People of the Year: Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich works toward a better Brookhaven

By Rita J. Egan

Jonathan Kornreich (D, Stony Brook) may have grown up in Smithtown, but his heart is in the Town of Brookhaven.

The long-time Stony Brook resident and Town of Brookhaven councilmember is seen frequently at community events and civic meetings with his staff members Amani Khan and Abigail Choi, interacting with constituents, listening to their concerns and aiming for what’s best for all.

Before being elected to the TOB board during a special election in 2021, Kornreich, the only Democrat on the board, was known for his leadership skills and open-mindedness as a board member of the Three Village School District for 14 years. He was also president of the Three Village Civic Association for seven years and served on the executive boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Suffolk County and the North Shore Montessori School.

For his work, Kornreich has been named TBR News Media Person of the Year for 2024. This year’s honor is the councilperson’s second time receiving the recognition as he was named the news outlet’s Man of the Year in Education in 2012.

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R) called the honor “well deserved.” 

“He is very caring, conscientious, and is frequently in my office as we discuss issues — and a myriad of issues — that affect the first town council district,” Panico said. “He’s proven himself to be a very diligent individual here at the town.”

Herb Mones, Three Village Community Trust president and TVCA land use chair and former president, has known Kornreich roughly 20 years and said he admires Kornreich’s willingness to help out with community matters and concerns. Mones added he also appreciates how Kornreich shows up for cleanups for the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail and the Stony Brook train station and joins residents in tasks such as raking and picking up trash.

Joan Nickeson, Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce community liaison, said the chamber has had the same experience with the councilmember.

“Upon his election, Jonathan rolled up his sleeves, intent on maintaining open dialog and to improve community life in the Port Jefferson Station and Terryville hamlets,” Nickeson said.

Nickeson said Kornreich has a “can-do attitude” and such assistance has produced tangible solutions for the chamber of commerce’s Train Car office and park.

“We continue to depend upon his intuition, skill navigating Town Hall and support of small local businesses, and partners in Port Jefferson Station and Terryville,” Nickeson said.

Tackling the district’s issues

The myriad of issues facing Brookhaven’s Council District 1, which includes Stony Brook, Old Field, Poquott, Setauket, East Setauket, Belle Terre, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station and Terryville, recently has included a dam collapse that drained Stony Brook Mill Pond after a summer storm. In addition to the devastation the storm left behind, among local issues, Kornreich deals with constituents’ concerns regarding land development in the area and, more recently, two proposed battery storage facilities for East Setauket. Kornreich is also working with the TOB on relocating the historic Roe Tavern to East Setauket Pond Park as part of the redesign and expansion of the open space. In his spare time, he has worked on raising funds to renovate the American Legion Irving Hart Post 1766 in Setauket.

Regarding tackling the more complex matters, Panico said Kornreich puts “public service ahead of politics.”

“I think he’s always a person who has a good compass when it comes to right and wrong,” the town supervisor said. “I think he’s a good listener and a person who does what’s right, even though that decision may not appear to be popular at the time.” 

Mones described Kornreich as “sincere with a tremendous amount of integrity with communicating and dealing with complex issues.”

“I feel that Jonathan has a certain unique capacity to communicate with people, understand their points of view and then express himself after being thoughtful and deliberate in his way,”

Mones added that Kornreich is unique in leadership because he’s not showy or flashy.

“He is calm, thoughtful and able to bring about a certain amount of consensus by his speaking to people that way.”

Mones said that when the two worked together on the civic association board, Kornreich’s ability to talk to various people and develop relationships where he understood people’s interests drew newer members to the civic association.

Regarding the land use issues the council district faces, he said Kornreich goes out of his way to listen to everyone from residents to developers and get them to work together and see what needs to be done to move forward.He added that Kornreich will bring developers back to reality when developers have proposals that may be “considered over the type in their asks for number of units or the type of build out of a store” and ask, “how could you expect that this would occur.”

Recently, at the civic association’s last meeting of the year, while there was no formal agenda, attendees had questions regarding the proposed battery storage facilities. Mones said Kornreich was more than happy to field questions.

“He’s not fazed by that idea of having people questioning, proposing ideas,” Mones said. “He’s willing to be that listener and try to help in whatever way he can with the community.”