Coming Home
Public service has taken me from village hall in the Hudson Valley to the great halls of Washington, DC, where serving as Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Working alongside extraordinary public servants and helping shape national infrastructure policy at a pivotal moment for our country is something I will always be grateful for.
But public service has always meant something else to me too: home.
I made the deeply personal decision to step down from FTA and return to New York — to be closer to my family and to once again serve the communities that shaped me.
A Meaningful Chapter
My time at FTA was deeply meaningful. I am proud of the work we advanced around safety, accessibility, and building transportation systems that serve real families and communities.
I am profoundly grateful to President Trump and Secretary Duffy for their trust, and to the remarkable career professionals at FTA who dedicate their lives to expanding opportunity through mobility. Their work quietly changes lives every day.
Throughout my career — as mayor, county executive, legislator, congressman, and federal administrator — I have tried to ground decisions in one guiding question:
Who are we as a people, and how do we hope to live?
That question guided my work in Washington. It now guides my decision to come home.
Why Now
Like many families balancing career and responsibility, I have felt a growing pull to be closer to home — present for my family, connected to my community, and grounded in the place that shaped me.
But this decision is also about my neighbors in New York.
Families are struggling with affordability. Too many people feel squeezed by rising costs and disconnected from a government that should be working for them.
New Yorkers deserve experienced, practical leadership focused on solutions.
The Next Chapter
That is why I’m running for the New York State Assembly.
To some, leaving a federal leadership role to serve in a state legislature may look like a step backward. I understand that perception. Public service is often measured by titles or proximity to power - and distant from the people.
I take issue with that.
Public service is about standing closer — closer to families, closer to communities, and closer to the challenges that shape daily life.
The State Assembly is where many of the most important fights for families are happening: affordability, safe communities, education, farming, infrastructure, and economic opportunity. These are not smaller battles. They are the most consequential ones.
Federal service gave me perspective. It showed me how policy decisions ripple across communities nationwide. I believe I can bring that perspective home, along with years of problem solving right here in this community and region — pairing national experience with local understanding to help meet this moment.
Gratitude and Responsibility
Serving at FTA reinforced something I have long believed: infrastructure is not simply concrete and steel — it is a promise about how we live together. It determines whether parents can reach jobs, seniors can remain independent, and communities can grow and thrive.
I leave with deep gratitude and respect for the public servants who continue this work every day. I return home with clarity about why I entered public service in the first place — and where I believe I can make the greatest difference now.
Strong communities remain the foundation of a strong nation. Real progress happens when government stays close to the people it serves.
Public service is not a ladder. You go where you are needed, when you are needed, carrying the lessons of every chapter with you.
I am proud of the work we accomplished in Washington. I am grateful for the trust I was given. And I am ready to continue serving — at home, where the most important fights for families and communities continue every day.
Call it what you wish. For me, this is a comeback - rooted in a simple truth: the future of New York will be decided by those willing to fight for the families and communities counting on us.