Candidate Calls For Protections Against Violence For Commuters

LARCHMONT, NY —Congressional hopeful Josh Lafazan didn't waste any time campaigning across the Sound in Westchester County after it became clear that Sound Shore towns, including New Rochelle, Larchmont, Rye and Port Chester will soon share representation with parts of Long Island.

At a campaign stop at the Larchmont Metro-North Station, Lafazan used a "ripped from the headlines" cause to introduce himself to Southern Westchester County voters.

Just a few weeks after New York City subway rider Michelle Go was pushed to her death on a subway track, Lafazan, a Democratic candidate for Congress (NY-03), called on the MTA to install platform doors and barriers at the busiest Metro-North stations throughout the system.

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Lafazan, a three-term Nassau County legislator who hopes to be the youngest Democrat in the U.S. Congress, stood on the platform in Larchmont on Wednesday and called on the MTA leadership to install barriers before anyone else is injured or killed.

“This issue is of paramount importance for the millions of New Yorkers who ride Metro-North every single day,” Lafazan said. “Horrors like what we saw happen to Michelle Go could be prevented with enough political will and a little bit of capital, which the MTA has, thanks to the recent infusion from Washington. When I’m in Congress, I will work to make sure even more resources are available to the MTA and Metro-North to protect the hard-working men and women who rely on the system to get them to and from work without incident. What happened to Michelle should never happen to another New Yorker — and installing barriers will aid tremendously toward that end.”

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The MTA has looked at installing platform barriers and doors in NYC subway stations several times before over the last 30 years, but not at all Metro-North stations. Metro-North saw more than 87 million annual rides prior to COVID-19 hitting in 2020, according to Lafazan.

This week, the New York State legislature is expected to sign off on a plan to add portions of the Bronx and Westchester to New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which will also include portions of Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties.

Since becoming the youngest elected official in New York State when he won a seat on the Syosset School Board at age 18, Lafazan has been elected County Legislator three times in a district won by former President Donald Trump and Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

He announced his intention to run for the seat in a video on December 13. Since then, he announced he raised $450,000 in a short 18 days through the end of 2021, according to the campaign.