A proposed local law that would ban the sale of vapor products in flavors other than tobacco, mint, menthol, and “unflavored” is scheduled for a public hearing and likely vote on
Please make plans to attend this hearing. Even if you do not plan to speak, your presence is important as it demonstrates the large numbers of people affected by this issue.
Prior to the hearing, please take a moment to contact county officials by sending messages and making phone calls. We are providing contact information and talking points for your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments to the county legislature below.
Contact the Nassau County Legislature:
Legislator Phone Email
Richard Nicolello
(Presiding Officer) 516-571-6209 rnicolello@nassaucountyny.gov
Howard Kopel 516-571-6207 hkopel@nassaucountyny.gov
Steven Rhoads 516-571-6219 srhoads@nassaucountyny.gov
Denise Ford 516-571-6204 dford@nassaucountyny.gov
Kevan Abrahams 516-571-6201 kabrahams@nassaucountyny.gov
Siela Bynoe 516-571-6202 sbynoe@nassaucountyny.gov
Laura Schaefer 516-571-6219 lschaefer@nassaucountyny.gov
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton 516-571-6211 Contact Form
Carri Solages 516-571-6203 csolages@nassaucountyny.gov
Debra Mule 516-571-6205 dmule@nassaucountyny.gov
C. William Gaylor III 516-571-6206 Wgaylor@nassaucountyny.gov
Vincent T. Muscarella 516-571-6208 Vmuscarella@nassaucountyny.gov
Ellen W. Birnbaum 516-571-6210 ebirnbaum@nassaucountyny.gove
James Kennedy 516-571-6212 jkennedy@nassaucountyny.gov
Thomas McKevitt 516-571-6213 Tmckevitt@nassaucountyny.gov
John R. Ferretti Jr. 516-571-6215 jferretti@nassaucountyny.gov
Arnold W. Drucker 516-571-6216 adrucker@nassaucountyny.gov
Rose Marie Walker 516-571-6217 rmwalker@nassaucountyny.gov
Joshua A. Lafazan 516-571-6218 jlafazan@nassaucountyny.gov
Points to include in your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments:
Sample Message you can copy/paste into emails and contact forms (1578 characters):
(Please include your personal story about switching to vaping)
I am writing as a voter and taxpayer in Nassau County urging you to resist calls from well-meaning but misinformed activists to enact policies that would ban the sale of smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco. This local law will remove safer alternatives to smoking from store shelves while protecting sales of cigarettes. This is the exact opposite of protecting public health. A productive path forward must include adequate representation from all stakeholders - especially nicotine consumers.
Legitimate, regulated businesses play a vital role in ensuring that consumers have legal access to well-made products and keeping adult products out of the hands of young people. If these products are pushed into an underground market--where there is no oversight or motivation to comply with sales age restrictions--purchasing and consuming nicotine will be unnecessarily dangerous.
The recent outbreak of lung illnesses being broadly attributed to "vaping" by the CDC is a direct result of overbearing drug policy that encourages products to be made and sold by an underground, unregulated industry. Pushing currently legal nicotine products into such an environment might have similar results--including puting all consumers, especially children, at greater risk.
I along with my fellow members of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) thank you for considering my comments on this issue. Please keep me informed of developments in this matter. I look forward to your response on this issue and I am available for any questions you might have.
Monday, October 28, 2019
1:00 PM
Theodore Roosevelt Building
1550 Franklin Ave.
Mineola, NY 11501
Theodore Roosevelt Building
1550 Franklin Ave.
Mineola, NY 11501
Please make plans to attend this hearing. Even if you do not plan to speak, your presence is important as it demonstrates the large numbers of people affected by this issue.
Prior to the hearing, please take a moment to contact county officials by sending messages and making phone calls. We are providing contact information and talking points for your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments to the county legislature below.
Contact the Nassau County Legislature:
- Find your county officials here.
