Jason Laidley

Jason Laidley has been in public service for nearly 20 years. Born in Buffalo and raised in the Bronx, Jason has dedicated most of his life to working in government. Through decades of work in local and state government, he has worked with stakeholders at every level - from policy makers to nonprofits, religious groups, small businesses, and individual community members - to mobilize communities around local issues and ensure the needs of New Yorkers are being met by the government.

Jason served as Chief of Staff, and continues to serve as campaign manager, to State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey since he was elected in 2016. As Chief of Staff, he worked on policy that advanced transformative criminal justice reforms and expanded the Senator’s reach and growth, not only in the 36th senatorial district covering the Northeast Bronx and Westchester but throughout the state.  As campaign manager, his role includes fundraising, scheduling, and operating as a political director. 

Jason began his career in the Office of the New York City Comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr. as a liaison, but as his passion and commitment grew, so did his role.  Jason continued his work in the Comptroller’s Office under John Liu and Scott Stringer.  During his tenure, he not only expanded his portfolio, becoming the Bronx Borough Director, he also developed relationships with elected officials and community organizations throughout the city.  It was there he developed his passion for working with community organizations and leaders to drive change. 

In addition to his formal staff roles, Jason has worked on numerous political campaigns including as Field Director for three city-wide campaigns and as Special Assistant to the current Attorney General, Letitia “Tish” James during her run for New York City Public Advocate. Jason also served on the transition teams of Mount Vernon Mayor Shawn Patterson-Howard, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. 

Since 2020, Jason has served as Senior Political Advisor to the Bronx Democratic Party. In that role, he led the charge to elect a historic number of women of color to the City Council. Jason began his work with Bronx County Dems over a decade ago under current Speaker of the Assembly, Carl Heastie. He has been an elected State Committeeman in the 83rd Assembly District since 2010, working tirelessly to ensure the most qualified people are running and elected to office.

Jason is the son of two hard-working Jamaican-born parents. With their support and guidance, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Lincoln University. He is also co-founder of People Standing United, an organization of nearly 100 men, chartered on the campus of Lincoln University to foster brotherhood and community among young men. He and his wife, Ebony Meeks-Laidley, are proud parents of their young daughter London.