Dan's Papers - March 28, 2008 - Jay Schneiderman

There are very few people in Suffolk County who don't know the name Jay Schneiderman. Maybe it's because of the work he's done to benefit the environment. Maybe it's because he has been in the public eye for well over a decade. Or maybe it's because the radio advertising campaign that aired when he ran for East Hampton Town Supervisor is impossible to get out of your head. Whatever it may be, Schneiderman is the type of person who immediately puts you at ease. Inside his Legislator's office in Sag Harbor, among countless awards and honors for political achievements displayed on the walls, he talked about his life.

Born in Southampton Hospital, he is a native of Montauk. His family ran and owned the Breakers Motel while he was growing up, and every summer he spent his days at the Montauk beaches or working at his family's motel. "It was a lot of fun growing up, but I was always working hard. I worked in all parts of the motel at an early age, from cleaning up the barbeque area to dealing with the guests." Of course, he always found time to play a game of ping-pong with anyone available. "I OWNED that ping-pong table," he said. "There were very few people who could beat me."

After graduating from high school, Schneiderman attended Ithaca College, where he earned a degree in chemistry. Even in school, he was very politically active, joining and starting groups to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. "I was always active with things like that. I started a group called S.T.A.N.D., which I believe still exists today in schools all over the country." S.T.A.N.D. is an acronym for "Students and Teachers Against Nuclear Development."

When Schneiderman graduated from Ithaca, he then pursued a teaching degree at the State University of New York at Cortland. After that, he taught on the East End and worked at the motel in Montauk. "I learned that I loved fixing things and working with my hands. I loved helping people at the hotel and I loved being involved with people," he said. "Montauk always just felt like home. There is something about the air out here, it's almost indescribable, but this place just has always felt like a part of me. I've never been able to feel that way about anyplace else." It was his passion for the motel business and his love for the area that motivated Schneiderman to run his own property management company on the East End.

It wasn't until after college and spending a few years teaching that he got into politics. Schneiderman joined the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee and from there was selected to be on the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals. After serving on the board for five years, in 1996 he was elected to be its chairman.

Schneiderman's easy approach to people and politics earned him a lot of street credit and when he had an opportunity to make a run for supervisor, he went for it. Since his first run for office, he has never lost an election. He attributes that to "being straightforward and honest with people and doing what's right by our environment."

His election as Town Supervisor in 1999 was the turning point. Schneiderman became certain he wanted to make a political career when he realized how he could help people - in the same way that he used to help customers at the family motel or his students. During his supervisor years, he helped preserve over 1,000 acres of open space and left the town with the highest municipal bond rating in New York State.

After two terms as Supervisor, Schneiderman ran for Suffolk County Legislator in 2003 and won, continuing to win ever since. In fact, he was unopposed in the last election. He has been hailed for his efforts to effectively deal with the traffic on County Road 39 and is credited for coming up with the "Cone Program," which has been enormously successful at reducing the amount of traffic in the area while at the same time finding the funding to add new lanes to the highway in that spot.

Schneiderman also has been an avid student of percussion and has traveled all over the world banging his drums. He has taught African drumming to students at the Ross School, and his band Jaykari, a group of percussionists, can sometimes be spotted at Sagg Main beach banging their drums away during sunset. Having traveled from Africa to Cuba to study percussion, Schneiderman has been amazed by how much he has been able to experience through the love of his instrument.

Schneiderman and his wife, who is a teacher, have two children. They live out in Montauk - a place he still calls home.

As Legislator he hopes to keep working for the people and doing everything he can to keep the environment intact, maintaining this area as a place for people to enjoy economic opportunity, feel a sense of belonging and a sense of community.