Senator Kevin Thomas Is Sworn In After Surprising Victory

For the first time in almost 30 years, Kemp Hannon is not in Albany serving in the New York Senate. Instead, the man now representing the sixth district is Kevin Thomas. The 34-year-old civil rights attorney from Levittown was sworn in on Jan. 5.

“When I found out I won, I was speechless,” Thomas said. “I remember the [Nassau County] Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs telling me ‘Kevin, you won.’ I was just standing there shocked. At the same time, I was like, ‘Alright, it’s time to get to work.’”

Thomas, who grew up in Dubai, immigrated to America when he was 10 years old. His family wanted to start a better life in a democracy with more freedom and better opportunities.

“The education back then in Dubai was not as great as it was over here,” Thomas said. “There’s no way I would have been able to rise to where I am now if I stayed there.”

His family moved to the island after spending his middle school and high school years in Queens. When he was in college, Thomas worked in the city, getting the chance to work for the NYPD as a civilian for the legal bureau and worked under city councilmember Peter Malone Jr. Following his work there, he went to law school so he could serve his community further.

Courtesy: levittown tribune