Scott Fairgrieve isn’t just a district court judge; he’s been a community asset for his entire adult life.
Fairgrieve is running on Nov. 6 for a fourth six-year term in the Town of North Hempstead’s Third District.
He’s doing it, he says, because he loves his job, loves giving back – as he does in many ways.
“I feel my personality is well-suited to [being a judge], because I can listen to both sides, be fair and impartial, and come to a fair and equitable resolution,” he said.
Fairgrieve handles civil, criminal and landlord-tenant cases. He said he has had more than 300 decisions published in law journals and has trained more than 50 interns since he first was elected in 2000.
He is well-known locally for his philanthropy. Fairgrieve helped organize and fund-raised for the Mustang Run for more than 20 years to benefit Mineola community organizations. He has lectured for free on the evils of driving while drunk at dozens of high schools and colleges.
He has been an active member of the County Seat Kiwanis Club, the Mineola-Garden City Rotary Club, the New Hyde Park Runners Club and the Mineola Chamber of Commerce. He was a Mineola Village Trustee from 1982-94.
“I give back to the community in many ways,” said Fairgrieve, who has been married to wife Linda for 42 years. The couple has two children, two grandchildren and four dogs.
The Fairgrieves are avid Yankees fans. Scott doesn’t drink alcohol and takes the DWI issue seriously.
“I try to keep teenagers out of trouble and avoid getting killed,” he said. “When I hear of a young life lost, it really upsets me. A DWI sometimes is just a matter of poor judgment. I just want to make them more conscious of it. I also talk about hit-and-runs, the morality of it. I tell them they have a moral responsibility to stop and call for help. A lot of kids are afraid to do that because of the consequences of being arrested.”
Fairgrieve was raised in Garden City. He graduated from St. Anne’s Grammar School, Garden City High, Adelphi University and St. John’s Law School. He has taught business law as an adjunct professor at LIU Post and is past president of the Nassau County District Court Judges’ Association. He is on the boards of the Mineola Historical Society and the Greater Long Island Running Club.
He runs six times a week and does a couple of half-marathons a year. He also plays golf twice a week in the summer at Harbor Links in Port Washington and Cantiague Park in Hicksville in groups he organized. His office is in Hempstead.
“I’m real good at settling cases,” Fairgrieve said. “I’m known for that. I love what I do. I work hard and I’m conscientious. I think I’m effective and I still want to accomplish things, write more legal decisions. They [decisions] help lawyers understand what the law is and help litigants chart their courses.”
Fairgrieve has the Democratic, Independence, Working Families, Reform and Women’s Equality party lines. He has been endorsed by the Nassau County Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the Nassau Superior Officers Association, the Nassau Detectives’ Association, and the Communications Workers of America. Pete Peterson, legislative chairman of the PBA, which represents 5,000 active and retired police officers, said in an endorsement letter to Fairgrieve, “Our association wishes you the best of luck. We look forward to working with you in the years ahead.”
“You have to run [for office] through political parties,” Fairgrieve said, “but once you get on the bench, you have to be nonpolitical.” Fairgrieve has been – for 18 years.
Jim Smith
Port Washington
