Five Towns native Kathy Boockvar runs for Congress in Pennsylavania

Hewlett High School alum turned Pennsylvania lawyer, Kathy Boockvar, has spent her career working on bringing people together from different backgrounds and hopes that her campaign for Congress this year promotes the change she wishes to see in our nation’s capital.

Boockvar, 43, a former Hewlett Neck resident, attended the University of Pennsylvania and American University Law School and fell in love with Pennsylvania during her undergraduate years. “Upon graduation from law school I took both the New York State and Pennsylvania bar and got my first job in Pennsylvania,” she said. “And I’ve been here ever since.”

Northern Pennsylvania Legal Services, a client-centered organization that provides legal services for low income and victims of domestic violence, was Boockvar’s first job for four years and then she transferred to Lehigh Valley Legal Services until she and her husband,

Jordan Yeager, opened an 11-year practice together. “Our small business practice was both in state and federal court,” she said. “We helped clients with jobs, social security, pensions
and insurance.”

In 2008, Advancement Project, a non-profit organization, hired Boockvar, to do statewide voting rights work. For three years she traveled across Pennsylvania making sure eligible voters were educated about their voting rights. “I feel like I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked in public service in both the private and non-profit sector protecting jobs, families and social security,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of my career working to bridge differences.”

Boockvar, a Democrat, hopes to bring her experience and background to Congress. “The people come first and we’ve spent too much money sending people to Washington, D.C. to see things not get done,” she said. “People are getting frustrated by existing obstruction and we need people who will really work to get things done and make that a priority. It’s not a time for partisan games and political obstruction; we need to help middle class families, small businesses and get our economy back on track.”

President and CEO Siobhan “Sam” Bennett of Women’s Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C., a non-partisan national network dedicated to achieving equality for women in public office, said the organization decided to endorse Boockvar because she is a remarkable candidate.

“She is a woman of extraordinary principal, passion and drive to make a difference and make a change,” she said. “Kathy would bring that ability to reach across the isle, work with divergent groups towards a common goal and be an effective leader. I fully expect her to be someone who would not be a passive voter in Congress, rather someone who once her feet got under the desk, would work on legislation and be a very active go getter once elected.”

Woodmere resident Randi Kriess called Boockvar the real deal. “She has her feet on the ground but also has lofty dreams,” Kriess said. “I’ve known and admired her all her life.”
Some issues Boockvar will be running on include Medicare and women’s rights. “I believe women have the ability to make the decision for themselves and their family,” she said. “The government should not be spending money telling women what they can and cannot do.”

While Boockvar has eight months until her election on Nov. 6 against Republican Michael Fitzpatrick, she is confident that her Five Towns background has prepared her for the road ahead. “I was fortunate to grow up in an area with one of the strongest public schools,” she said. “Everyone should support public schools and I want to make sure kids have the opportunities I had, which were terrific. I give my growing up in Nassau County, the (Hewlett-Woodmere) school district and my parents credit for preparing me.”