- Comma delimited email list (copy/paste into the “to” section of your email):
- rnicolello@nassaucountyny.gov, hkopel@nassaucountyny.gov, srhoads@nassaucountyny.gov, dford@nassaucountyny.gov, kabrahams@nassaucountyny.gov, sbynoe@nassaucountyny.gov, lschaefer@nassaucountyny.gov, csolages@nassaucountyny.gov, dmule@nassaucountyny.gov, Wgaylor@nassaucountyny.gov, Vmuscarella@nassaucountyny.gov, ebirnbaum@nassaucountyny.gove, jkennedy@nassaucountyny.gov, Tmckevitt@nassaucountyny.gov, jferretti@nassaucountyny.gov, adrucker@nassaucountyny.gov, rmwalker@nassaucountyny.gov, jlafazan@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Phone Email
Richard Nicolello
(Presiding Officer) 516-571-6209 rnicolello@nassaucountyny.gov
Howard Kopel 516-571-6207 hkopel@nassaucountyny.gov
Steven Rhoads 516-571-6219 srhoads@nassaucountyny.gov
Denise Ford 516-571-6204 dford@nassaucountyny.gov
Kevan Abrahams 516-571-6201 kabrahams@nassaucountyny.gov
Siela Bynoe 516-571-6202 sbynoe@nassaucountyny.gov
Laura Schaefer 516-571-6219 lschaefer@nassaucountyny.gov
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton 516-571-6211 Contact Form
Carri Solages 516-571-6203 csolages@nassaucountyny.gov
Debra Mule 516-571-6205 dmule@nassaucountyny.gov
C. William Gaylor III 516-571-6206 Wgaylor@nassaucountyny.gov
Vincent T. Muscarella 516-571-6208 Vmuscarella@nassaucountyny.gov
Ellen W. Birnbaum 516-571-6210 ebirnbaum@nassaucountyny.gove
James Kennedy 516-571-6212 jkennedy@nassaucountyny.gov
Thomas McKevitt 516-571-6213 Tmckevitt@nassaucountyny.gov
John R. Ferretti Jr. 516-571-6215 jferretti@nassaucountyny.gov
Arnold W. Drucker 516-571-6216 adrucker@nassaucountyny.gov
Rose Marie Walker 516-571-6217 rmwalker@nassaucountyny.gov
Joshua A. Lafazan 516-571-6218 jlafazan@nassaucountyny.gov
Points to include in your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments:
- Briefly, share your story about switching to vaping and what role that flavors played in helping you switch.
- Note any health changes you’ve experienced.
- Briefly, discuss what losing access to local vape shops will mean for you (Will you shop out-of-state, in neighboring cities, or online? Will you make your own e-liquid at home or purchase products on an underground market?).
- Additional talking points for testimony and emails are available here.
- Watch these comments from San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar - YouTube
Sample Message you can copy/paste into emails and contact forms (1578 characters):
(Please include your personal story about switching to vaping)
I am writing as a voter and taxpayer in Nassau County urging you to resist calls from well-meaning but misinformed activists to enact policies that would ban the sale of smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco. This local law will remove safer alternatives to smoking from store shelves while protecting sales of cigarettes. This is the exact opposite of protecting public health. A productive path forward must include adequate representation from all stakeholders - especially nicotine consumers.
Legitimate, regulated businesses play a vital role in ensuring that consumers have legal access to well-made products and keeping adult products out of the hands of young people. If these products are pushed into an underground market--where there is no oversight or motivation to comply with sales age restrictions--purchasing and consuming nicotine will be unnecessarily dangerous.
The recent outbreak of lung illnesses being broadly attributed to "vaping" by the CDC is a direct result of overbearing drug policy that encourages products to be made and sold by an underground, unregulated industry. Pushing currently legal nicotine products into such an environment might have similar results--including puting all consumers, especially children, at greater risk.
I along with my fellow members of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) thank you for considering my comments on this issue. Please keep me informed of developments in this matter. I look forward to your response on this issue and I am available for any questions you might have.
- Proposed local law banning flavored tobacco products - .PDF
