NYC Council District 29 Election: Lynn Schulman Seeks Queens Seat

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Democratic voters in New York City's 29th Council district, which includes Forest Hills, Forest Park, Kew Gardens, Rego Park, and Richmond Hill, will see nine names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Lynn Schulman, an attorney who works at the City Council Office of the Speaker.

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

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

63

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democrat

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

Forest Hills

<b>Family</b>

Live alone. Life partner, Adelaide Connaughton, passed away 3 years ago.

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

No

<b>Education</b>

I hold a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and am a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Leadership program at the Harvard Kennedy School.

<b>Occupation</b>

An attorney by training, I have devoted my decades long career to public service and held a broad range of executive positions in government, private industry, and the non-profit arena. I most recently worked on health care, community, and social service issues in the City Council.

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

NA

<b>Campaign website</b>

schulman2021.com

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

I am running for City Council because it is time for a change. The Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the glaring inequities that exist with our city. New York City has been devastated by the virus and it has laid bare the need for bold structural changes to how we approach health care, housing, public safety, and nearly every aspect of how city government interfaces with our lives. Now more than ever, it is vitally important to have a strong, independent voice in the City Council representing Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Richmond Hill.
We need to shift the paradigm from top-down decision making that ignores, isolates, and undermines communities towards an approach that makes equity and justice the guiding principles in all decision-making. I am running for City Council to be an agent of this transformation in city government.

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

The single most pressing issue facing our district is the lack of hospital capacity and this is what I intend to do about it.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest healthcare crisis of our lifetimes. Tragically, the Coronavirus has exposed the deep vulnerability of our community. Over the past two decades, Queens has lost an alarming number of hospitals and other healthcare resources. The consequences have been devastating. We have lost loved ones, friends, and neighbors. The lives lost underscore that there is nothing more important than access to healthcare – which is why I will fight to ensure that Queens will be underserved no more.
As your next City Council Member, I will push legislation that will require all development projects under land use review to include a hospital impact assessment in addition to the required environmental assessment. This will ensure that communities like Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Rego Park, and Richmond Hill have enough hospital beds for emergency care when it is more critical. Not only are we in desperate need of additional hospital capacity, but we need a healthcare system that can provide affordable preventive and primary care, and also have the ability to react to acute issues such as the current pandemic.
I will also be a leader on creating a Hospital Capacity task force to rebuild hospital capacity throughout our city, especially in our community.

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

I offer the most detailed platform to address the healthcare, economic and social justice challenges that our community and city are facing. I also have a lifetime of service and deep roots in our community. In addition, with my experience and long track record, I will be able to build coalitions to make the changes we will need to help our city recover from COVID and enable our communities to thrive again.

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

NA. This is an open seat.

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

In the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of confusion, misinformation and inconsistent messaging. This was somewhat understandable given the unprecedented nature of the crisis and I believe elected officials, including the current Council Member, acted in the best interests of the community under the circumstances.
That said, I would have emulated the distribution of PPE and the individual constituent response of the current Member. I also would take some additional actions, many of which have been formed through my emergency management experience and expertise.
Following are some of the additional actions I would take as a Member of the Council:
• The centerpiece of my campaign platform is to resolve the lack of hospital capacity in Queens, particularly this district. I would use my public hospital experience to make sure emergency healthcare is accessible to all who need it
• Hold frequent/scheduled virtual Town Halls
• Establish an early system to ensure contact with seniors in the district to check in with them and see what services are needed (the 29th Council District has one of the highest number of seniors of all the Council districts)
• Activate an email alert system for constituents (one of my early priorities once elected would be to collect emails from constituents to make contact easier during an emergency)
• Survey small business in the district to assess needs and make sure they have access to any/all available assistance programs, whether they be local, State or Federal.

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

I am running for City Council because it is time for a change. The Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the glaring inequities that exist with our city. New York City has been devastated by the virus and it has laid bare the need for bold structural changes to how we approach health care, housing, public safety, and nearly every aspect of how city government interfaces with our lives. Now more than ever, it is vitally important to have a strong, independent voice in the City Council representing Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Richmond Hill.
I have been a champion of progressive causes my entire life. As an out lesbian, I understand how marginalized communities experience inequality and how it deprives individuals of opportunity and dignity. We need to shift the paradigm from top-down decision making that ignores, isolates, and undermines communities towards an approach that makes equity and justice the guiding principles in all decision-making. I am running for City Council to be an agent of this transformation in city government.

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

I am a long-time community and LGBTQ activist. With decades of leadership in health care advocacy and progressive causes, I am running for City Council because I have a vision for how to bring about the change we need in our Queens communities. An attorney by training, I have devoted my career to public service and held a broad range of executive positions in government, private industry, and the non-profit arena. I currently work on health care, community, and social service issues in the City Council.
In the Forest Hills community, I served as a Vice-Chair on Community Board 6 for more than 20 years. I was also a former member of the 112th Precinct Community Council and the Board of Directors of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, I served as an appointed member of the Community Education Council for District 28, where I focused on combating school bullying, increasing student access to music and art programs, and enhancing education opportunities for the youth in our city’s public school system.
I hold a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and am a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Leadership program at the Harvard Kennedy School.
I will bring my life experience, independent values, and robust policy agenda to the City Council, and look forward to helping to improve the quality of life for all within the 29th Council District.

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

Always be true to yourself and look out for those most vulnerable.

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

I have never been afraid of speaking truth to power. Whether it was coming out before it was socially acceptable or speaking out now about hate in our community and the lack of hospital capacity. I will be a leader in building coalitions to make the changes we need to make our communities thrive again. For too many of us, it is a matter of life and death.