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We are building a new Democratic club around Grand Street and the Lower East Side — inclusive, progressive, and active. We’ll focus both on neighborhood issues like transportation and development, as well as national priorities that affect our community, such as immigration rights. Grand Street Democrats plans to hold regular open meetings, neighborhood events, and forums with elected officials for the entire community.

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Meet Lee Berman and Caroline Laskow

Your Democratic District Leaders:

Lee Berman

Lee Berman is a lifelong resident of East River Co-op. With two daughters in downtown public schools, Lee has been a tireless advocate for increased school funding, academically rigorous middle school programs, and more opportunities for English language learners and children with IEPs and special needs. He has served on Community Education Council 1 and has been a member of school leadership teams and PTAs for nine years.

As a director of East River Co-op, Lee fought for cost savings and budget reform, encouraged greater transparency and communication with cooperators, and was accessible and as helpful as possible to his neighbors. When appropriate, he has stood up to board members and management who have run the co-op for decades with little opposition.

Lee attended the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has a Law Degree from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and works for the City of New York.

Caroline Laskow

Caroline has lived in Seward Park since 2003 with her husband Ian Rosenberg. Their two children attend NYC public schools.

Caroline graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Communication. She now makes documentary films, including “Ashtanga, NY,” about a yoga community coming together around the events of September 11th; and “Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort,” about the historic end of the Borscht Belt hotel era. She is also co-author of The Soup Club Cookbook, collaboratively written with three other Seward Park moms.

The 2016 election cycle was a turning point for Caroline as for many of us. In the aftermath of Trump’s inauguration, Caroline marched in D.C. with other women from Grand Street. When executive orders blocked refugees from entering the U.S., Caroline joined the Jewish Rally for Refugees downtown, and the I’m a Muslim Too rally in Times Square. She is determined to remain engaged in the protection of civil liberties, starting with a more active Democratic Party in our neighborhood.

Caroline and Lee were elected in 2017 along with 16 new members of the Democratic County Committee, who are founding members of Grand Street Democrats.

News & Updates

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July 15: LES Historic District* Walking Tour

We’ve received a special invitation from LESPI board member (and GSD member) Helena Andreyko: The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) was honored to receive the support of the Grand Street Democrats for the proposed historic district on the LES, and is delighted to invite members of GSD for a free tour of the proposed …

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DOT has no proposals yet for Grand/Clinton congestion

Staff from the NYC Department of Transportation presented to Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee on Thursday, June 28, 2018 in regards to the traffic on Grand, Clinton, and East Broadway. DOT promised elected officials a traffic study of the area in 2017, but by the end of last year could say only that no conclusions …

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Families Belong Together — sign-making today, rally tomorrow

Our friends at Manny Cantor Center are taking the lead in organizing our community’s protest of Trump policy to separate families at the border. Despite his executive order last week, the threat to children still exists and we feel compelled to continue resisting this fascist program. GSD will be making signs later today (Friday) and …

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