Nassau GOP takes victory lap over Hochul withdrawal of accessory apartment plan

                                                                                  

Hempstead Town Supervisor holds letters that he says opposes apartment plan during a news conference of local Republican officials today

Nassau Republican town, county and state officials gathered in East Meadow today to declare victory in squashing Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to require all municipalities to allow a minimum of one apartment or "accessory dwelling unit" on single-family lots.

Led by Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, the officials cheered reports that Hochul had withdrawn her plan, which was tucked into her 5,000 page budget.

Progressives had backed the plan as a way to provide affordable housing for young and old. Building and construction contractors, who have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Hochul, also favored the initiative, saying it would create jobs for their industry.

But both Democratic and Republican suburban politicians complained that the proposal would end local control and single-family zoning.

Clavin said protests from thousands of residents throughout New York forced Hochul to backdown. "This was people saying local has to be governed by local, " Clavin said. "We don't need the city telling us how we live in the suburbs."

"We reached out to the residents through social media and through mailings and asked them to join our voices in opposing this," Clavin said. "We’ve never seen a response like this in the history of the Town of  Hempstead. In a matter of days we had thousands of residents signing an online petition...We received cards from residents opposing this."

He held up fistfuls of letter in both hands, saying they were one days of cards protesting the plan.

By early afternoon, a check of the Hempstead Town Facebook page showed more than 12,300 people had signed the petition "Save our Suburbs."  The petition on Change. org also had more than 400 comments.

Most of the comments complained that allowing apartments in single-family homes would increase taxes, clog local roads and overcrowd schools.

"Who made her God," said one one commenter, referring to Hochul, 64, the state's former lieutenant governor who became governor when Andrew Cuomo resigned in August.

A few favored the plan. "I support the governor," said another. "Housing needs to be affordable."

Though none were present, Clavin noted that Democrats also had opposed Hochul's proposal.

They did.

A group of Assembly Democrats in January wrote Hochul expressing their concern about the loss of local control; State Sens. Anna Kaplan of Northport and Jim Gaughran of Northport expressed doubts about the plan as proposed as did local Democrats, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and Nassau Leg. Siela Bynoe of Westbury.

U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Glen Cove Democrat challenging Hochul for the party's nomination for governor, had hammered Hochul weekly about the proposal.

Perhaps Hochul recognized that she was on the wrong side of suburban voters by withdrawing the proposal on the same day state Democrats nominated her for governor. 

Hochul has landed on the wrong side of other issues important to many Long Island voters: bail reform, rising crime and mandating masks for school children.

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino today cautioned that the fight against accessory apartments may not be over.
 

"I spent 14 years in the New York State Assembly. I can tell you from experience. There's plenty of time, " Saladino said.  "The budget is not due until April 1. The governor has to negotiate with the (Democratic) majority in the state Senate and Assembly.

"The bottom line is this could still happen. So we have to stay vigilant...to continue to fight this."