When we think of politicians, we often think of out-of-touch, nefarious leaders who abuse the public’s trust. Nassau County Legislator-Elect Josh Lafazan turns any such preconceived notion on its head. Read more about the 23 year-old rising star from Syosset, New York below:
He’s held political office since elementary school
Josh’s political career began with his election to Student Council in elementary school. While I may have taken some creative license with the term “political office”, the platform taught him how to use his voice to amplify the voices of his peers, a quality of public service that has enthralled Lafazan since his youth. Certainly, his political career has been #OnTheRise ever since then!
He continued his political ascent by successfully running for Syosset School Board during his senior year of high school, making him the youngest elected official in New York State. “Who knows what the students need better than the student themselves?”, Josh remembers thinking. As Senior Class President, Josh already had exemplified to his peers that he could uplift their voices; becoming part of the School Board just elevated their voices even more!
Josh created Safe Ride Syosset, an initiative to curb drunk driving
Josh recognized the deadly effect drunk driving has on a community and resolved to do something about it. He developed Safe Ride , a program that allowed any teen to call Lafazan at any time, who would arrange for a “safe ride” for them, no questions asked. “This was pre-Uber!”, Josh tell me. In his senior year of high school, this program safely transported over 350 Syosset teens; he credits the success of the program to its creation as a program “for students by students”.
He has been educated at the best universities in the country
After graduating from Syosset High School, Josh attended Nassau Community College for two years, as he had promised his constituents he would stay local if elected to the School Board. After receiving his Associates Degree at NCC, Lafazan attended Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he finished up his baccalaureate education. Subsequently, Josh attended Harvard University, where he received a Master’s degree in Education Policy and Management.
Josh ran a spectacular campaign for Nassau County Legislator
In fact, Josh was the only candidate in all of Nassau County to flip his district from Republican to Democrat. He credits this feat in no small part to the vast intern team he assembled, comprised of mainly high school and college aged young adults. These young people helped Lafazan in everything from fundraising (he raised over 90k!) to knocking on thousands of doors.
Still, much credit must be given to Josh for running a stellar campaign. I met Josh in the Nassau County Democratic Party office in Syosset, where I was working for Laura Curran’s campaign for Nassau County Executive; it became immediately clear that he knew what he was doing, and that he was in it for all the right reasons. In an era where cynics far outnumber go-getters, especially among my generation, it is extremely refreshing to witness Josh’s rise in the political ranks.
Tackling the heroin epidemic is his top priority
“The heroin epidemic is the natural disaster of our time”, Josh tell me - and I couldn’t agree more. While many politicians talk about tackling this public health crisis, Lafazan actually has a plan to do so. He wants to create a variety of programs, from a 24 treatment center to the development of substance-free residence halls available at colleges in Nassau and much, much more. Overall, Josh knows it is an enormous challenge, but he’s up to it.
“I may not be able to change the world, but if I can help one person, I can change the world for that person”, Josh tells me. While he knows he may not be able to completely eradicate this epidemic, he will do as much as he can to help as many people as possible.
Follow Josh’s rise!