Campbell: Organize, educate, to empower constituents

Karin Campbell has worked in the public sector so extensively, she knows exactly what she hopes to accomplish if she is elected to the Nassau County Legislature.

“I’m very excited to bring accurate information back to the community,” Campbell told reporters during a recent Herald Roundtable session. “There needs to be a restoration of civic education so people understand how their concerns are resolved. I have people that call me every election. They have no idea who’s running, no clue whom they should vote for.”

And that’s a problem for the longtime Westbury resident — who is actually neighbors with her opponent, incumbent legislator Siela Bynoe.

Following her career with Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road, Campbell has been active as a businesswoman, substitute teacher, Cub Scout leader, six-term member of the Westbury school board, and case manager for the Ammerman House, a transitional home in Mineola where people live while finding permanent housing.

Now, it’s just about getting her message out to voters. Campbell has used every tool available to her: social media, traditional news outlets, civic association groups, Zoom online videoconferencing meetings, and even knocking on doors. She not only wants to let her potential constituents know what is happening, but also wants to encourage them to become part of the process.

“People love being able to respond,” Campbell said, adding that widening the channels of information and response are part of building community strength.

“I do think organizing communities is key,” she said. “To pull your resources together and connect keeps your community strong. You can be mighty and be a small community.”

Campbell is determined to see that funding for community needs will reach the people for whom it is intended.

“The funding comes,” she said. “I don’t have an answer as to why it does not always reach the areas it needs to reach. I know from serving in an elected position that, if you're not in that room when the meeting takes place, you don’t really get the real story. I’m seeking to get the real story.”

Housing also is a major focus for Campbell — one where she looks to find bipartisan support in the legislature.

“I think that we could agree on everyone having a place to live,” she said. “I know that the schools have been impacted by the increase in population. You can see it in the number of cars and the increase in crime.”

To address the population uptick, Campbell wants to improve access to resources for health, transportation, education, employment and housing. As a case manager, she is accustomed to dealing with a spectrum of social service organizations and government funding sources.

“We work with anyone that comes through the door of Ammerman House,” she said. “And, in terms of pooling resources and connecting people to services, it requires that I work with everyone, regardless of their affiliation or community” — and regardless of their language. Interpreters are often part of her team.

Party divisions in the legislature don’t intimidate Campbell. She has had to deal with diversity her entire life being African American.

“I think the biggest challenge for me has been that of being a minority woman in the Republican Party,” she said. “So, I have plenty of experience and practice in working with people that are not like myself.”

Campbell joined the GOP decades ago, feeling aligned with many of its values. But also believes minority representation is important to keep the party’s concerns in balance.

“To work with someone who’s not the same party affiliation, it’s just another day for me,” Campbell said. “I see people as people.”