Accelerating and increasing the number of New Yorkers who are able to be vaccinated will safeguard our community and allow our recovery to begin in earnest. But so far, NYC is lagging behind, and misinformation continues to harm the public’s trust in the process. I believe there are critical steps the City can take now to expand access to the vaccine while ensuring equity and combatting disinformation.

A graduate of NYC public schools, Eric is now a special education teacher in our public schools and a former chapter leader in the United Federation of Teachers. Eric is committed to strengthening our schools and providing a great education for all our children, and that’s why he has the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers for the City Council.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the ugly inequity that exists in the public education system in our city, and nobody is better equipped to support our children and families than Eric:

I was born and raised in the Northwest Bronx, and I’m so proud to call our neighborhood home today. But for too many families like mine, sky-rocketing rents and a lack of affordable housing has made it harder and harder for New Yorkers to live and thrive in our community.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, safe, accessible housing was too far out of reach. But now, as countless families are struggling to make rent or facing eviction in the middle of a global health crisis, our city’s leaders have a responsibility to fight for our housing needs and ensure that New Yorkers can remain in the communities they love.

The Bronx is a great place to live and raise a family, and in order for it to remain that way, we need a Councilmember who will fight for local residents, especially seniors, to protect our housing:

During this pandemic, Eric has spent countless hours reaching out to over 4,000 seniors in the community to help provide meal deliveries, connect them with vital health services, and provide an emotional anchor for them. Our parents and grandparents worked all their lives and made this community what it is, and they deserve to live in comfort and security during their later years. Safe streets, improved accessibility, affordable housing, and sufficient community services are the least we should do for our seniors. As our Councilmember, Eric will always keep seniors at the top of his priority list:

While New York City has one of the strongest public campaign finance systems in the nation, there is more we can do to improve our elections and ensure greater accountability and transparency in City government.

I have helped advocate for progressive election reforms that have been successfully enacted over the past couple of years that will expand access to voting and increase the power of working families. In recent years, city voters passed ranked choice voting; the City Council expanded the power of small-dollar donors; and the state legislature passed early voting and a unified primary to save taxpayers money.

Let’s continue to reform our system:

Systemic racism permeates every corner of our society, and the structures of racial and social injustice must be torn down. As a public school special education teacher right here in the Northwest Bronx, the vast majority of my students are people of color and I see the inequities they face every day, inside and outside the classroom. The struggles our city faces, from problems in our school system, to the housing affordability crisis, to disparate health outcomes, disproportionately affect people of color.

Access to transit is a great equalizer in our city: It allows everyone to access our city. Eric has fought to expand bus service and accessibility, successfully fighting for the MTA to install elevators at our local 4 train station and preserving express bus service. Unfortunately, our public transit system is failing to meet the needs of all New Yorkers due to bad service and failures to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If we are truly going to diminish the dependence on cars, we must do more to improve our public transit:

For the LGBTQ+ community, every day is an act of bravery. Every person, no matter how they identify themselves, deserves dignity and to live a life free of discrimination. As a teacher, I taught LGBTQ+ students and saw the struggles they face. LGBTQ+ youth struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts at high rates, and are more likely to endure bullying, isolation and homelessness. This must change.

On the Council, I will be an ally to this community, and sponsor legislation that protects and expands the rights of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. I will also put funding toward organizations that provide resources to my LGBTQ+ constituents. 

As a father and former environmental science teacher, Eric deeply understands the threat our city faces from climate change. It is clear we must make significant changes to our infrastructure and make more diligent efforts to offset pollution and emissions. From preserving parks to reducing emissions, we need a Councilmember who understands that local actions are key to protecting our environment and our quality of life. Parks make our city more livable and improve our neighborhoods, and we must protect these spaces from encroachment. As we face increased storms, winds and flooding caused by climate change, we need to do more to combat this threat. Eric is committed to green policies and to protecting great parks and green spaces for his children’s generation and every generation beyond that:

Eric Dinowitz is a proud union member and a union leader. He knows one of the best paths to the middle class is the stability and protections that come with union-protected employment. With unprecedented attacks by the Trump administration, Eric is more than ever committed to protecting and expanding workers’ rights to organize and more.