Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published May 29, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I was born in Rochester, grew up in the Park Ave area, and attended East High. I went to college at SUNY Stonybrook and now live in Maplewood with my husband and three kids. I’m passionate about our community and always wanted to make this my home.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

The biggest hidden gem that I love is the Genesee River. It’s the reason Rochester became Rochester. Everywhere along it are beautiful parks and trails. The Genesee Brew Pub has beautiful views of High Falls, plus we have Charlotte and the Port of Rochester where you can watch boats. People forget that we are centered on water! And there are people who fish all the time on the river. People take the water for granted around here.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support?

I’ve been an active member of the United Way Community Investment Cabinet and the Women’s Leadership Council, which is the community coming together to have a collective voice and support not-for-profits. Our neighborhood does a lot to help Mary’s Place. The YMCA is another one that I love, specifically the Maplewood location right here in my neighborhood. And the Maplewood Library is always so crowded and has amazing energy!

What's your favorite neighborhood?

Maplewood! I feel like I live in a park. The trees, the old houses, the neighborhood feel, the library, the Y… I just love it.

If you could only eat one Rochester food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

I would go with Abbott’s ice cream on a hot summer day, down at the water. Nothing beats it! It’s a classic. My go-to is the chocolate almond.

What's your favorite way you've supported local so far during COVID-19? 

I’m passionate about our food systems and how we get food. I hope this pandemic will shine a light on how important it is to have a local system, particularly for food. We are ordering meat through the rest of 2020 through a farm called Bedient. Our local food systems have started to flourish under this strain as the national system is crumbling in other places. 

What's one memory you have that captures what Rochester means to you? 

I brought my whole family to Susan B. Anthony’s grave in 2016 for the tradition of putting an “I Voted” sticker on her gravestone. The fact that we were voting for the first time ever for a woman to be president, the fact that there were lines and CNN showed up within hours, it made me feel both excited for the day and for the fact that Rochester was in the national spotlight on a historic day. It proves again what an amazing place this is, in a way we often take for granted!

What makes Rochester unique? 

I think it’s the history and the community feel. We had these amazing business leaders who changed film and copying, and we also had these amazing advocates like Anthony and Douglass working on issues like antislavery and women’s rights. The combination of deep history, entrepreneurship, and leadership came from here. The community feel and the way we’re all so proud of being from Rochester means something.

What would you like to see change in Rochester over the next year? 

Rochester isn’t the same for everyone, and COVID is shining a light on what a lot of us have known for years. There’s a divide and people experience Rochester in different ways based on income level and where they live. I hope we use this crisis to create a community that’s much more inclusive, where we give everyone a voice and a seat at the table. People deserve to have the same opportunities and experiences; we need to work on internet access, food access, and the education system. I hope we really change that. 

If Rochester was a person, who would it be? 

It would be Kevin Bacon! We’re so connected as a community that there’s always six degrees of separation between someone new you meet and a shared friend or experience.

What's the biggest thing you've learned over the years you've worked in politics? 

I’ve had the amazingness of working for Senator Gillibrand for 12 years and Senator Clinton before that. I’ve loved having the ability to serve my community while living in it and working for two really amazing women senators. It’s afforded me the ability to get involved in projects and initiatives that are helping people in poverty, improving the schools, and making our community better. Something as simple as trails and walkways make a big difference! I enjoy working to make sure federal funds can be used for projects that change a neighborhood and make it better. 

What inspired you to run for office?

I always thought of myself as a behind the scenes person. I really enjoyed working for elected officials. I’ve always supported the ecosystem of getting women to run. Watching what happened to Hillary in the 2016 election was hard. Here I am trying to support women who run, but I decided that maybe it was time to lead by example and throw my hat in the ring. All the challenges we’ll face coming out of the COVID crisis, and everything we faced before that, I have all this experience and I want to put it to work!

What do Rochesterians need to know about the June primary?

It is still happening for local, state, and congressional candidates. The primary is the main place to have a voice for things like this seat. The other big thing to know is you do not need to vote in person, you can vote by absentee. You can file online for an absentee ballot. It can be done safely. I would encourage everyone to participate. 

What does a state assemblywoman do?

Their main role is to represent their neighborhoods and be an advocate for their community. Some of the most amazing moments I’ve had in my career are individual ones at a constituent level. Having people be heard, feel like they’re part of the process, and that government works for them is so important.

The State Assembly is smaller than the State Senate; it’s sort of like the difference between the federal House and Senate. The district is about half the size, so you represent fewer people.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved in local politics or run for office someday?

Some of my favorite work I do now is teaching people how to effectively advocate for issues they care about, so advocacy is a good place to start. There are so many different ways to get involved if you’re passionate about an issue, and people who work for elected officials are happy to help, so start there. Grow your networks, make sure you’re involved in different things in the community, and reach different perspectives and people. There are lots of different organizations that can help you cultivate networks and donors successfully, like Eleanor’s Legacy and Women Elect. Running for office is sometimes intimidating, but it’s definitely doable. Just the decision to run is so admirable! It puts you in the category of people who really care about their community. For women, have a support group. People you can turn to and say, “This has been a difficult day, these things happened, what should I do?” They can listen and support you.