Nader Sayegh

Nader J. Sayegh is a Jordanian-American politician, attorney, and educator from the state of New York. A Democrat, Sayegh has represented the 90th district of the New York State Assembly, based in Yonkers, since 2019.

Career

Raised in Yonkers, Sayegh was an educator with Yonkers Public Schools from 1973 until 2008, and worked as a school superintendent in 2010 and 2011. Sayegh is also an attorney at law and a captain in the New York Guard.

Electoral history

In 2018, Sayegh announced he would run for the Assembly seat vacated by Shelley Mayer, who had been elected to the State Senate in a special election. After winning the Democratic primary unopposed, Sayegh defeated Republican Joe Pinion in the general election with 65% of the vote.

Tenure

Sayegh was sworn in on January 9, 2019. He is the first Jordanian-American to ever serve in the Assembly.

In June 2019, following the 2019 outbreak of measles in New York, a bill to eliminate religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations became deadlocked in the Assembly Health Committee, 13–13. Though he personally opposed the bill, Sayegh switched his vote to allow the bill to come to the Assembly floor, saying that "this is a crucial issue that deserves to be put before the entire Assembly to be debated and decided upon." When the bill came up for a vote from the full Assembly, Sayegh voted against it; the bill passed, 84–61.

That October, Sayegh introduced a bill to establish an option for a special driver's license for people with autism, in order to prevent potentially dangerous misunderstandings during traffic stops or other interactions with law enforcement. Some advocates voiced concerns over the bill, given that some individuals on the autism spectrum may not want to reveal their status to employers. The bill was referred to the Transportation Committee and has yet to come up for a vote.

Personal life

Sayegh lives in Yonkers with his wife, Sana. He has five adult daughters.