Josh Lafazan
Joshua A. Lafazan | |
|---|---|
| Legislator, 18th District, Nassau County Legislature | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Donald MacKenzie |
| Trustee, Syosset Central School District Board of Education | |
| In office July 2, 2012[1] – December 31, 2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joshua A. Lafazan January 29, 1994 |
| Political party | Independent[a] |
| Residence | Woodbury, Nassau County, New York |
| Education | Harvard University (MEd) Cornell University (BS) NCC (AA) |
| Website | joshlafazan |
Joshua "Josh" Lafazan (born January 29, 1994) is an American politician who is the Legislator for the 18th District of the Nassau County Legislature.[3] He is the second youngest public servant to be elected in New York State.[4][5] Lafazan was placed on the Long Island Press Power List of the 50 most influential people on Long Island in 2012.[6] His book, titled Political Gladiators: How Millennials Can Navigate the 21st Century Political Minefield and WIN!, was published in November 2015, and tells experiences of other politicians who were elected at a young age.[7] Lafazan has been featured as a speaker in TedX conferences.[8] He is currently a professor at Long Island University, instructing a course focussing on how to run for public office as a young candidate.[9]
Education and political career
Josh Lafazan graduated from Syosset High School in June 2012. He attended Nassau Community College, and received the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence.[10] He was named a recipient of the New York State School Boards Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.[11] Lafazan attended Cornell University for his Bachelor of Science degree and Harvard University for his Master of Education degree.[12]
During the latter part of his senior year, Lafazan had been campaigning for a trustee position on the Syosset Board of Education, which he won in May of that year with 82 percent of the vote.[13] He was re-elected to the board in 2015 for another three-year term.[14] On April 26, 2013, Josh was elected to the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, in which they credited him for founding Saferide Syosset, an outreach program to help guide teenagers on how to get home when impaired.[15][16]
On June 8, 2017, Lafazan announced he was running for County Legislator of the 18th District.[17] He won on November 7, 2017, with 56 percent of the vote, against incumbent Republican Donald MacKenzie.[18] Lafazan resigned from his position on the school board on December 31, 2017, based on a clause in the Nassau County Charter that provides a possible conflict with holding both positions.[19]
Lafazan has authored and passed multiple notable pieces of legislation in his tenure as a Legislator. "Timothy's Law" was passed in August of 2018, which established a 24-hour hotline for substance abuse intervention. Related legislation mandated the creation of a smartphone application containing resources for substance abuse, such as treatment center locations.[20] The "Dignity For Our Heroes" package, signed into law in April of 2019, marked veterans as a protected status under the County's Human Rights Law, in addition to creating the Nassau Commission on Ending Veteran Homelessness, which guides projects meant to reduce the number of veterans who are housing insecure in the region.[21]
Notes
- ^ Lafazan ran under the Democratic line in the Legislative Election, however is a registered Independent.[2]
References
- ^ "Syosset High grad, 18, joins school board". Newsday. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Lafazan shows nonpartisan roots". Newsday. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- ^ "Nassau Dems pick up County Legislature seat with Lafazan's win". The Island Now. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "New Syosset School Board Member Is NY's Youngest Elected Official". 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Syosset's youngest trustee: 'Feeling great'". Newsday. May 16, 2012. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Joshua Lafazan, Syosset School Board Member | Long Island Press". archive.longislandpress.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "'Political Gladiators' book offers tips to Millennials | Brooklyn Daily Eagle". www.brooklyneagle.com. 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "TEDxYouth@Milpark | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Nassau lawmaker goes back to school as professor". Newsday. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
- ^ "Local Resident Receives State University of N.Y. Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence". Nassau Community College. April 29, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Lafazan For Legislator | JoshLafazan". Lafazan For Legislator | JoshLafazan. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ Lafazan, Josh. "Josh Lafazan". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Syosset Votes 18-Year-Old to School Board". Syosset, NY Patch. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Results of the 2015-2016 budget vote, and school board election". 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ Webmaster, LICADD. "LICADD Elects Joshua Lafazan to its Board of Directors". licadd.org. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Syosset Student Provides 'Saferide' Home". Syosset, NY Patch. 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "23-year-old to run for Nassau Legislature". Newsday. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Election Results | Nassau County, NY - Official Website". www.nassaucountyny.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ^ "Lafazan resigns from Syosset ed board - The Island Now". The Island Now. 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
- ^ "New bills support treatment access for substance abusers in Nassau County". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
- ^ "Dignity For Heroes: Long Island Lawmaker Pushes For Bill Protecting Veterans From Homelessness". 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-05-16.