The race for District 8 of the Nassau Legislature pits incumbent John Giuffre, a lawyer who was first elected in 2021, against Erica Rico, a graduate of Nassau Community College who later pursued a bachelor’s in science and psychology at SUNY Old Westbury.

We strongly endorse Giuffre for a district that includes Franklin Square, Garden City, Garden City South, West Hempstead, Carle Place and Stewart Manor.

Giuffre earned his bachelor’s degree at Columbia College and his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he was an editor of the Journal of International Business Law.

He is a sustaining member of the Nassau County Bar Association where he serves on the Ethics Committee.

He is also in his community serving as a member of the Floral Park Lions Club, Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, Cover Avenue Chamber of Commerce and New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce.

He is fair-minded, something we hope he will bring to fixing Nassau’s dysfunctional and grossly unfair assessment system and increasing transparency and accountability for county police.

We are also confident that he will protect the interests of residents surrounding the proposed Vegas Sands casino resort at the Nassau Coliseum site  – one of Rico’s priorities.

To his credit and that of his Republican colleagues, Giuffre approved a relatively fair redistricting plan that actually created 12 of the 19 districts with a Democratic advantage among registered voters. We will now learn how much party organization and the quality of candidates matter.

Rico has been a longtime community advocate who supports protecting women’s rights, stricter gun laws and middle-class tax relief. But she is a first-time candidate who has never held elective office.

We strongly recommend John Giuffre for Nassau County Legislature District 8