The 39th Council District covers the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Street Waterfront District, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington. Incumbent Brad Lander was elected to represent the district in 2009 and is now running for the citywide office of Comptroller.
The district also has the distinction of once being represented by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who occupied the office prior to Lander from 2002-2009, before becoming the city’s Public Advocate.
Since Lander took office, there have been several local battles around development and environmental cleanups, most notably in Gowanus, where the Environmental Protection Agency finally launched its decade-long federal Superfund Cleanup of the noxious canal in November after 10 years of planning.
