She’s looking to make Albany great again.
The relentless Long Island school board boss fighting to keep her district’s “Chiefs” team name is “giving strong consideration” to a state Senate run, The Post has learned.
“I believe our district deserves leadership that puts students, families, and taxpayers first,” Massapequa Board of Education President Kerry Wachter, 53, said.
The President Trump-backer is eyeing the District 8 seat, which spans Nassau County’s Massapequa to the Patchogue border in Suffolk, after incumbent Republican Alexis Weik recently announced she will not seek reelection.
Should the Republican decide to take on liberal Albany, her campaign would center on “improving schools, supporting families, and ensuring that parents have a voice in their children’s education,” she told The Post.
“At this time, I am listening to community members and evaluating whether a campaign would allow me to continue serving in a way that makes the greatest impact,” added Wachter, a mom of three.
State assemblymen Michael Durso, whose office is in Wachter’s home hamlet of Massapequa, and Jarett Gandolfo, who’s headquartered in Bayport, are among the growing list of names mulling a move for the seat, a source told The Post.
No candidates have yet to officially enter the race.
Wachter, who fashions herself as anti-woke, sparked national headlines last year, aggressively fighting Albany in court to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo after a statewide 2023 Board of Regents ban.
Those who’ve worked or interacted with Wachter since she joined the school board in 2019 gave top marks to the scout mom and Sunday school instructor who is married to an NYPD inspector.
“One of the things that she has been so adamant about is local control for the school districts,” said former Massapequa school board member Gary Baldinger, who played in the NFL for several seasons.
“As a town, we want to be able to keep our local control,” added Baldinger, who credited Wachter’s ability to “reach across the aisle” and called her “a tireless worker for Massapequa.”
Rose Stein, a local parent of three, echoed the sentiment.
“She’s admirable. She motivates other people to do things. She’s a champion for the kids of this community,” Stein said.
“I just think that this would be the perfect fit for her,” the mom added of Wachter’s potential run.
Chief concern
The board president showed moxie and political chops after a federal judge initially ruled against Massapequa keeping the Chiefs’ name in early spring.
It was a time when several other Long Island schools with similar Native American imagery either dropped litigation or were priced out of court battles, despite community support.
“There were many people who pleaded with the board, saying, ‘Please don’t give up this fight,’” Stein added.
“She listens to the community … she’s not going to give up.”
Instead, Wachter pulled out all the stops and sent an SOS to the White House in April, pleading for Trump to intervene — which he did days later.
“I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!” he added, posing with a Massapequa sweatshirt in the Oval Office alongside Brian Kilmeade shortly after.
That slogan even appeared on shirts sold at a “Save the Chiefs” fundraiser in June following Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s tour of Massapequa High School.
McMahon announced a probe into New York’s ban on indigenous team names inside the Chiefs’ gym alongside Wachter, a “top priority” fight that remains tied up in litigation.
“A lot of things fell in place that allowed that to happen, but being the [board] president, she made those things happen, said Baldinger.
“I give her all the credit.”
Wachter also joined fellow educators and local parents in launching a December lawsuit against state Attorney General Letitia James, for allegedly intimidating students and community members who voiced concerns about trans athletes performing in youth sports.
If she jumps into the November race, Wachter also plans to focus on “improving education, restoring public safety, lowering taxes, and advancing responsible policies that make New York more affordable for families.”
