Kayla Knight looks to give back to her community

At 27, Kayla Knight is looking to give back to a community that has supported her throughout her life.

Knight, a lifelong Wantagh resident, is running on the Republican ticket for the seat in Nassau County’s 15th Legislative District. An attorney in private practice specializing in personal injury law, Knight previously interned for the legislative office she now seeks to represent while earning her law degree at Hofstra University.

Growing up in Wantagh, Knight said she has always valued community service. She volunteered at her church, Christ Lutheran, and with the Miss Wantagh organization, an academic and service-based program for young women that focuses on the importance of giving back. She was crowned Miss Wantagh in 2014.

“I just want to serve my community,” Knight said. “I want to help people and give back to the groups that have given me so much.”

She remains involved with the Miss Wantagh organization, helping young women dedicate their time to community service. She is also vice president of the Italian American Lions Club, which represents chapters across Long Island.

Her top priority as county legislator, Knight said, would be addressing taxes and making the county more affordable for residents. “I'm a young person, and I obviously want to stay and ultimately raise a family in the communities that I was raised in that have given me so much,” she said. “I want to make sure that it's affordable for young people to live here and continue to remain in Nassau County.”

She noted that the Legislature’s Republican majority has held the line on property taxes despite rising inflation, and has been recognized for its strong fiscal management. “I definitely want to follow in my predecessor's footsteps,” Knight said, “and make sure that Nassau County is affordable and remains affordable for young people and everybody to live and work.”

She also wants to maintain Nassau County’s reputation as one of the safest in the nation,” she said. Knight supports the recent hiring of additional law enforcement officers, the use of new technologies, increasing patrols for faster response times, and the state-of-the-art training village, which opened on the campus of Nassau Community College over the summer.

“Public safety is at the forefront,” she said, “and I want to make sure that our officers have the necessary resources and support to do what they need to do.”

Knight said she also wants to focus on what is ultimately sustainable for Nassau County — fighting government overreach in Albany and protecting residents’ way of life. She stressed the importance of not overburdening infrastructure, school districts and water systems with high-rise apartment developments in already congested areas. It’s important, she said, that residents have a voice in telling Albany what they need.

“I essentially want to make sure that our local voices are heard,” Knight said, “and that it's not just out of touch electeds up in Albany sort of legislating as to what they think we need.”

As a county legislator, Knight said, she wants to keep an open ear, an open heart and an open door to address important community issues, regardless of political background. Ultimately, she wants residents to know she’s one of them.

“I'm in the community,” she said. “I care about our futures, I care about our families and I care about our way of life, so I don't want them to see me as a legislator. I want them to see me as a neighbor.”