Volunteer firefighter sworn in as Nassau County legislator: I came to put out fires

A 14-year volunteer firefighter and financial analyst was sworn into the Nassau County legislature Monday — and vowed to focus on extinguishing blazes, instead of playing politics.Olena Nicks, a Democrat, snagged a landslide victory in a Feb.

25 special election to rep the 2nd Nassau County legislative district after Seila Bynoe was elected to the New York State Senate.“I didn’t come to the Nassau County Legislature to play politics — I came to put out fires,” the former first responder told The Post.“I’m excited and ready to reach across the aisle, roll up my sleeves, and make sure every first responder gets the resources they need to protect our communities.Safety doesn’t pick sides, and neither will I,” Nicks said.The district now repped by Nicks includes Hicksville, Hempstead, New Cassel, Carle Place, Westbury, Uniondale and Jericho.Her aunt, Tamika, brought a bible from home that Nicks placed her right hand on as she was sworn in by minority leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.“I am incredibly honored to be representing legislative district two,” the new legislator said during a speech after the ceremony.“I look forward to working with this legislative body to continue to make sure that the residents within Nassau County are represented,” Nicks said to her constituents in the crowd.It is still too early to tell how Nicks’ win will impact the county, but her election may not change much as the legislature remains a 12-7 Republican stronghold.But Nicks told The Post that party lines are irrelevant to her as she looks forward to working with Republicans and Democrats alike.In her first legislative session after being officially sworn in, Nicks advocated for equitable funding across districts for first responders, and voiced concerns on what she called the county’s “wasteful spending” — saying Nassau needs to rein in some of its “frivolous expenses” like “costly outside lawyers.”Her long term goals include fighting for small b...