Greenport man seeks Anthony Palumbo’s assembly seat
Greenport resident Chris North is running for office.
The 23-year-old, who served as the student member of Suffolk Community College’s Board of Trustees in 2016 and 2017, announced last week that he plans to run for state Assembly in the second district on the Democratic line in November.
The North Fork’s Assembly seat is currently held by Republican Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk.
Mr. North has set up a campaign website and a Facebook site for his campaign.
Mr. North is a familiar face on the North Fork, having served on Southold Town’s Anti-Bias Task Force for the past three years and on the Greenport Village Housing Authority since last April.
He also was involved in setting up Synergy Greenport last year, which sought to improve communication between the police and the community.
At Suffolk Community College, from which he graduated in 2017, Mr. North was the student trustee as well as a member of student government for three terms, from 2013 to 2016.
He said he gained experience working with state government in Albany during his time on the college Board of Trustees.
“When I served on the college Board of Trustees, as well as being in student government, there were a lot of things going on at the state level that I advocated for, such as student tuition [assistance] and transportation. I understand how Albany works.
Mr. North also worked as an intern on Anna Throne-Holst’s campaign for Congress in 2016 and was a deputy campaign manager for Dom Pascual, who ran for county Legislature in 2017.
“I have experience in county, federal and state government,” Mr. North said.
Kathryn Casey Quigley, Southold Town’s Democratic chairperson, said she can’t say yet if Mr. North would be the Democratic candidate for the second assembly district.
“It’s not a decision made just by me,” she said. “The Riverhead and Brookhaven town chairs have to come together with Southold and the county leaders to screen candidates and that won’t happen until April, probably. Then, after that, we will nominate a candidate at the convention in May. It’s too early.”
As for Mr. North, she said, “I admire his ambition. He’s a hard-working guy who manages to get to every meeting. He’s really hard-working and committed.”
The second Assembly district covers all of Southold and Riverhead towns, as well as a portion of Brookhaven Town, including Miller Place, Rocky Point, Middle Island, Ridge, Upton and Moriches.
Mr. Palumbo has held the second district Assembly seat since 2013, when he won a special election, and was re-elected for two-year terms in 2014 and 2016.
Photo: Chris North of Greenport has become a recognizable figure at local civic and government events. The 22-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, credits his experience in NJROTC with teaching him discipline and leadership skills. (Credit: Krysten Massa)
