92 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • OCTOBER 2021
HOWARD WEITZMAN MAN OF FINANCE BY BRIANA BONFIGLIO
Former Nassau County Comptroller
Howard Weitzman has died, Nassau
County offi cials confi rmed on Sept. 27.
He was 75.
“Everyone here in the comptroller’s
office is sad and surprised, and so
many of us share fond memories and
have wonderful stories about Howard,”
said Nassau County Comptroller Jack
Schnirman. “Howard made a lasting
impact on our community, and we will
forever be grateful for his service.”
Weitzman was comptroller while Rep.
Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) served as the
county executive, from 2002 to 2009,
and had previously been mayor of the
Village of Great Neck Estates.
The certifi ed public accountant is credited
by county offi cials with cleaning up
the county’s fi nances during his time
as comptroller by overseeing audits
of special taxing districts and cutting
back on overspending and wasteful
spending that cost taxpayers.
“Sad to hear of the passing of former Nassau
Comptroller Howard Weitzman, a
long-time public servant to our county,”
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran
said in a statement. “County fl ags will
be lowered to half-staff as a tribute to
his memory.”
Weitzman served on the Nassau Interim
Finance Authority, a state board that
oversees county fi nances, from 2016 up
until the time of his death.
“For decades, Howard Weitzman
called upon his vast intellect and
fi scal expertise to serve the residents
of Nassau County,” Nassau County
Legislature Minority Leader Kevan
M. Abrahams (D-Freeport) said in a
statement. “Whether his role was that
of a local elected offi cial, our County
Comptroller, or a NIFA board member,
his style of leadership embodied the
type of wisdom and dignity that was a
constant throughout his life.”
OBITUARY
Howard Weitzman
EDDIE PARTRIDGE RACEWAY OWNER BY BRIANA BONFIGLIO
The motorsports community is
mourning the loss of Eddie Partridge,
co-owner of Riverhead Raceway and
owner of a NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour car, who died on Sept. 10
at age 68.
Just hours before his death, his NASCAR
driver, Ryan Preece, led the team to victory
at Richmond Raceway in Virginia.
Partridge, of Wading River, was riding
back to Long Island when he suff ered a
fatal heart attack.
“Last night we won the race. Last night I
lost one of my best friends and modifi ed
owner,” Preece wrote on Twitter on
Sept. 11. “Rest in Peace Big Eddie. I’m
going to miss you.”
A NASCAR.com obituary called the
6-foot-7 racing fanatic “larger than life …
both in stature and in personality.”
In a statement, NASCAR said it was
“only fi tting that Eddie’s last race was
a victory.”
“Eddie’s passion for racing was felt not
just throughout the modifi ed community,
but also throughout grassroots
racing as a whole,” it said. “He fi elded
teams for some of the best drivers in the
sport, and truly loved seeing his cars
run up front … A fi erce competitor who
fought for the good in short track racing,
he will be greatly missed.”
As a car owner, Partridge was a twotime
NASCAR Whelen Modifi ed Tour
champion, in 2011 and 2017.
Partridge bought Riverhead Raceway
with his wife, Constance, and nephew,
Thomas Gatz, in 2015. The family made
the purchase with the intention of reviving
Long Island’s only remaining
major raceway, which was struggling
fi nancially at the time.
In addition to his wife and nephew,
Partridge is survived by fi ve sisters
and one brother. A funeral service
was held at St. John the Baptist Church
in Wading River, and he was buried at
Wading River Cemetery.
Ed Partridge, second from the left and holding the trophy, celebrated the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour owners championship in 2017, with driver
Ryan Preece, wife Constance, and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series
Director Jimmy Wilson. (Courtesy NASCAR)
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/NASCAR.com
