Thursday, October 1, 2026
Sheharyar Ali isn’t a career politician — and that’s the point of his campaign.
Ali, 32, is running for a seat in the Nassau County Legislature, in the newly redrawn District 14, which includes Lynbrook, portions of Valley Stream and Malverne. His campaign focuses on quality-of-life issues that he says residents have been frustrated with for years — from public safety to housing costs to zoning.
“I grew up in this community,” Ali said. “I’m raising two boys in this community, and unfortunately I feel like the community just isn’t the same anymore. Instead of complaining about it, I decided to do something.”
Ali, who lives in Elmont with his wife and sons, launched his own law firm, Sheharyar Ali Law Group, in Valley Stream earlier this year. A graduate of Sewanhaka High School, he studied political science and then earned a law degree from St. John’s. He previously served as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn and Nassau County attorneys’ offices.
In 2023, Ali ran for a seat in District 3, challenging, and losing to, incumbent Legislator Carrié Solages. He said he hears the same concerns from residents that he heard during that first campaign.
His platform includes preserving the suburban quality of life in area communities. “I believe local officials should focus on local issues,” Ali said. “You want to make sure that you can pick up your phone, call your legislator, and they’re there to help and guide you to the appropriate resources.”
That’s a skill he said he has developed while serving as a prosecutor. “You’ve got to work with the county executive, your colleagues on the Legislature, the town, the villages,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts, so building relationships, listening to people, talking with them and getting things done, that’s what it’s about.”
Ali is focused on affordability. “As a young person trying to raise a family, I know how difficult it is,” he said. “I’m a big proponent of community, transit-oriented development.” Referring to the development of housing and community spaces around public transit, he complimented recent developments near the Lynbrook LIRR station. But he also strongly believes in preserving neighborhoods’ character, and opposes state control of local zoning laws to protect residential communities from overdevelopment.
Ali supports efforts for the county to be “stronger” on crime. “I want to make sure I work with the Police Department and the D.A.’s office to make sure we have laws that are enforced, and we don’t let criminals get away without consequences,” he said.
After hearing from residents near the Queens border that they don’t feel supported by police, Ali reached out to the 5th Precinct and learned that officers feel understaffed and overworked, with resources focused on Green Acres Mall. If elected, he said, he would address safety issues by providing more funding to the NCPD, and look into how units are assigned to see if resources are being utilized efficiently.
“I would love to expand the Problem-Oriented Police program,” he said. “I firmly believe that community-oriented policing can solve a lot of problems.”
Ali said he would learn as much as he could before tackling community concerns. “I’m new to politics,” he said. “I’ve never been a legislator before; I’ve never held an elected position before. I want to learn as much as I can about how this job is done — how to be a good, effective legislator.
“I actually want to make difference,” Ali said. “I want to make a change.”
