Breaking ground for a new Smith Point Bridge, creating a new park at Violet’s Cove, and getting shovel ready for the expansion of sewers into the Mastic Peninsula are a few of the goals set for 2024 by Suffolk Legislator Jim Mazzarella. He’s also looking forward to the completion of the massive Forge River Watershed Sewer Project and improvements to the Shirley Marina as he begins his second full term in office.
Mazzarella is well positioned to bring home the bacon to the 3rd District with his appointment to the legislature’s operating budget, capital budget, and community college budget working groups. He’s a board member of the county Sewer Agency and the Suffolk Land Bank. In the wake of the cyber-attack that crippled county operations for months, Mazzarella was appointed to the legislature’s cybersecurity investigatory committee. With its findings due out early this year, the committee is expected to make key recommendations on how the county can protect itself from further attacks.
The legislator’s agenda for the new year follows some major accomplishments in 2023. On the job for two and a half years, having replaced former legislator Rudy Sunderman and fending off former legislator Kate Browning in two elections, Mazzarella worked towards the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space, sponsored a ban on vaping devices camouflaged to resemble school supplies, and partnered with Brookhaven Town to create the Violet Cove Advisory Council. He also authored legislation to designate the month of September as “Recovery Month” in Suffolk to raise awareness for individuals and families combating addiction and help overcome the stigmas for those seeking treatment.
"I am proud of all the work I have accomplished this past year," Mazzarella stated. "I want to ensure that I am doing everything within my power to be an effective legislator and deliver for the residents of the 3rd Legislative District."
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| Legislator Jim Mazzarella Legislator Jim Mazzarella and his staff Legislator Jim Mazzarella |
“In order to see improvement in our area, we need to make investments in our community,” Mazzarella said. “I am confident that through my efforts to secure Capital Budget amendments, we will see positive changes that both our present and future generations will benefit from.”
Legislator Mazzarella has also worked closely with the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library to help ensure that construction of their new main library, as well as the new library branches, benefitted from Innovative Alternative Wastewater treatment systems. “By utilizing these new advanced systems, the library will be working with the community in an effort to reduce nitrogen pollution and protect the waterways surrounding our beautiful waterfront community,” he said.
In addition to the environmental funding, Mazzarella nailed down a $1 Million grant for an outdoor program area to be located directly across the street from the Mastic Beach Branch. The grants not only help the library to accomplish their goal of providing services to the community, but help to ease the library district taxes, he noted.
“While positive progress has been made in this past year there is still much work to be done. In my new term as legislator, I am looking forward to breaking ground on these significant projects, including the long awaited Smith Point Bridge. I pledge my continued efforts to work toward positive change to benefit all the residents of the 3rd legislative District,” Mazzarella said, adding that his office will “continue its focus on constituent services, open space preservation, quality of life issues, and sponsoring groundbreaking legislation for the benefit of all the residents of Suffolk County.”