Candidate Questionnaire Responses
When in office, what will you do to reduce harm and ensure there is social and economic equity for Black Long Islanders? If you are an incumbent, what policies/initiatives/laws have you supported that do this?
As a New York State Senator, I will build upon my record in the Nassau County Legislature to further advance the cause of equity for Black Long Islanders and the entirety of my diverse constituency. I have employed - and will continue to employ - a multi-pronged approach in pursuit of this goal.
In an effort to ensure respectful policing, I spearheaded a successful effort to launch Nassau's police body camera program and authored and passed legislation directing the County to review its responses to mentally aided police calls. This yielded new policies in which mental health professionals from Nassau’s Mobile Crisis Team are embedded with police on crisis call responses to minimize use of force incidents, improve outcomes during police and community interactions, and reduce instances of incarceration where mental and behavioral health care are more appropriate. I have also sponsored numerous events to deepen trust between police and local communities and build collaborative relationships aimed at combating crime.
I am a strong supporter of environmental justice initiatives and have worked with the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency to launch an incentive program that encourages businesses to invest in environmental protection and water conservation upgrades. This is especially important for the County’s minority communities, which suffer disproportionately from exposure to industrial pollution. Most recently, I led the successful fight to secure $1.75 million in federal pandemic relief funds for the Incorporated Village of Hempstead Village to apply toward the construction of a state-of-the-art water filtration system that is needed for the removal of 1, 4 dixoane from drinking water.
In the realm of public health, I have focused closely as a Legislator on maternal mortality – a crisis which has an especially disparate impact upon Nassau County’s communities of color. In the Legislature, I have advocated for the creation of a dedicated task force consisting of department heads, medical experts and maternal health advocates who will be tasked with devising strategies for saving lives, preventing dangerous medical complications, and addressing the institutional healthcare disparities that have allowed this issue to persist for far too long.
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Siela A. Bynoe is a first-generation American, a breast cancer survivor, a housing and education advocate, and a homeowner in Westbury. A 49-year resident of Long Island, she has deep roots in the 6th Senate District and a first-hand understanding of our community’s needs. Raised by a single mother, Siela learned the lessons of leadership through hard work and how to give back to her community.
Education, advocacy, and community service are constant threads throughout Siela’s life. After graduating from Westbury High School, Siela earned an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts from Nassau County Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Hofstra University. Guided by the life lessons of her formative years, Siela embarked upon an extensive career in the public, not-for-profit, and private sectors.
In her role as a mortgage loan consultant and credit loan officer, she administered the bank's commitment to the Community Reinvestment Act. Next, she joined Long Island Housing Partnership, where she launched their Nassau County branch, secured $3 million in aid for first-time home buyers, and established herself as an advocate for affordable housing solutions on Long Island. Upon her transition to the public sector, Siela served as an Assistant Director of the North Hempstead Housing Authority before being named Executive Director of the Huntington Housing Authority. Over the lifespan of her career working in housing, Siela has helped to secure over $40 million to rehabilitate some of Long Island’s oldest affordable communities.
As a young professional, Siela followed in her mother’s footsteps as an adult student pursuing higher education. In 2003, while completing her Master’s degree in Public Administration at LIU Post, Siela was diagnosed with breast cancer. While receiving treatments, she persisted with her weekend classes and continued working full time during the week. She graduated in 2006 - two years after her final chemotherapy treatment.
After completing her studies, her focus turned to bolstering the educational opportunities available to the residents of her hometown. In 2008, she was appointed by the North Hempstead Town Council to serve as commissioner of the North Hempstead Housing Authority. Two years later, in 2010, she was elected to her first of two terms on the Westbury School Board, where she worked diligently to implement smart policies to manage costs, enhance educational offerings, and significantly increase graduation rates.
Siela’s journey of public service led her to the Nassau County Legislature, where she was first elected in 2014 in a special election. Now in her fifth term, she has earned a reputation during her tenure as a diligent and inventive lawmaker. She continues to apply her knack for building bipartisan consensus to implement initiatives to protect the environment and safeguard our drinking water from hazardous contaminants; remove and renovate zombie homes; address mental and behavioral health challenges; implement public safety reforms like body cameras for all county police officers, and more.
Now, as a candidate for New York’s 6th Senate District, Siela is stepping up to be the voice of Long Islanders who are working tirelessly just to make ends meet while struggling to invest in the furtherance of their family’s dreams. Her lived experiences have given her the insights to deliver pragmatic solutions that will provide hope for a prosperous future.