Grand Street Dems continued to hear from candidates for NYC 2025 — Jenifer Rajkumar for City Comptroller, Christopher Marte and Jess Coleman for City Council District 1, and Alvin Bragg for Manhattan District Attorney. (Elizabeth Lewinsohn, who recently announced her campaign for City Council District 1, was unable to accept our invitation.)
We were also joined by our State Sen. Brian Kavanagh for an Albany legislative update.
Following remarks and questions, GSD members met to discuss the races for City Council and D.A., and voted to endorse Christopher Marte and Alvin Bragg for re-election.
Assemblymember Grace Lee detailed Proposition 1, also called the Equal Rights Amendment, which will be on the ballot in November.
To raise awareness for Prop 1, GSD members will be tabling on Sunday, September 29th from 12 noon to 2:00 pm. Emailmarion@grandstreetdems.nyc to volunteer.
Councilmember Chris Marte went over several of the proposals that will also be on the ballot this upcoming election. GSD will send out more details in advance of early voting, but be prepared to Flip The Ballot!
Thank you to the home healthcare workers via Ain’t I A Woman, who bravely shared their stories of deplorable work conditions, which led to Councilmember Marte’s “No More 24 Act” (24 hour workday for home health providers) bill. They advocate tirelessly for City Council to pass Int 175.
Andrew Berman of Village Preservation shared VP’s view on rezoning with the “City of Yes” and how it affects the LES and broader NYC (less green space, air rights, less affordable housing).
GSD member Alec Appelbaum detailed canvassing and made it more accessible for hesitant first timers. Slots are still available for this Saturday, September 21st carpools to Bethlehem to doorknock forAnna Thomas (PA-137) with Sister District. Sign up to carpool here!
Thank you to our community for coming to our general meeting this past Monday, and for listening to our City Councilmember Christopher Marte and his Director of Land Use and Housing, Conor Allerton, talk about the “City of Yes” proposal (attached). They laid out the three main components of it: Carbon Neutrality, Economic Opportunity, and Housing Opportunity. They gave us the latest on the City Council’s perspective, including Councilmember Marte. We will keep our eyes open for changes to the proposal as it is readied for a vote and opportunities for public comment. We appreciate all of their work in deciphering this huge document and helping us understand it.
The Traffic Working Group provided an update on local traffic updates (report attached). We held our club vote to endorse President Biden, which passed unanimously. We also welcomed our two newest youth members who will work with Kim Sillen on furthering voter registration in New York City high schools.
Once again, please look out for our upcoming Primary Kick-off on June 11th from 6-8 pm in Hester Street Lot, where GSD will meet and hear from some of our endorsees for the June 25th Primar
This past Tuesday, June 27, Council Member Christopher Marte won re-election by an impressive margin with almost 65% of the vote. CM Marte explained “It’s been a really long day, a really long two weeks but I’m happy to get across the finish line and have so much support from the community,” Marte said from his victory celebration Tuesday night at Lee’s on Canal, “It feels like it’s a mandate to continue to advocate, to do the work that we’ve been doing for these 16 months and so it feels great.” Marte called this victory “sweeter, because it was based on a track record.”
In our neighborhood, CM Marte won the election districts in Part A with 65% of the vote. Overall, Part A accounted for about 20% of the total vote across the district. GSD attended the victory party and Marte expressed gratitude to the club for all their hard work and support. GSD is looking forward to continuing working with the Council Member!
With NYS Senate Candidate Brian Kavanaugh and presentations by Chinatown Working Group and the 5 World Trade Center proposal for all affordable housing
