NYC Council District 26 Election: Julia Forman Seeks LIC Seat

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Democratic voters in New York City's 26th Council district, which includes Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Dutch Kills, and parts of Astoria, will see 15 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election — making it one of the most crowded primary races in the city.

One of those names will be Julia Forman, a former Bronx DA prosecutor

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Forman's responses are below.

<b>Age (as of Election Day)</b>

33

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democratic

<b>Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)</b>

Dutch Kills

<b>Family</b>

I live with my husband, we are expecting our first child this fall.

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

No, though I'm a former city employee as were both of my parents who are now retired.

<b>Education</b>

SUNY Binghamton University - BA Political Science, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law - JD

<b>Occupation</b>

Attorney with 7 years of practice in both criminal and civil law

<b>Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office</b>

Democratic Delegate to the Judicial Convention, 2020

<b>Campaign website</b>

https://www.votejulia.com

<b>Why are you seeking elective office?</b>

My name is Julia Forman and I’m a candidate running to represent District 26 in the New York City Council. I moved to Western Queens in 2014, and I didn’t just find a place to live, I found a neighborhood that became my home and a community that welcomed me and included me as an active member. And now, as an expectant mother, I am proud to have put down roots in this district to start my family.
I was born in the Bronx to two NYC public school educators. When I first became an attorney I followed in my parent’s footsteps to a career in public service, and began practicing at the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
While there I experienced cases that changed my perspective on criminal justice and I saw how strongly the deck is stacked against communities of color, lower income communities, and immigrant communities. I also saw how inequitable the allocation of our city’s public resources really is. I am no longer a Bronx ADA and my public service is now more focused on my community involvement but by combining what I learned during my years practicing law, with my dedication to my community, as council member I will be able to change this city from the inside by writing laws that actually help people instead of catering to outside interests.
I’m running to be the next councilmember of District 26, and the first woman to represent this district. I’m running because whether acting as a board member of the Dutch Kills Civic Association, the treasurer of the Western Queens Community Land Trust or just as a person chatting with the neighbor next to me on an open street, no matter who I speak to, the same issues come up.
My neighbors are afraid of being priced out of their homes and of being separated from our community. And time after time, we’ve been shown how real that threat is.
Real estate developers have set their sights on making millions off of District 26, with no regard for the schools we send our children to, the seniors struggling to get by, or for the negative environmental impact their development will have on all of us.
And now Covid-19 has brought more uncertainty to our district. As an organizer with our local mutual aid groups, I saw just how big the cracks in our local infrastructure are, and how many people are allowed to slip through them. We must take the lessons we’ve learned over the past year and fight to fully fund the resources and services our neighbors need. We must create a city that is better than what was considered normal even before the pandemic began.
I am ready to step up and be the fierce fighter the community that welcomed me back in 2014 needs. As council member I will push for all recovery efforts to be centered around the needs of our schools, our small businesses, and first and foremost, our neighbors. I’m running to be the effective leader my district deserves and will bring us into a future designed for us.

<b>The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

Recovering from this pandemic is the single greatest issue faced by our district. I have a plan to help our small businesses survive and bring jobs to our community. I will:
- Protect small businesses from the threat of egregious rent hikes by enacting commercial rent stabilization so that owners feel secure to open and operate in NYC
- Incentivize companies that provide job training to local residents to put down roots in Western Queens, especially those focused on combating climate change
- Codify the requirement that any City-funded development use union labor and employ unionized workers
- Develop solutions that give the increasing number of people working within the gig economy access to the same benefits and protections that are guaranteed to all employees

<b>What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?</b>

I believe my experience and dedication to showing up for my neighbors before even planning to run for this seat speak for themselves. In summary, the experience I bring to this seat includes:
- Attorney with government/public service experience in criminal and civil law, so I have deep experience seeing how the laws that City Council passes are put into effect by our city government
- Board member of the Dutch Kills Civic Association
- Treasurer of the Western Queens Community Land Trust
- Organized local Covid-19 relief efforts with Astoria Mutual Aid Network, Sunnyside/Woodside Mutual Aid & LIC Support
- Coordinated local efforts to encourage census completion and voter registration, and to fight for women’s rights

<b>If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)</b>

<b>How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?</b>

I think the ever-increasing closures of small businesses and the continued unemployment faced by New Yorkers speak for how our government needs to improve how it serves all of us. I will fight for comprehensive budget reform and redirect funds to affordable housing, education, social work, youth programs, and bringing green, union jobs to our district.

<b>Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.</b>

I'm honored to be an expectant mother and have partnered with parents from the district to write a comprehensive plan for parents and families (https://votejulia.com/parents-and-families) which delivers solutions to common problems faced by local parents such as lack of resources for schools, inaccessible early childhood education, and unaffordable/inaccessible prenatal and postnatal care.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

Having worked as an attorney in a fast paced environment certainly gave me the skills to be organized yet able to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. One specific accomplishment is my work creating and implementing a Property Release Program at the Bronx District Attorney's Office to ensure that property seized by the NYPD was returned to members of the public in a timely fashion. We achieved full compliance within a few months, so I know that I have the ability to take an identified problem and come up with a clear workable solution quickly and with the best interest of our community in mind.

<b>The best advice ever shared with me was:</b>

I live by something my mother always said to me when I was growing up, "the worst that could happen is someone says no." No matter how implausible it may seem that a goal can be reached, I will always try to get there and will ask for help from wherever or whomever. More often than not, people surprise us, and by asking for support from even the most unlikely source, we can get a lot more done.

<b>What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

My artist's platform was co-written by local artists. My parents and families platform was co-written by local parents. My seniors platform was written in partnership with two other candidates with a range of experience in caretaking and social work. I am a strong partner for my community who will continue to listen and fight for all of us.