Peter Schmitt

No doubt it would amuse Peter Schmitt immensely that a 423-acre nature preserve in Massapequa will forever honor his name. As supporters and opponents knew well, Schmitt was most at home in the rough and tumble world of Nassau politics, giving as good as he got in Mineola’s corridors of power. He may have found time to hike the Greenbelt Trail, but he got his exercise mostly on behalf of the Nassau Republican Party, and nothing gave him a better workout than Democratic legislators’ attempts to raise taxes or block his spending cuts. The Nassau Legislature will never be the same without his quick wit, biting satire and acerbic barbs. Schmitt, the original member of the 17-year-old body, was its presiding officer since 2009. We will truly miss him.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2013