Chumi Diamond, Long Beach City Council

DEMOCRATIC

BACKGROUND: Chumi Diamond, 39, is running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines. Diamond grew up in Five Towns and graduated from Shevach High School for Girls in Queens. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Queens College and her law degree from New York Law School. She is running on a ticket with Council President Anthony Eramo and challenger James Mulvaney. Their ticket was endorsed by the Long Island Federation of Labor AFL-CIO. Diamond is the Long Beach City Council vice president. She was appointed to the Long Beach City Council in February 2017 to fill the seat of Nassau County District Judge Eileen Goggin and elected to a two-year term in the November 2017 election. Diamond has lived in Long Beach since 2009 and works as general counsel to the New York State United Teachers union. She previously served as a law clerk to Nassau Supreme Court Justice Leonard Steinman and as clerk to the Nassau County Legislature and deputy director of labor relations for Nassau County.

ISSUES: Diamond said she will continue to work hard for Long Beach families and maintain city services. She said the city needs to make a comprehensive plan to reduce taxes, enhance public safety and continue to advocate for additional Sandy recovery. She said the city should work to protect from overdevelopment by focusing on smart development strategies to attract high-paying jobs. "There is no doubt our City is facing challenging times, and there are voices calling for massive cuts to city services. However, I want to keep Long Beach open for business," Diamond said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.