Meet The Candidates: Will Powers For Nassau County Legislature

FARMINGDALE, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. With voting just around the corner, Patch is reaching out to candidates across Nassau County to find out why they're running for office, and what they hope to achieve for residents.

Democrat William Rogers is challenging Republican James Kennedy to represent the Nassau County 12 Legislative District.

The 12th LD includes Massapequa, East Massapequa, Massapequa Park and South Farmingdale.

Rogers, 26, lives in Farmingdale. He is an Army veteran who now owns his own window-washing business.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I joined the US Army in order to serve my nation. Unfortunately I suffered an injured that caused my career to end short. Once coming home I still had the desire to serve my nation in any capacity for which I could contribute. I reached out to a friend associated with the Democratic Party of Nassau County and after impressing a few people I was given the opportunity to run for office. I jumped at the opportunity and has never looked back. There a tremendous amount of issues that need to be addressed and worked out in order to have a more prosperous and sustainable society.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

For the constituents of LD12, the number one issue raised while speaking to voters is the unfair tax system, specifically property taxes in Nassau County.

We will address this problem by levying the burden of school taxes to the larger commercial entities on Long Island. This is targeted at fortune 500 companies and corporations which hold a large stake in real estate on long Island. For too long an unfair amount of school taxes have been provided solely by the home owners of said school district. If elected we will rewrite the school tax system in order to alleviate the home owners from the unfair burden of paying the largest amount of school taxes. Long Island had a system similar to the one proposed here, the early suburbs used a fair and balance school tax system that allowed for both and increase in home ownership along with a thriving main street with local-small businesses instead of the behemoths that rule the day, of which, most of the larger corporate profits and money generated doesn't even stay in the local community. Lets invest in long term solutions, lets invest in our local communities, our local businesses, our people and as County Legislator that is exactly what we will do.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Simple, I will do the work and my Challenger wont. Period. My Challenger has had 6 years in office to get passed what he claims to support. However, the Challenger and incumbent have yet to put forth any legislation what so ever, he is the quintessential "empty suit with a phony smile". The incumbents father in law was a long time entrenched politician in the Nassau County Legislator, so one could certainly say nepotism is high with the GOP of Nassau County politics. As Legislator we will see an end to the rampant corruption, cronyism and nepotism from the Nassau County gop and the people will finally have a voice in the halls of the Nassau County Legislator.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

A follow on from the post above... the incumbent has yet to deliver any meaningful legislation while in office. Period.

An example being, he runs on the "tax revolt party" but yet, hasn't done a damn thing about lowering taxes nor promoting and installing a fair tax system. All talk and no action, in fact he barely talks, so you could say little talk but certainly no action. It seems he is there to collect a paycheck and be a puppet for the Nassau County GOP.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think Nassau County fared better than most counties in the US due to proper leadership via Laura Curran, along with having a more sound local population that wasn't vaccine hesitant. Being one of, if not the most vaccinated county in America helps with combating this virus. We need to push for more vaccination and continue to update and be transparent as possible with our local community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As a veteran, I will fight for all of those whom served our nation. As Legislator we will expand Veteran's benefits along with Healthcare access, which will include mental Healthcare and childcare. Moreover, I look to expand benefits for seniors here in Nassau County. The two big things concerning seniors on long Island are property taxes and Healthcare access & outcomes; as Legislator we will address these issues head on. We fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

Expansion of workers rights and union membership. The moment in US history where the average workers saw the highest standard of living was also the same time when Union membership was at its peak... as Legislator we will put forth a goal of leading the US in unionization of the workforce. This along with supporting local businesses and not giving tax breaks and issuing free grants to multi national corporations. Fight for Main St & NOT Wall St.

I look to put an END to the open segregation of the school districts on Long Island. This especially true and tragic in my own LD12. Massapequa school district sends the minority population of East Massapequa to not only another towns school district, but to a completely different county's school district (Amityville). As it works today, the residents of East Massapequa pay Massapequa school district taxes, but have to send their kids to another school district, oh I almost forgot to mention that the children in East Massapequa have to walk or be driven to Amityville School District, they do not get the privilege of using the Massapequa school buses even though they pay for them via school taxes. Literally burner middle school is right across the street from East Massapequa, however those children have to venture to another town to go to school. This is NY and the year is 2021...

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Joining the Armed Forces demonstrates how serious I am about service to my nation. Moreover, starting a LLC in the midst of a global pandemic after transitioning out of service has certainly taught me much about not only myself but about business and the community at large. Owning and operating a small cleaning business sets one up on a path that will expose them to the reality of the community that they are operating in. And I can say with certainty that with both my work and door knocking for months, I can say with confidence I have "my finger on the pulse" of the people of Long Island, especially LD12. This places me in a great position to understand the needs of the people and how best to address these needs.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Appearances are everything & Never take anything for granted.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I served this nation as a Soldier, I will now serve the people of Nassau County. I am young, I am bold and I am ready to serve the people of Nassau County!