Joe Gordon, a longtime resident of Hillman Coop, has thrown his hat in the ring for this year’s contest for Democratic District Leader.
Joe is a GSD member and Democratic County Committee member; the founder of UpFor Consulting; a minority owner and board member of Akademisk Boldklub (Danish soccer team); and a founding team member of Local Blokery of the Gutter LES bowling league!
Grand Street Dems members will meet on January 14 to hear from Joe and to vote on an endorsement for this Democratic party position. Please make sure to attend that meeting or designate in writing another GSD member to carry your proxy for that meeting. (Members may carry only one proxy, so be sure to arrange this ahead of time.)
Joe Gordon
With this past November’s election results fresh on my and many of our minds, it would be easy to retreat and retrench, to sit on the sidelines and let others do the heavy lifting. So, when the idea of running for District Leader was first mentioned to me, I was curious but hesitant. How could my involvement possibly impact things? As I thought about it more, I realized that the need for people to step up and positively contribute has never been more needed and perhaps there was an active role I could play. I’ve come to see the hyper-local role of District leader as the perfect opportunity to be in service to the community that I have lived in and loved for almost 30 years now – and whose family roots go back over 75 years.
The things I will bring to the table are simple and straightforward: I will be an active listener and learner, taking great care to understand what matters most to the people of District 65 Part A and bring those concerns to our local elected officials. I will be present and accountable, a consistent and recognizable face and voice in our community who shows up for stuff – and who enrolls others to participate as well. I will be a thoughtful and collaborative contributor, working hard to build coalitions, find middle ground, and always treat people with respect – even when we disagree. Lastly, I will always put in the work to implement change, incremental as it may be, so that we all can continue to be proud of our vibrant and unique community.
I care deeply about the Lower East Side and I very much look forward to being in service to it.
