About Elaine

Since taking office, Comptroller Phillips has saved Nassau residents millions. She secured $17.6 million in taxpayer savings through smarter project management and cutting underperforming contractors. After years of inaction by the prior administration, she took decisive action to hold a Long Island water company accountable, securing $20 million owed to the county from a long-standing contract dispute. She has also uncovered and corrected waste, abuse, and inefficiency in government, including a $1.5 million overpayment by a local government, mismanagement in the Licensing Division of the County’s Department of Consumer Affairs from 2019 to 2021 that led to a backlog of thousands of applications, and dysfunction in the Town of North Hempstead’s Building Department.

To improve accountability and efficiency, Comptroller Phillips has modernized the County’s financial systems, replacing an outdated petty cash system with a streamlined computer-based system and transitioning to a fully digital payment system for vendors who do business with the County. She has also partnered with County Executive Bruce Blakeman to launch Nassau County’s first Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, paving the way for a more efficient, integrated financial operations system. 

Before becoming Comptroller, Phillips served as State Senator for New York's 7th District, where she championed lower taxes, secured record state funding for local schools and infrastructure, and authored important laws to protect victims of domestic violence and combatted workplace sexual harassment. As the first woman elected Mayor of Flower Hill, she implemented tax cuts and stabilized the village's finances.

A working mother of three, Phillips has also contributed to her community as a board member of Island Harvest and SCO Family of Services, and as a past PTA president and trustee for her parish and local villages. She is the first in her family to attend college, graduating from Penn State University with an MBA in finance and bachelor’s degree in political science. Phillips is also a Sixth Degree Blackbelt and Martial Arts instructor.

Elaine Phillips has spent her time as Nassau County Comptroller focused on one mission: protecting taxpayers and ensuring their money is spent wisely.  She brings commitment and resolve to her role as the watchdog for Nassau Taxpayers.