Councilmember Christopher Marte joined us to explain his bill — NYC Council Int 1096: Protecting the vested health insurance coverage and contributions of retired employees of the city of New York. Members voted in favor of a resolution supporting Int 1096.
Desiree Gazzo of NYC DDC gave a presentation on the progression of East River Park and answered members’ questions and concerns. Projected opening of the Corlears Hook Bridge and amenities is late Spring/Summer 2025. Sign up for updates here. View the slide presentation here.
Ain’t I a Woman visited us back in the Fall with home health attendants to share their stories of working 24 hour days, despite only being paid for 13 hours. They returned to ask for our support in pressuring elected officials to pass the No More 24 bill, enforce labor law, and pay back wages that are owed to them. They are holding a protest on Wed, March 12th, 11am in front of Governor Hochul’s NYC office (919 Third Avenue).
Write 500 Postcards to Wisconsin Voters by March 14! Thank you to those who picked up postcards for the special election for Wisconsin State Supreme Court! Here is the script.
Mailing deadline: March 14
Postage: Volunteers are responsible for purchasing postcard stamps, and dropping cards off at any local post office.
Representatives from the City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) updated community members on the progress and challenges at East River Park during GSD’s March meeting this week.
Andrew Cuomo’s long political career and near-universal name recognition may redraw the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor.
But there are many who are ready to remind voters about Cuomo’s past misdeeds and policies targeting New York City commuters, homeless, public school students, and women.
“If New Yorkers want a corrupt bully with a record of alleged sexual misconduct, supporting Republicans, selling out to developers, and exacerbating crises, they can just stick with the current mayor. Andrew brings nothing to this race but baggage and an outstanding debt of $5 million. Hard pass.” (via Twitter)
Brad Lander
“Andrew Cuomo destroyed New York City by cutting $2.5 million in Medicaid and thousands of psychiatric beds, resulting in a crisis of homeless people with serious mental illness on our streets, and by cutting MTA funding, resulting in the ‘Summer of Hell.’” (via email blast)
Zellnor Myrie
“Andrew Cuomo is no friend to New York City. As Governor, Cuomo slashed funding from our schools and subways, closed our hospitals, hurt our tenants and seniors — and Black New Yorkers paid the price. Cuomo encourages corruption, silences accountability, and has stood by as Donald Trump conducts a hostile takeover of our local government.” (via statement)
Lindsey Boylan
“Attorneys tell me to keep my head down and my mouth shut, but that is precisely why and how powerful men believe they can continue to act with impunity. This is not who we are as Americans — and certainly not who we are as New Yorkers. If we see something, we are supposed to say something. And elections give us our loudest voices.” (via Vanity Fair)
Your friends and neighbors are looking for people with shared values who are engaged politically during this wild time. Let’s get out on the street and let them know Grand Street Dems is here and ready to help them raise their voices.
Join us this weekend on Grand Street to get signatures to help our endorsed candidates get on the ballot for the June 24 primary, and bring some visibility to our club.
Scott Stringer petitioning with GSD on Grand Street this week.
GSD’s endorsement ballot is open until Thursday at 7:00 pm — club members with voting privileges have received an email with a link and a unique code to unlock the ballot.
Still making up your mind? Here are some resources to help you decide.
It was great to see everyone on Thursday night at Donnybrook!
Thanks again to this year’s honorees:
House of Good Deeds — headquartered on Ave. D, House of Good Deeds rescues and redistributes over a ton of new and like-new items every month for free to those in need.
LUNGS (Loisada United Neighborhood Gardens) — unites and advocates for the many volunteer-run community gardens on the lower east side.
Caroline Laskow — our outgoing Democratic District Leader.
Herman Hewitt — local business leader and Community Board member.
GSD Winter Party 2025 Thursday, January 23, 2025 6:30 – 8:30 pm Donnybrook 35 Clinton Street
Come in out of the cold, have a drink, and join us to celebrate:
House of Good Deeds — headquartered on Ave. D, House of Good Deeds rescues and redistributes over a ton of new and like-new items every month for free to those in need.
LUNGS (Loisada United Neighborhood Gardens) — unites and advocates for the many volunteer-run community gardens on the lower east side.
Caroline Laskow — our outgoing Democratic District Leader.
Herman Hewitt — local business leader and Community Board member.
Kathryn Freed is a former City Council member and former New York State judge.
Jessica Kramer is an entrepreneur and member of the Seward Park Cooperative Board.
Please find statements from each below.
Grand Street Dems members will meet on January 14 to hear from both candidates and to vote on an endorsement for this critical, hyper-local 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.)
Kathryn Freed
I’ve spent my life working for our Downtown neighborhoods — I’m running for District Leader to continue to give back to our community and represent the Grand Street Democrats.
