It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the residents of Nassau County for the past 14 years. Working with our residents since 1987, we have built upon our strengths and addressed our weaknesses. County property taxes have been controlled, the crime rate has been dramatically cut, unemployment is at an all time low, commercial vacancy rates are at record lows and residential property values have dramatically increased. Today, Nassau County is a far better place to live, work and raise a family than it was in 1987 and is recognized as one of the finest places in the nation in which to live.

Nassau County is a safer place in which to live and raise a family. In 1987, 44,465 major crimes were committed in Nassau County. Virtually every year since then, the commission of major crimes in our County has steadily declined. Today, major crime in Nassau County has been cut by over 50 percent and has reached a 25 year low. It should also be noted, that despite the increased vehicular traffic since 1987, drunk driving related deaths have been cut by 44 percent. Since Nassau County is situated adjacent to a highly urbanized area, this is an outstanding achievement with proper credit going to the coordinated efforts of our law enforcement and criminal justice personnel.

Our local economy is stronger and much more diverse than it was in 1987. Earlier this year our unemployment rate reached an historic low of 2.3 percent, the lowest in the state of New York and one of the lowest in the nation. Nassau's commercial vacancy rate has been cut to 4.3 percent, the lowest in 10 years, compared to a 6 percent commercial vacancy rate in 1987. The low unemployment and commercial vacancy rates have been achieved despite the creation of thousands of jobs and the dramatic growth in office space.

Between 1987 and 2001 Nassau County assisted projects resulted in the retention of 25,134 jobs with a payroll of over $829 million and the creation of 16,386 new jobs with a payroll of $447 million. The transformation of Nassau's economy was not easy, as the early 1990s witnessed tremendous cutbacks in the defense industry on Long Island. While defense technology remains an important component of our economy our local efforts to diversify have created greater stability for our workforce. More than ever, our children are enjoying reasonable job opportunities. Those efforts were coupled with the implementation of the federal award winning program Operation Downtown, which accessed resources on the state, federal and local level to ensure that "mom" and "pop" stores could continue to grow and prosper in our local communities offering viable competition to the large retail establishments.

Nassau County's property taxes have been kept under control. Despite the fact that 75 percent of Nassau County's budget consists of spiraling mandated costs, the County has successfully cut discretionary spending to levels that have enabled us to consistently cut or freeze the County's portion of property taxes. For instance, by modernizing, streamlining and computerizing we have successfully reduced the size of government, cutting the County's workforce by 41.2 percent since 1987 without compromising the high quality of government services our residents receive.

Some have suggested that the failure to increase property taxes contributed to the County's fiscal woes. The property tax is the single greatest burden sustained by many of our residents. As property taxes increase home values decrease, older Americans on fixed incomes are forced to move elsewhere and young couples are prevented from establishing families here. Accordingly, it was our objective to keep money in the pockets of our taxpayers who, as consumers, could use those dollars to improve the quality of their lives. Any loss of revenue in property taxes would be compensated for by increased revenue in sales taxes that would be used to fund government services for the benefit of all County residents. Unfortunately, as County property taxes were being controlled, property taxes assessed by other taxing entities were increasing. As a result the taxpayer was realizing minimal positive effect in increased spendable dollars through the County's efforts and sales tax revenues were not compensating for the loss in property tax revenues. The County has experienced several economic downturns in its history. Working in a bipartisan fashion with the County Legislature, steps have been implemented that ensure Nassau County's fiscal health.

Quality of life issues have always been a priority in this administration. Our County has been blessed with many precious natural resources. In order to preserve those resources, we enacted the Perpetual Preservation law designed to protect our parks, greenspaces and water recharge basins. Nassau County was the first municipality in our region to adopt a countywide comprehensive water management and conservation program. By accessing federal funding, Nassau County has developed the largest fleet of natural gas clean air buses east of the Mississippi. Soon the entire fleet will be retrofitted to natural gas. Stringent anti-graffiti laws and beautification programs have significantly reduced visual pollution. Our quality of life is enhanced by a network of county parks where family cultural, educational and athletic activities abound. Today the New York Power and the New York Rough Rider soccer teams call Nassau County their home. The Women's Sports Foundation has relocated to Eisenhower Park which also serves as the site of the newly constructed aquatic center, the largest indoor aquatic facility in the United States. Coupled with a new sports complex at Mitchel Field, Nassau County has become a major sports mecca in the northeast hosting major national and international sporting events. Not far from Eisenhower Park you can witness the construction of Museum Row, a series of world class museums that will serve as a major educational, cultural and tourist attraction in the northeast. The Cradle of Aviation Museum, the pivotal facility at Museum Row is scheduled to open this spring.

It is no wonder that national surveys cited in Money.com, Money magazine, Places Rated Almanac and Forbes magazine have listed Nassau County as one of the best places to live, work and raise a family. On a personal basis, I have always cared deeply about the people who live in our County. While there might have been differing opinions about policies, I have always done my best and have worked tirelessly placing the interests of our residents first. I sincerely hope that our joint efforts have provided the hope and opportunity for our children to share in the same dream that caused many of us and our parents to call Nassau County our home.

I offer a parting piece of advice to the young men and women reading this article. While you may not get rich through a career in public service, your riches will manifest themselves in other ways - by realizing that you have made a meaningful difference in other peoples lives. For this opportunity, I am grateful and thankful to the residents of Nassau County.