Recently, Suffolk County legislators were tasked with naming a Champion of Diversity in their legislative district. For Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket), the choice was easy: Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).

The legislators introduced their Champions of Diversity at the Suffolk County Legislature’s April 9 meeting in Riverhead. While Kornreich could not attend due to a scheduling conflict, Englebright read a biography summarizing the councilmember’s achievements. The legislator was able to present Kornreich’s proclamation to him personally at Brookhaven Town Hall on April 23.  

Legislator Englebright has known Kornreich for more than a decade and has witnessed firsthand the councilmember’s efforts in creating a more diverse and equitable community, even before Kornreich served as an elected official.

Included among Kornreich’s accomplishments is the councilmember helping to create the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Advisory Board (AANHPI) at the Town of Brookhaven. The board aims to build bridges of friendship and understanding between the town government and the Asian American community.

The councilmember speaks annually at the North Shore Jewish Center to educate the senior community about the various town resources available. He secured recognition of Pride Month in 2021 for the first time by the Brookhaven Town Board. He also coordinated with the LGBTQ+ community from Stony Brook University for Pride Month to host the school’s first Pride block party, which now takes place annually.

Currently, Kornreich is working on a heroic project with various community members to raise funds through private donations to restore the American Legion Irving Hart Post 1766 in Setauket. The building, now in disrepair, was a de facto community center for decades. Established after World War II by members of the mixed-heritage Black and Native American community who lived in the Bethel-Christian Avenue-Laurel Hill Historic District area, the Post served as a local veterans’ service organization for those who returned home from serving their country and found other posts would not accept them.

Kornreich said, “I am deeply grateful to Legislator Englebright for recognizing the work of our team in making sure that the diverse voices of Brookhaven’s Council District 1 are seen and heard. As one of the most diverse districts in the town, we believe it is central to our government mission to make sure our residents’ diverse perspectives are included in our work in a meaningful way.”

The councilmember has served the residents of Brookhaven’s First District since being elected to office in a special election in 2021. He is a former Three Village Civic Association president and a former board member of both the North Shore Montessori School in Stony Brook and Three Village Central School District Board of Education.