Standing with the county executive and police department officials to announce the promotion of 24 detectives was a key moment in Legislator Nick Caracappa’s agenda to keep Suffolk safe. Along with protecting the island’s natural resources with adequate funding for sewers and wastewater treatment systems and making the county a more affordable place to live, the Selden legislator has set an ambitious agenda for his third term.
“We ran on a platform of a safe and more affordable Suffolk County. I think this proves that we are sticking to that promise to the residents,” Caracappa said of his legislative colleagues and County Executive Ed Romaine at the detective announcement. “The police promotions will make it safer for our residents, businesses, and families.”
Caracappa also heralded legislation he is working on to require developers that seek county subsidies to set aside units for workforce housing. “These are not Section 8 units, it's all W-2-based housing for our young professionals and working class,” the legislator explained. “When we have students leaving college and they want to start as health care workers or teachers or even law enforcement, we need to make it affordable for them to live here. And if they don't go to college, they're going into the trades, they're starting on the lower income tiers and it’s difficult for them to live here on Long Island. Or else they’re staying with their parents into their thirties, and that's not what they want to do.”
Caracappa said he’s also looking to lower the medium-income requirements for affordable housing to at least 80%. “What that's going to do is create genuine workforce housing, affordable housing. The way it is now, they can go up to 120 percent, which makes a one-bedroom apartment anywhere from $3,000 to $4,200 monthly. That is not affordable housing.”
Similar to his bill that requires workforce units in developments that get tax breaks and other county benefits, Caracappa sponsored legislation that requires affordable units for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well. “People want to live independently. So that means having their own place, buying their own groceries, paying their way. That will create tax revenue, and that's sustainability, helping them be a part of their communities, our society.”
Caracappa is filming a video to publicize the initiative across the state and other parts of the country. “Suffolk County is leading the way on this. I want to see it in other communities, make it easy for other municipalities to jump on board to provide opportunities for individuals who are otherwise overlooked,” he said. “It makes us feel really good that we're doing something not just for our families, but for New York State. It’s very rewarding feeling to know that you're accomplishing something here and setting in motion something that will be done in other locations.”
The Majority Caucus leader and chair of the committees on Public Works, Transportation & Energy, and Veterans & Consumer Affairs, Caracappa took heat, along with his fellow Republicans, for not putting the eighth of a percent sewer tax on the November ballot last year. The lawmakers amended the plan and cleared the way for a public vote this year for the sales tax monies to be split evenly between new sewers and private cesspool upgrades.
“Now that we have the formula in place, it’s going to work much better in getting projects done,” he said. “So, here we go again with the word opportunities. Not only will we protect our water quality, our aquifer, and our coastal waterways, we will also boost the Long Island economy. We will have the matching dollars to receive state and federal money to finally get these projects in place. We’re protecting our tourism industry, fighting against algae blooms, eel grass die-offs, closing beaches; all the bad stuff that's happening in our coastal communities because of nitrogen pollution. We have a number of projects that are going to take us through the next 20 years, and they’re going to put people to work, provide paychecks, pay for housing and food, money to spend at the mom and pops, the pizzerias, movie theaters, bowling alleys.”
Sewers will also allow for the construction of more affordable housing and enable downtown areas to redevelop and rebuild, Caracappa continued. “Sewers really are the answer to a better future for people who live on an island.”
Among the areas targeted for sewers in Caracappa’s 4th Legislative District are communities in Centereach, Farmingville, Holtsville, and Selden. He supported engineering studies to make sure the projects are shovel ready when funding becomes available.
Prior to serving in the legislature, Caracappa worked at the Suffolk County Water Authority for 34 years, where he served as president of the Utility Workers’ Union of America, AFL-CIO Local-393. A father of five, he stressed his vested interest in seeing his community thrive and create jobs and affordable housing for upcoming generations. “I want my kids to be able to enjoy the Long Island we had.”