NY Assembly District 16: Gina Sillitti Challenged By Vibhuti Jha

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — A Republican newcomer to Long Island politics is trying to unseat a Democratic incumbent on the North Shore of Nassau on Election Day. Vibhuti Jha, 70, is a businessman and turnaround specialist and first-time candidate. Gina Sillitti was elected to the Assembly in 2020 who worked for the Town of North Hempstead and Nassau County before becoming an elected official.

According to his biography in the Island 360, Jha, of Port Washington, is "an immigrant... focused on preserving the American Dream for families who call Long Island home. He seeks to take his business and finance experience to fix what is wrong in Albany."

He is currently a "turnaround strategy specialist for the Human Potential Project, a Seattle-based organization that helps companies in the United States build a performance-based culture in the workplace."

Sillitti, of Manorhaven, says she she is focused on the needs of her constituents, according to her official Assembly biography.

"For her, it was never about partisan politics. It was about working hard and getting results for the people she served. During that time, Gina worked to secure millions for local fire departments, helped thousands of constituents with issues from repairing potholes to navigating their personal tragedies, worked to get much-needed infrastructure projects delivered for the district and helped bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in community development block grants to improve local schools."

Befofe Sillitti's time in the Assembly, she was Director of Human Resources and Compliance at the Nassau County Board of Elections.

For more details about how to vote in Nassau County on Election Day, check out our guide here.