Two years ago as they were sworn in for their first term, a reporter from a local daily wondered aloud about how many of the first class of county legislators would be around for another swearing in two years hence.

"A lot of them are in incredibly safe districts," he said. "But you have to wonder. They all look so green."

Two years later, that reporter, Mike Claffey of the New York Daily News, no longer covers Long Island, and two of the faces have changed, with Norma L. Gonsalves and Thomas A. Glynn now elected to represent districts dominated by East Meadow and Rockville Centre respectively.

But more to the point, as 17 of the 19 county legislators raised their right hands to be sworn in for second terms at Nassau Community College on Friday, Jan. 9, they did so as government officials with strong political power bases in their home districts and with a string of solid accomplishments behind them.

These 17 for instance - Bruce Blakeman, Peter Schmitt, Edward H. Ward, John Ciotti, Francis Becker, John Canning, Salvatore Pontillo, Darlene Harris, Richard Nicolello, Bruce Nyman, Vincent Muscarella, Dennis Dunne Sr., Lisanne Altmann, Roger Corbin, Barbara Johnson, Judy Jacobs, and Edward Mangano - were the first county legislators to significantly alter budgets submitted to them by the county executive.

(Previously, the old Board of Supervisors had largely approved the county's proposed fiscal plan each year without fanfare and even less revision.)

In addition, "Personal service contracts are now subject to legislative review," Presiding Officer Blakeman pointed out during his inaugural address, "and we have ended self-perpetuating open service contracts.

"We have banned the sale of thev [over-the-counter stimulant] Ephedrine," he continued. "We banned the sale of box cutters to minors. And we have added 95 new police officers and increased funding at our volunteer firefighting training facility."

Blakeman, who was sworn in by Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph N. Mondello as U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato looked on, also talked of initiatives that have been set into motion but not yet come to fruition, such as the county's move to establish a legislative child care commission.

"This commission will complete the first comprehensive countywide report on child care needs so that, for the first time, your government will be asking you where you need help," Blakeman said.

The presiding officer said the county will also try to build on what he sees as its increased efforts to protect the local environment. Toward that end he announced a major beautification project consisting of a countywide tree planting program.

The presiding officer surprised most in attendance by announcing for the first time publicly that both his sister Cathy and his wife Nancy have been battling breast cancer for the past 18 months.

"It is for that reason that I see as the crowning achievement of this past session, the establishment of the Hewlett House as the first breast cancer learning resource center in America," he said.

As often happens in these kinds of speeches, Blakeman also took credit for some initiatives that originated elsewhere, most notably the county executive's Operation Downtown program.

Unlike County Executive Thomas S. Gulotta, who delivered his own inaugural address five days earlier, Blakeman made frequent reference to New York State Governor George Pataki (not incidentally, Blakeman has thrown his hat in the ring for consideration to fill the now vacant Lieutenant Governor spot), lauding the state's chief executive for attempting to abolish parole for violent felony offenders, for the state's work-fare program, which he said has trimmed welfare rolls by over 400,000 recipients, and also the state's proposed takeover of LILCO.

"I am calling upon my colleagues in Suffolk County to abandon their costly litigation to frustrate immediate implementation of the plan," Blakeman said.

He concluded his remarks by proposing that the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway be renamed in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, whom he described as one of his "political heroes."

The impetus for the rededication is the former president's ongoing battle with Alzheimer's disease.

"If a vibrant, handsome and otherwise healthy former president can contract this disease, anybody can," Blakeman said.

Though a previous effort to rename the road in honor of an American president - Long Island's own Theodore Roosevelt - failed several years ago, Nassau's presiding officer said he will propose that a home rule message be sent to Albany requesting that Route 135 be renamed the Ronald Reagan Expressway and that this designation become effective on Nov. 1 as the county's kick-off to National Alzheimer's Month.

Later, when the Democrats got their chance to speak, Minority Leader Bruce Nyman said that in his view, while the legislature could perhaps have been "more pro-active" and "more progressive" in its first two years, the institution itself has been an unqualified success.

"Public officials hold a unique role in society - it is our job to make sure that government works for people... not for some people, but for all people.

"For the first time, the very first time [thanks to the legislature's being established], minorities communities, unincorporated areas, hamlets, neighborhoods, had direct representation in county government,

For the first time, we brought the battle to lower taxes, to fight crime, to protect the environment, home to our local communities... and politicians and the people they were elected to serve were partners in a joint effort to make life better in Nassau County."

The inauguration, which was held in the physical education complex at Nassau Community College was also notable for what seemed to many to be a somewhat heavy-handed political message being delivered to County Executive Gulotta.

The seating arrangement, for instance, had Gulotta on the right side of the podium, an area otherwise populated by the county's Democratic legislators, the state's Democratic Comptroller, H. Carl McCall, who swore in the legislature's minority leader, Bruce Nyman, and Federal Judge Arthur D. Spatt, who ordered the establishment of the legislature to resolve a federal voting rights lawsuit, and who swore in the remainder of the legislators.

The Republicans were seated to the left - with Presiding Officer Blakeman being flanked by Senator D'Amato and Chairman Mondello.

Though Mondello played the diplomat, applauding the record and achievement's of Gulotta, with whom he has often been at loggerheads, D'Amato made no secret of the fact that Blakeman is his fairhaired boy.

"Bruce Blakeman," the senator said before more than 500 onlookers, "is one of our brightest stars... and the future of our party."

As one would have expected, minority leader Nyman had some fun with the situation the Republicans had handed him.

"Maybe you can run as our candidate for lieutenant governor?" he quipped.

"Anytime Tom," Nyman continued, eliciting a laugh from the county executive. "Anytime... "