NYC Council District 7 Election: Shaun Abreu Seeks Uptown Seat

NEW YORK, NY — Voters in New York City's 7th Council district, which includes West Harlem, Morningside Heights and parts of Washington Heights and the Upper West Side, will see 12 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Shaun Abreu, a tenants' rights lawyer with the New York Legal Assistance Group, a former member of Community Board 9 and a former deputy campaign manager for Councilmember Mark Levine.

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

Shaun Abreu

Age (as of Election Day)

30

Position Sought

City Council

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

Manhattan Valley

Family

Agnes and Juan Abreu | Parents

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Columbia University '14

Tulane Law School '18

Occupation

Tenants Rights Attorney | 2019 - Present

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Member, Community Board 9

Campaign website

shaunabreu.nyc

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm running to represent the place I've known my whole life, made up of families whose experiences I largely share, to fight for stable housing, better educational opportunities, and a stronger community.

I am the son of Dominican immigrants, and I grew up on 161st Street in Washington Heights. When I was in elementary school, my family was evicted and we took shelter with neighbors. My mom had lost her job and public assistance wasn’t cutting it. Our situation improved after my mother found a job as a clerk at Zabars, and my father, a proud 32BJ member, as a janitor at the Port Authority.

Right now, working-class families are struggling in the same way my family did. But the opportunities that helped us are hardly accessible to families today. The pandemic has cost our neighbors' lives and redefined the way we live, work, and learn. Students are falling behind, and our community is facing an avalanche of evictions.

As a tenants' rights attorney and future Council Member, I look forward to championing expanded free legal services for tenants and small businesses facing eviction, truly affordable housing, initiatives to combat food insecurity and health inequities, and universal after-school to provide children with meaningful learning opportunities.

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

The single most pressing issue facing our district is a lack of safe, affordable places to live. It’s a problem that we have to tackle from multiple fronts.

To reduce evictions, I have advocated for the expansion of the city’s Right to Counsel law, which guarantees that low-income families have access to free attorneys in housing court. Families and individuals that have experienced joblessness will also require state-supported rent relief in the coming year.

Our public housing infrastructure is in unacceptable condition. We must invest in building improvements, parks and playgrounds near housing complexes, and accountability for those responsible for maintaining the quality and safety of public housing.

Finally, we must ensure that individuals have the personal support they need to keep themselves housed. Mental health services, substance use programs, and programs for individuals experiencing homelessness can help people who are struggling the most to keep a roof over their heads.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am running to represent the place I've known my whole life. I lived in these homes, attended these schools, and built a career defending many Council District 7 residents as a tenants' rights attorney. My life experience has given me a personal understanding of the issues facing our district, and my career has given me an understanding of the structural barriers to addressing these issues. I know what changes need to happen for our city government to deliver for our residents.

I have worked very hard over many years to earn the trust of the people and leaders of our community. I have the support of over 20 labor unions--more than any other candidate running to represent Council District 7--and the endorsement of leaders that defend our district every day, including current Council Member Mark Levine, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, and multiple tenant association presidents. They know that I will always do what’s right for our district.

Many in Harlem are worried about gentrification and the displacement of longtime residents. What is one specific policy you would push for to slow gentrification?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would support continued financial assistance for tenants impacted by the pandemic so they can address their rental arrears and avoid eviction. Without this assistance in place, we are risking the displacement of longtime residents and the loss of our cultural fabric. I would also expand the city's Right to Counsel legislation to protect small homeowners from being pushed out of their homes. As a tenant rights attorney who provides free representation to low-income individuals in housing court, I know too well how often people lose their homes due to the difficulty and expense of navigating the legal system.

Many Harlemites have complained of dirty streets during the pandemic. How would you help clean up the sidewalks?

To keep our streets clean, I will allocate funding for supplemental cleaning services through the Council's Cleanup NYC initiative, fund additional litter baskets through my office's discretionary budget, and expand the Sanitation Department's composting initiative. We also need to partner with the owners of commercial spaces in our district to ensure they help keep our sidewalks clean, which we can accomplish through the formation of a Business Improvement District (BID) or merchant's association.

A developer is seeking to build a 17-story building on 142nd Street that would include 20 affordable apartments, but which some neighbors criticized for its size and the proposed rezoning. As Council Member, would you support this project, oppose it, or push to change it?

I'd vote no on the ULURP application for the proposed project once it's before the Council. A building that size would need to have fewer studio apartments and deeper affordability tiers to better serve the needs of families in our district.

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

Council Member Mark Levine's prioritization of information access was imperative to the sustained wellbeing of the constituents of District 7. By providing pandemic specific information, such as COVID rates in the district and testing site locations, and information on key resources for social supports, Council Member Levine championed a strong and transparent COVID response plan.

While the city acted swiftly to adopt many important policies as the pandemic unfolded, implementation of those policies was often lacking. For instance, the Open Restaurants program went a long way toward keeping restaurants running and thousands of New Yorkers employed. But often the rules for operating were applied inconsistently or in ways that just didn’t make sense. Our government has to get better at achieving its policy goals.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Safer communities: Reducing crime by investing in education, job creation, mental health services, and substance use treatment programs.

Secure housing: Protecting families by extending the eviction moratorium, providing rent relief for those hit hardest by the pandemic, lowering property taxes for small homeowners, and improving public housing infrastructure.

Equitable education: Supporting the next generation by funding community schools and after school programs that provide meaningful learning experiences and keep kids safe.

Environmental sustainability: Improving our quality of life by investing in clean air and water, park maintenance, composting, reduced street congestion, and cleaner streets.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I keep families in their homes for a living. Navigating a legal system that is stacked against people living in poverty is hard - it requires detailed knowledge about how the system works and a willingness to fight relentlessly for what’s right. These are exactly the same qualities that I expect from our elected officials, and it’s a standard I am happy to be held to.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never forget where you came from.