Name
Elijah Reichlin-Melnick
Affiliated Political Party:
Democrat
Office for which you are running:
State Senator, District 38
Career highlights
-Elijah Reichlin-Melnick was born and raised in Nyack, NY and has lived in Rockland County for almost his whole life. After graduating from Nyack High School and earning a bachelor’s degree in history & government from Cornell University in 2006, he began his career as an elementary school teacher at an inner city school in New Haven where he developed a passion for ensuring all children have the opportunity to get an excellent education.
-In 2009, he came home to Rockland where he spent nearly five years as a constituent service specialist and district representative for Rep. Eliot Engel & Rep. Nita Lowey before going back to school for a Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from Rutgers University. While completing his degree, Elijah worked for former Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart, assisting in municipal management, constituent services, & policy development.
-From 2016-2018, Elijah was a Sr. Research Planner at Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a non-profit focused on regional planning & local government issues throughout the Hudson Valley. At Pattern, he worked on an efficiency analysis of Town departments in Clarkstown, and a study commissioned by the Rockland Business Association on the crushing burden of high property taxes in Rockland County.
-Elijah next served as the Legislative Director for State Senator James Skoufis, who represents parts of Rockland, Orange, & Ulster Counties. From 2017-2020, Elijah served Nyack as an elected Village Trustee, where he prioritized keeping the budget under the property tax cap, enhancing government services, and standing up against overdevelopment.
In 2020, Elijah ran for State Senate for the first time and won both a primary & general election. He has served as the NYS Senator for District 38 since 2021. In the State Senate, Elijah has helped make New York smarter, safer, & healthier while making the tax code more fair for middle class and working families.
-In the Senate, Elijah has been the most productive first term Senator of either party, passing more bills than any of his freshman colleagues. Some bills he is proudest of include requiring insurance companies to provide funding for crucial “early intervention” services for children, establishing the strongest state oversight in NY history for the troubled East Ramapo School District, restoring vital oversight of state contracts worth billions of dollars, and providing a 10% property tax credit for volunteer fire and EMS workers.
Career highlights
* Delivered nearly $3 Billion in middle-class property and income tax relief, and suspended the gas tax to help fight inflation
* Guaranteed a woman’s right to choose in New York, and is proudly the only 100% pro-choice candidate in the race
* Secured $119 million in funding for schools and expanded pre-K and childcare programs
* Delivered on public safety by passing laws to get guns off our streets, keep repeat offenders behind bars, and funding our police, fire, and EMS services with millions of dollars from Albany
* Fighting against the unfair congestion pricing plan and for reliable, expanded mass transit
Governing philosophy
I believe that government exists to make all of our lives easier, safer, healthier, and happier. That’s why I have dedicated my life to public service – to make sure our government is serving the people, and not the other way around. I believe in a New York that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and the well-connected.
I believe in making New York more affordable, which is why during my first term in the State Senate, we have cut income taxes for middle class and working class families, provided billions of dollars in property tax rebates, and slashed the gas tax, while asking multi-millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.
I believe in funding our future, and I have delivered on that with a historic $1.37 billion increase in school funding, a major expansion of early childhood education, and more funding for the college Tuition Assistance Program to help working families improve their position in life.
I believe in a well-funded criminal justice system based on equality under the law. I have helped make New York safer by passing laws to crack down on repeat offenders and get dangerous guns off our streets, holding gun manufacturers responsible for their products, and creating a state-wide gun violence research fund.
I believe in fighting for public health and a clean environment, which is why I have passed laws forcing healthcare facilities to have better staff to patient ratios, to better track contaminants in our drinking water, and to protect their children from the hazards of lead while funding critical infrastructure investments to fight climate change.
Growing up in Nyack, I’ve always known the beauty and opportunity that Rockland County has to offer. Fresh air, clean water, safe neighborhoods, and excellent schools are some of the many reasons why families choose to make their homes here. Despite real progress in the past few years, our region continues to face many challenges while remaining a wonderful place to live. While much has been done, we must continue to address the real problems that middle and working class families are struggling with on a daily basis. We must continue this fight to make New York not just a beautiful and prosperous place to live, but an affordable, safe, and healthy one, too. I’ve stood up to special interests even when I knew it would cost me votes, and in Albany I’ve never backed down from a fight. I can promise you I will never stop fighting for Rockland.
Main focus of your term, if elected
I am running for a second term in the State Senate to make life easier for families in the Hudson Valley. I was born and raised in Rockland County, and now that I am raising my own family here – I know that New York State government needs to do more to make our communities more affordable, safe, and healthy places to live.
When I return to Albany next year, I will be laser-focused on continuing to deliver tax relief for Rockland County families, slashing the cost of healthcare, making housing more affordable, and protecting women’s rights that are under attack at the state and national level.
I will also work to pass the legislation I have introduced to exempt Rockland County from the MTA’s unfair congestion pricing plan. I will continue to push to pass the bill I introduced amending New York’s constitution to guarantee that mental healthcare is treated equally with physical healthcare, because we know we have a mental health crisis. Working with law enforcement, I will focus on giving them the tools they need to help keep illegal guns off of our streets and help address the fentanyl epidemic that has already taken far too many lives in Rockland.
And of course I will continue focusing on delivering funding to local governments, schools, fire departments and emergency services, libraries, and non-profit organizations within our senate district. Ensuring that your tax dollars actually go to programs and projects that benefit you will always be a top priority.
Website