NYC Council Elections 2021: Rebecca Lamorte Seeks UES Seat

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Voters in New York City's 5th Council district, which includes parts of the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, will see seven names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Rebecca Lamorte, a labor union organizer, Community Board 8 secretary and co-founder of the Upper East Side for Black Lives Matter group.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

30

Position Sought

New York City Council, District 5

Party Affiliation

Democrat

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

Yorkville

Family

n/a

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Fordham University

Occupation

Legislative & Communication Coordinator, GNY LECET

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I am an appointed member of Manhattan Community Board 8.

Campaign website

www.RebeccaLamorte.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for City Council to give disabled and vulnerable New Yorkers a seat at the table where policy and legislative decisions are made. Too often government overlooks everyday New Yorkers - disabled New Yorkers, seniors, undocumented New Yorkers, working families, tenants - so many of our neighbors are sidelined and overlooked in policy decisions, harming our community and the entire city. I am running for office to change that, and create a more caring and compassionate community that is affordable, accessible and equitable.

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 in the district is affordable housing, and my plan to address the issue is multi-faceted. To start, we need to immediately begin building permanently affordable, accessible housing for low and middle income earners, including New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. In building this new housing I will be very targeted in area median incomes used for affordability, solicit community feedback, and implement workforce requirements to ensure development supports good jobs. While new housing is being built, we need to protect the rent controlled and stabilized housing already in the community, working with the New York State legislature to pass an eviction moratorium, strengthen tenant protections, end the "aging out" of affordability on housing, and implement a second Mitchell-Lama program.

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

The differences lie in my personal and professional experience. As a disabled New Yorker, I experience our community and city in a different way and have a perspective and awareness that is missing in government. Accessibility helps every New Yorker, disabled and able-bodied people alike, and I want to inject disability rights and accessibility into every policy decision we make. Professionally, I've worked in the New York City labor movement for the last decade. I've coordinated legislative and strategic campaigns in both New York City and State government to pass laws that protect workers, raise wages, advance procurement reform, and support affordable housing development. I'm ready to serve our community on day one and ensure we have a more affordable, accessible, and equitable community.

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

Council Member Kallos and our New York State representatives responded swiftly to COVID-19, ensuring our district was able to secure PPE, food, small business, and housing support available. The things I would've done differently aren't about any of their work but the larger city and state response to the pandemic. I would've liked to see the state shutdown and implement a mask mandate earlier, cancel commercial and residential rents, increase school funding to ensure students and teachers had more technology and broadband support for remote learning. At the city level, I would've pushed for the Essential Workers Bill of Rights package to pass, some legislation in the package of bills passed but others didn't which would've given hazard pay to essential workers and provided other support for New Yorkers.

Do you support or oppose the New York Blood Center’s proposed tower and rezoning? If you oppose it, should it be scrapped entirely, or just revised?

I am opposed to the New York Blood Center's proposed tower and rezoning, and want it to be scrapped completely. The midblock rezoning will set a bad precedent in zoning locally and throughout the entire city. I am also opposed to the tower because of the negative impacts it will have on the students at the Julia Richman Education Complex and St. Catherine's playground.

Ben Kallos worked to bring a Safe Haven shelter to the district — would you have done the same, and would you do so again for another shelter, if elected?

Yes, I would have done the same and as Council Member would do so again for another shelter. In addition to supporting shelters in our community, I will also work to build the deeply affordable housing our neighbors experiencing homelessness need to get out the shelter system and into permanent housing.

While police statistics show crime mostly dropping on the Upper East Side, many residents report feeling less safe in the neighborhood than they used to. Why do you think this is, and is adding more police the way to solve it?

Data shows crime is dropping on the Upper East Side and I'm sympathetic to those that feel unsafe. Adding more police isn't the solution. Instead we need to invest in more services that will empower New Yorkers, enliven our streets as the city continues reopening, and increase subway ridership.

What single policy would you advocate for to make housing more affordable on the Upper East Side?

While no single policy implemented alone will make housing more affordable on the Upper East Side, the first policy I would advocate for would be to create a new citywide and community-based housing plan. This plan would be more stringent in affordability and development standards, taking the control away from developers to cherry pick incomes they target for housing, the number of affordable units, apartment sizes , and community feedback they take into account. The housing plan would also implement new policies for development on public land, add workforce requirements to affordable housing construction and operation, and reform ULURP.

Would you push to add more bike lanes in the district?

Yes, I would push to add more bike lanes in the district. Bike lanes increase safety for cyclists and must be a part of making our streetscape more equitable and safe for everyone.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The issues that define my campaign are housing, disability, economic and racial justice. As a tenant, disabled New Yorker, union member, labor advocate and co-founder of UES4BLM, these issues are things that I have personal experience with and have worked on in our community. My justice-centered platform seeks to shift the paradigm of power in New York City to empower everyday New Yorkers struggling to live and work here.

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

My legislative experience as an advocate coordinating legislative and strategic campaigns illustrates my knowledge and ability to effectively serve as Council Member in District 5. Over the last 10 years I've represented unionized workers before New York City and State government, working to raise wages, increase worker and community safety, and advance procurement reform. In my role as an advocate, I've also led housing and land use campaigns to fight for workforce requirements and affordable housing in communities throughout New York City.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Voters should know I am running to create a community and city that is more affordable, accessible, and equitable. I have the legislative and personal experience we need to ensure our community is well represented at City Hall and receives the resources seniors, working people, and all our neighbors need to continue calling the neighborhood home.