Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips is running for a second term in office.
“Over the past four years as your taxpayer watchdog, we’ve saved homeowners millions by tackling waste, fraud, and abuse,” Phillips wrote on Facebook. “We’ve also streamlined operations to cut costs while delivering essential services and supporting our dedicated county workforce.”
Phillips launched her re-election campaign last week at a March 12 event.
A Republican and former Wall Street financial advisor, she was elected as county comptroller in 2021, defeating Democratic candidate Ryan Cronin. She replaced former Comptroller Jack Schnirman, who did not run for re-election.
Phillips spent 25 years working on Wall Street as a financial adviser in the private sector at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and MetLife.
Before her time as comptroller, Phillips also served office as the 7th District State Senator from 2017 to 2018. The prior four years she served as the mayor of Flower Hill.
Phillips ran for comptroller in 2021 on fixing the county’s tax assessment system, saying she would conduct an investigation into the re-assessment process.
The comptroller’s office released the results of a review of the 2020-2021 property reassessment in January 2023, which found the county utilized flawed data without quality control. The county has not implemented fixes to its property assessment system, which has been credited for tax inequalities.
Phillips also campaigned on ridding the county of corruption, fraud and waste – doing so through audits of county departments and agencies.
Actions Phillips has taken since assuming office include conducting an audit of the North Hempstead Building Department and of the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs’ Licensing Division, replacing the county’s outdated Nassau Integrated Financial System and restructuring how the county pays attorneys representing individuals who cannot afford legal representation.
“Thank you to the generous sponsors, my friends and supporters,” Phillips wrote on Facebook. “With your help and your support, we’ll keep making Nassau a great place to live and work!”
