I’m running for New York State Assembly to make sure that Eastern Long Island is a place where the middle class—and those working hard to make it there—can find decent jobs, afford homes, and build their lives.
I was raised on Eastern Long Island and I’m very proud to call it my home. My first job was at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead and the best job I ever had was working for the Town of Brookhaven’s Little League. I’m a proud alumnus of Tulane University and Columbia Law School, but the best education I ever received was at Riverhead High School.
Public service has always been an important part of my life. When Hurricane Katrina struck, I was at college in New Orleans. After attending SUNY Stony Brook for a semester, I returned to New Orleans. And I pitched in—from doing immediate relief work in the months that followed to advocating on behalf of families in housing crisis years after the storm.
Prior to this campaign I worked at one of the country’s leading law firms. The job is infamous for its late nights and long hours. But I always made time for public service. I am particularly proud of the advocacy I’ve done on behalf of children with autism. Legal Services New York has recognized me for this and other pro bono work.
This November is the first time my name will appear on a ballot. But I’ve always been committed to our democratic process—from stuffing envelopes for local candidates when I was six years old to serving as a Democratic Committeeman in Riverhead to working to protect voter rights in Virginia during President Obama’s presidential campaign.
It is our responsibility to act. We should welcome it. I know that this generation of Long Islanders will not witness or permit the slow undoing of our way of life.
Politics doesn’t have to be a forum for grandstanding or ugly attacks. With the right leadership, it can still be a conversation about ideas.
Let’s have that conversation.