
East Side access. We
have a few years
before it’s done,
but this will
allow people
who live on
Long Island to
travel into the
city and land at
Grand Central, so
they don’t have to
do those three trains
to schlep over to the
East Side. This would be
huge for our real estate market.
It will be huge for
attracting more
people to live here
since the commute will be so much
easier to the East Side. Suffolk
County Executive Steve Bellone
and I did a tour of it my second
week in office. We have a few years
to go. They said five years. We are
just keeping our fingers crossed.
LIP: Are you excited for the return
of the Islanders?
LC: Oh yes! That is incredible. Not
only does it mean jobs, support for
local business, and growing the tax
base, it also shows the world that
Nassau is the place to be. I’m a huge
Islanders fan.
LIP: How does it feel to be the first
female Nassau County Executive?
LC: When I was running I did
not make a big deal about gender
because I did not want that to be
the reason people were voting for
me.
That being said, I have to say I am
very proud of that fact.
LIP: As a mother of three, how do
you manage to juggle it all?
LC: It’s a juggling act. It’s kind of a
problem that any working mother
has. It is the same thing. You make
it work. In some ways you can
never totally solve it. You just do
your best.
LIP: Does your day really ever end?
It’s not 9 to 5. Do you even sleep?
LC: I just have to make sure in my
schedule that I bank in family time
because if my home team is not
solid, I am not going to be effective
at work. Sometimes I have to miss
a concert but I try and book that
far in advance. Even if it means
spending a Saturday at home with
the kids, doing nothing, I think
that is really valuable when I can
get away with it.
LIP: What is for dinner tonight?
LC: That is a great question. I think
we are doing a Mexican casserole
with chicken. It’s really good.
LIP: Are you making it?
LC: I have to say that I am not
making it. It will be ready for me
when I get home. I will be eating it
… gratefully.
LIP: What do you like to do in
your free time?
LC: My favorite thing to do is read
a really good book. I like a wide
range of books. I love nonfiction,
fiction, literary fiction. The last
book I read was Manhattan Beach
by Jennifer Egan. It was really
good. I recommend it to anyone.
LIP: I know you enjoy yoga.
LC: I try and make a little
time in the morning to
exercise. I don’t always
succeed in doing that,
but I love it. It is just a
good way to stay calm.
LIP: Who are some of
your role models?
LC: Someone I admire is
Margaret Thatcher, more on
style than substance. She was a
tough woman, and she made tough
choices, and I don’t always agree
with the choices she made, but
I admire the way she handled
herself and got things done.
COVER STORY
Laura Curran gave her first speech as Nassau County
Executive to a crowd braving sub-freezing temperatures
on New Year’s Day. (Photo by Irwin Mendlinger)