I am a long time Lower Manhattan resident and community activist; I moved into East River Coop just over 20 years ago.
As an attorney, I represented tenants and tenant groups, and practiced employment discrimination law and election law, I helped write and pass the landmark Loft Law, protecting artist housing, and helped pass other tenant protections;
I served as a member of CB 1 for over 15 years, two terms as its chair;
I was City Councilmember for Downtown District # 1 for ten years, 1992-2001;
I was elected to the Judiciary and served seventeen years as a New York Judge, retiring as a NY State Supreme Court Justice the end of 2020;
I was appointed to the local Community Board 3, in 2022, where I still serve as a member of the Parks and the Landmarks Committees;
I remain active in East River Park Action (ERPA) pushing for more living green plants in the Park including pushing for real grass not astroturf and more mature trees and more shade for the facilities;
I am also working for air monitoring and environmental safeguards for all the Lower Manhattan Waterfront, and, of course, the East River Park site;
I continue to call for effective resiliency measures and interim flood protection along the waterfront;
I have opposed the Chinatown mega jail and spoken at and attended numerous rallies against it;
I have spoken out against anti-semitism and anti-asian hate crimes;
I have pushed for a comprehensive plan to deal with mental illness, including social services in court, homelessness and to provide more affordable housing, including supporting affordable housing at 5 World Trade Center;
I support zoning changes that will protect communities, especially communities of color, from over development, while allowing growth that still protects middle- and lower-income housing and local businesses;
I support and have spoken at Rallys for Councilmember Christopher Marte’s “No More 24” legislation to end home attendant’s being required to work a 24 hour day, but get paid for 13 hours;
I worked very hard supporting the Democratic slate last year, campaigning in Bucks County, Pa. and Upstate for our candidates, as well as campaigning for Prop One;
Have supported and been very vocal at CB3 pushing for additional mass transit for our community including more accessible stations, obviously also supporting Bill Ferns’ great work in this area;
For the past three years, I, along with two others, have presented judicial forums for New York County for all eligible candidates, additionally we have also held forums to explain about why NY County’s independent screening panels are unique and important and about being judicial delegates;
These are just a few of the things I have done since retiring as a Judge.
I would like to continue working to better our community and helping Grand Street Democrats grow by reaching out to more residents. I also believe we need to engage our elected officials more in our community’s concerns, which I believe will also encourage more people to become members.
I would love to have your support for Democratic District Leader.
Jessica Kramer
Hi, my name is Jessica Kramer and I am honored to announce my candidacy for District Leader. Our community is steeped in history, resilience, and diversity, and it has been my privilege to serve it in various capacities.
As the Secretary of the Seward Park Cooperative Board, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of our residents are heard and that our shared resources are managed responsibly and transparently. Specifically, I am passionate about transparent communication and effective action to resolve challenges being faced by both individuals and the broader community. As a startup and technology leader professionally, I am also passionate about leveraging technology and a mindset of innovation to approach problems in a novel way and implement digital solutions where helpful. I got involved with Grand Street Democrats because I saw a need for that same approach in the broader neighborhood and on the core political issues that affect our community, including affordable housing, the environment, traffic, sanitation, elections, neighborhood safety, hate crimes, and many other important issues.
My passion for civic engagement began early in life, inspired by my family’s commitment to voting rights. Since childhood, I’ve been deeply involved in initiatives aimed at expanding access to the ballot box and empowering communities to make their voices heard. These early experiences shaped my dedication to protecting and enhancing our democracy at every level. I was a member of Hilary Clinton’s campaign team and I have been doing GOTV work for over 30 years for federal and local candidates, as well as Democrats in highly contested races such as Grace Lee, Beto O’Rourke, and Katie Porter.
Most recently, I had the pleasure of working alongside Caroline Laskow and the Grand Street Democrats on the critical federal elections and successful campaign for Prop 1 in New York. Together, we mobilized voters, advocated for progressive change, and demonstrated the power of grassroots organizing to make a tangible difference. Caroline and I held weekly community room events that brought together activists from the coops and broader neighborhood and helped generate a sense of hope, action, and community. Being able to work with our current district leader was inspirational and educational. She encouraged me to get involved and run.
As District Leader, I will bring this same commitment to community involvement and advocacy. I will focus on amplifying the voices of all Lower East Side residents, ensuring that our local government is responsive, inclusive, and accountable. From increasing voter participation to supporting neighborhood initiatives, I will be a tireless advocate for our community’s needs and aspirations. The District Leader position was created to bring new people into the Democratic party. I represent a new generation and population of leaders on the Lower East Side with the ability to innovate and bring fresh ideas to the forefront.
I look forward to connecting with neighbors across the district to hear your concerns, share ideas, and work together to build a stronger, more vibrant Lower East Side. Thank you for your support — I am excited about the opportunity to serve.
