Candidate Profile: Jason Richberg for Suffolk County Legislature

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County residents will be lining up at the polls for Election Day on Nov. 2, where they will be voting for candidates vying for Suffolk County Legislature seats.

Incumbent Legislator Jason Richberg is running as a Democrat in the 15th Legislative District against Republican challenger Jarod B. Morris. Richberg has held the position since March 2020. According to the Suffolk County Republican Committee, Morris is not running an active campaign.

The 15th Legislative District covers Wheatley Heights, Wyandanch, North Amityville, Amityville Village, Copiague, parts of North Lindenhurst, West Babylon and North Babylon, and the portion of Farmingdale which lies in Suffolk County.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Jason Richberg

<b>Age (as of Election Day)</b>

38

<b>Position Sought</b>

Suffolk County Legislator, 15th District

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democrat

<b>Family</b>

Wife and two sons, both age 3

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

My sister works as a program coordinator for the New York State Department of Health.

<b>Education</b>

Bachelor's degree, Wilberforce University
Master's degree in organizational leadership, Claremont Lincoln University

<b>Occupation</b>

Suffolk County Legislator since March 2020

<b>Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office</b>

Suffolk County Legislature Clerk
Suffolk County Legislature Deputy Clerk
Chief of Staff, Suffolk County Legislator DuWayne Gregory

<b>Campaign website</b>

www.jasonrichberg.com

<b>Why are you seeking elective office?</b>

To continue the work that I started in 2020 — standing up for our communities and keeping them safe, being a voice for residents, fighting to preserve our clean water and keep working toward a strong economy.

<b>The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

My main concern is ensuring that all residents have access to services— whether that means having someone to call when a street light is out, having access to job training and employment services, or being able to make sure your kids are fed. I like to think of my office as a one-stop-shop for serving our constituent's needs, and no problem is too small.

<b>What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?</b>

Experience — I've been with the legislature for more than 10 years in a number of positions and have a wealth of knowledge, strong relationships in the community, a vivid understanding of the issues we're facing and a vision for where we're going.

<b>How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?</b>

I was elected to the legislature in March of 2020, just as COVID-19 really started to affect our area. Nobody knew what was coming, but I am proud of how we were able to respond to the crisis. As elected officials, we did everything that was in our power to give residents as much support as possible to preserve their health and safety — whether that meant getting equipment to first responders, doing everything we could to help business stay open while also keeping the public safe, or in the case that business did need to close, making sure everyone had the ability to pay their bills and stay afloat. The COVID pandemic has highlighted the fact that many of our residents do not have easy access to the healthcare and preventative services they need, and that's something I will continue to take a closer look at.

<b>Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.</b>

Keeping our young people in Suffolk after they finish school is critical for the future of our county, and having attractive jobs with high pay and safe, affordable communities are just a few of the many important factors. I know firsthand the importance of working alongside our colleagues in state government to fund the programs and initiatives that will help keep jobs on Long Island and bring in new employers. I'm all for looking for creative solutions— especially when it comes to sustaining our economic growth and looking toward the future, and I am always more than willing to work together with other levels of government and private organizations to find solutions.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

In less than two years in office, I've introduced a number of resolutions that I am incredibly proud of and think will make a real difference. I brought forward legislation to protect residents with certain hairstyles and religious garments from being unfairly discriminated against. Under the existing Suffolk County law, it was unlawful to discriminate based on a person’s group identity, which includes things like their race, creed, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. This legislation added certain physical attributes, such as protective hairstyles, braids, hair textures, and religious garments, as components of group identity under the county’s Human Rights Law.

I introduced legislation to form a task force to study maternal morbidity and mortality rates in Suffolk County, with a specific focus on communities of color and aftercare. Maternal morbidity and mortality rates are widely considered key indicators of the health of a society. I was shocked to learn that the World Health Organization ranked the United States 55th among developed countries, with the highest rates being in communities of color. Research has shown that minorities receive inferior health care even when taking into account income, education and insurance status, with implicit bias playing a large part. I know that there are no easy answers, but I think it is important that we do everything we can to understand why this is the case and promote programs and services that will help lower those numbers.

Finally, I introduced what I refer to as Suffolk County's own "Rooney Rule". The Rooney Rule is a National Football League policy that requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, named after Dan Rooney, former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and chairman of the league's diversity committee. That inspired me to propose a similar rule here in Suffolk requiring officials to interview at least two qualified applicants who self-identify as minorities in their racial or gender identities for open commissioner jobs. We want to have the best and brightest in our leadership roles, and I think this helps us ensure everyone who is qualified has the opportunity to apply for commissioner positions.

<b>The best advice ever shared with me was:</b>

It's short and to the point, but something I live by: "Be yourself."

<b>What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

As your legislator, I've worked with federal and state representatives to advocate for the additional sewer funding needed for the Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Project to move forward.

I've served as chair of the legislature's budget and finance committee — where we review legislative proposals for the more than $3 billion county budget — and brought my fiscal perspective to the table, to think critically on every dollar of taxpayer money that we approve for spending, no matter how small, and ask myself, "Will this make lives better?"

I've served as a member of Suffolk's Police Reform & Reinvention Task Force, a diverse group consisting of community leaders, advocates, elected officials and police leadership representing all corners of the county, all with a variety of viewpoints and agendas. I strongly believe that to maintain strong relationships between our police and the neighborhoods they patrol, we need everyone working together as one — and on the task force I saw the power of that collaboration firsthand. The plan we presented offered major improvements in areas like data transparency, body cameras, traffic stops, recruitment, training, and mental health response that I think will have a huge impact. I am proud of what the task force was able to accomplish, but we are not finished.

I am committed to doing everything in my power to continue to serve as a resource for everyone in the 15th district. My door is always open.