• Assemblyman Al GrafNeighbor

  • Sachem, NY

Long Island native Al Graf was elected to represent the people of the 5th District in the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010. His district includes parts of the towns of Brookhaven and Islip, including: Holbrook, Lake Ronkonkoma, Ronkonkoma, Holtsville, Centereach, Selden, parts of Farmingville, Islandia, North Patchogue and Stony Brook.

Al Graf has led a life dedicated to serving others and protecting the most vulnerable members of his community. After graduating from Farmingdale High School, Al Graf chose to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Navy. He rose to the rank of Operations Specialist Third Class Petty Officer and received the Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Ribbon.

Assemblyman Graf returned to civilian life and continued protecting his fellow New Yorkers by joining the ranks of the New York City Police Department. He worked his way up from patrol to a plainclothes unit and was awarded numerous citations for exceptional police duty before being forced to retire due to an injury he received responding to a violent family dispute.

Al was elected to the position of Town of Brighton Supervisor where he had a record of enhancing services while at the same time cutting taxes over the two terms he served as supervisor. During his time as supervisor he opened a youth center, created a summer youth employment program, opened a food pantry for local seniors and managed three HUD grants he secured for the purpose of rehabilitating the homes of senior citizens.

Believing in the value of lifelong education, Al Graf went back to school at 39 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Plattsburgh. He taught in an alternative education program for children who were not able to cope in a standard educational environment.

Al also received a Juris Doctorate from Touro Law School and has represented and helped victims of family violence secure orders of protection. He worked for the Legal Aid Society and still takes on pro bono cases at his own private law firm.

Involved with his community, Al Graf is a member of the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce and helped sponsor seminars on preventing gang violence, Megan’s Law and Estate Planning for seniors. He served as a volunteer board member for the Town of Islip Youth Board and was a founding member of the Sayville Working Association for Youth. Graf also is involved with the Bohemia Civic Association, Knights of Columbus, American Legion and the Ronkonkoma Civic Association.

In the Assembly, Al has led the charge to bring lower cost hydro-power to Long Island which is necessary to reduce the cost of electricity for homeowners, schools, businesses, local governments and non-for-profits. He has written and supported legislation aimed at reducing the costs associated with living, raising a family, starting or retaining a business, or retiring here on Long Island. Al has also written legislation dealing with issues pertaining to protecting children and victims of domestic violence. Al has also been a leading voice in tackling the issues necessary to fix the educational instructions delivered to our children. Al initiated a learn to work program bringing businesses and colleges together to enter into a dialogue to ensure that the curriculum offered in our colleges matched the needs of the business community.

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