I was elected to the
New York City Council in a special election in
February 1999 to finish the term of former
Councilmember Thomas Duane. During this time, I have
worked hard to fulfill my campaign promises and
build on the strong precedent of now State Senator
Duane. Over these past two years, I have been at the
forefront of many issues that are important to me
and—I believe—the residents of the District. Some of
these include fighting to protect and expand tenants
rights, to improve and increase parks and recreation
spaces, fighting for civil rights, and bringing
additional resources to our local public schools. My
district office works every day with tenants who are
fighting unscrupulous landlords. In particular, I
have stood side-by-side with people with AIDS who
are struggling to find decent places to live.
Legislatively, I am proud that during my tenure the
Council renewed the existing rent control and
stabilization law. Perhaps more importantly, I was
one of only a handful of Councilmembers who stood up
to the landlord lobby and opposed watered down lead
paint protection measures that the Council adopted
(These were later overturned as unacceptable by the
Courts).
Recently, our neighborhood’s thirty-year battle to
complete and open the West 25th Street Chelsea
Recreation Center was won. I led a working group of
activists and other elected officials in securing
$17 million from the City to finish this long
overdue facility.
I have made our public schools a top priority and
have successfully worked with teachers and parents
to bring critically needed resources to the
district. Working with advocates throughout the
City, I have been consistently outspoken for civil
rights for all New Yorkers—particularly people of
color, people with disabilities, and the lgbt
community.
(Statement reprinted as supplied by the candidate.)
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