Viviana Russell for Nassau Legislative District 2

The 2nd District includes Carle Place, Westbury, New Cassel and parts of Hempstead, Uniondale and Hicksville.

The 2nd Legislative District includes one of the county's most significant parcels of land: the Nassau Hub's 72 acres surrounding Nassau Coliseum.

But it also encompasses communities that often don't get the same spotlight, such as New Cassel, Uniondale, Hempstead and more.

"Every single one of those areas has needs," said newcomer Viviana Russell, a Westbury Democrat.

Russell is running for a seat that's open due to redistricting, as current representative Olena Nicks now is running in the 5th District. Russell's opponent, Westbury Republican Pepitz Blanchard, ran for the seat in 2014 against former legislator and current State Sen. Siela Bynoe.

Russell, a former North Hempstead Town board member, outlines practical solutions for key issues. As a lawmaker, she'd encourage the establishment of companion housing, where seniors could share homes with younger adults, allowing both to have a more affordable option. She wants a database of underutilized properties to determine where new development and housing could thrive. And in one of the biggest but ignored issues facing the county, Russell, 53, recommends a scoring system for aging infrastructure to decide what's fixed first. As for the Hub, Russell, who supported Las Vegas Sands' casino resort plan, recognizes that the gaming giant still holds the lease, and hopes to engage the community regarding what comes next.

Blanchard, 64, a GOP committeeman, did not meet with the editorial board.

Newsday Opinion endorses Russell.