Through our new video series, Reel Talk, we have introduced you to the City Council candidates for the upcoming New York City Primary Election. Before early voting begins on June 14th, here’s one last chance to get to know the people on your ballot.
Manhattan’s District 4 includes the Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, Central Park South, Midtown East, Times Square, Koreatown, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, Waterside Plaza, Tudor City, Turtle Bay, Murray Hill, and Sutton Place. The District is currently represented by Council Member Keith Powers, who was elected in 2018 and is now running for Manhattan Borough President. There are six Democrats running to replace him: Vanessa Aronson, Faith Bondy, Luke Florczak, Virginia Maloney, Rachel Storch, and Benjamin Wetzler. The winner will face off against Republican Debra Schwartzben in November.
With experience as a public educator, nonprofit leader, and former diplomat, Aronson has managed multimillion-dollar budgets, used her voice to advocate for others, and fought for human rights. She is prepared to take bold action to guide the city through this pivotal moment.
Bondy is running for City Council to uplift the community, and to ensure they have the quality of life they expect and deserve. She wants to support police, expand school opportunities, develop more affordable housing, and provide support for those who are homeless or suffering from mental health issues.
Florczak hopes to be a proper voice for nearly a quarter-million veterans. . He also knows that safety and security is the chief issue for New Yorkers these days, and he hopes to leverage his experience in the Marine Corps to assist the work being done by the NYPD.
A native New Yorker, Maloney has worked in public policy, technology, and economic development. If elected, she is planning to address issues such as affordable housing, the cost of childcare, and public safety.
Storch has worked as a Legal Aid attorney focused on medicaid, and as Deputy Chief of Staff in the United States Senate. She is running to address the decline in quality of life, and the crises of public safety and affordability.
Throughout his time in government, Wetzler has used data-driven strategies to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers, and he wants to continue that work to address issues such as housing and public safety. He wants to enforce tenant protections, build necessary housing, and support low-income renters.
According to Schwartzben’s LinkedIn, she is a marketing coordinator for Fox News, and previously worked as a campaign staffer for Rob Astorino’s governor campaign.
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