Steven D. Rhoads

BACKGROUND

• Rhoads, 55, of Bellmore, was elected to the New York State Senate representing the 5th District in 2022 and is seeking reelection. He is also running on the Conservative Party line.   
• He was elected in 2015 as a Nassau County legislator for the 19th District, and has worked as deputy bureau chief of the Bureau of Tort and Civil Rights Litigation in the Office of the Nassau County Attorney. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1995 and is an attorney in private practice. Rhoads is the director of the youth ministry program at St. Pius X R.C. Church in Plainview and is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis Club of the Bellmores. He was a volunteer firefighter in the Wantagh Fire Department for 32 years.  
• Rhoads earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1991, and a law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1994.  

ISSUES

• Rhoads said public safety is the government’s first priority. He said that with an increase in violent crime brought about by lax bail laws and heightened gang activity from an influx of migrants to New York City and surrounding communities, he would focus on restoring judicial discretion, ending sanctuary status and giving law enforcement the tools it needs to keep the community safe.
• Rhoads said he would focus on addressing affordability, economic development and the increasing tax burden.
• He also stressed the importance of quality of life. Long Island faces “numerous challenges,” including the Grumman plume, protection of the sole source aquifer and storm resiliency, all of which require coordinated attention, he said