NYLCVEF Joins Partners for Two NYC Council Candidate Forums

September 8, 2017

Residents of Council District 18 in the Bronx gathered to hear from city council candidates on September 5th 2017. Candidates are racing to fill the open seat of Council Member Annabel Palma, who is term-limited.

All candidates were invited, with Amanda Farias, Elvin Garcia, and Michael Beltzer in attendance.

The forum was hosted by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, alongside Waterfront Alliance, New Yorkers for Parks, and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. Questions were focused on sustainability, resiliency, and environmental justice issues in the community, and were asked by panelists Jose Soegaard of Waterfront Alliance, Emily Walker of NY4P, and David Schuffler of YMPJ. The discussion was moderated by Adriana Espinoza, NYC Program Manager, and opening marks were made by Marcia Bystryn, President of NYLCVEF.

The citizens of District 18, hailing from Soundview, Castle Hill, Parkchester, Clason Point, and Harding Park expressed a variety of concerns during the Q&A session. One resident expressed serious accessibility concerns regarding the lack of elevators at the Parkchester 6 Subway stop. Residents and candidates both shared concerns of access to healthy, sustainable foods. Citizens inquired about the Sheridan Expressway plans, and discussed their daily encounters with heavy truck traffic and subsequent air pollution.

The forum was held to inform voters of each candidate’s position on important environmental issues ahead of the September 12th Primary Election. Search for your polling place here.

Council District 35 is another highly contested city council race playing out ahead of the September 12th Primary. The district covers the neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and parts of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and is currently represented by incumbent Laurie Cumbo. Challengers include Democrat Ede Fox, and Green Party members Jabari Brisport and John Hutchins.
 
NYLCVEF partnered with five local neighborhood groups– The Brooklyn Heights Association, The Crown Heights North Association, The Fort Greene Association, The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, and The Society for Clinton Hill– to host a candidate forum on Wednesday September 6th. The goal was to bring together community members and give them a platform to question candidates on policy matters of importance to them.
 
The event was moderated by Rachel Holiday of DNAinfo, and topics covered varied from transportation issues like bike safety and congestion pricing to sustainability issues such as access to healthy food and climate change. Other policies of great importance to the community were also discussed, including affordable housing, zoning, and development.
 
Make sure you cast your vote on Primary Day September 12th!
< Back to Nonpartisan Electoral Activities

Related Articles

On September 14, the New York League of Conservation Voters hosted an environmental candidate forum in Troy, NY, featuring Mayoral candidates Nina Nichols (D) and Carmella Mantello (R). Spectrum News reporter Kate Lisa moderated the program, which was held at the Arts Center of the Capital Region and co-sponsored by Clean + Healthy New York…

Each year, NYLCVEF works with local partners to hold nonpartisan candidate forums in and outside of our chapter areas. These forums connect voters to elected officials and candidates for office in federal, state and local races and give voters the chance to hear candidates speak directly about their position on environmental issues, a topic that…

On October 20th, 2021, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum with the candidates for Huntington Town Supervisor about their stance on a range of environmental and sustainability issues, hosted by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. Featuring Ed Smyth, Rebecca Sanin, and Eugene Cook.

On October 5th, 2021, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for New York Council District 32, which is a coastal district and climate frontline community. It centers around Jamaica Bay, Ozone Park, and the western half of the Rockaways and is currently occupied by Council Member Eric Ulrich. This forum was held on zoom in preparation for the November 2nd general election. The forum featured Democratic nominee Felicia Singh and Republican nominee Joann Ariola, and was moderated by NYLCV NYC Chapter Board Member Karen Mintzer. 

Primary Election Day is tomorrow! This year, voters in NYC will have the opportunity to participate in ranked-choice voting. We recently held a webinar on the system, which will be used for the first time in a major citywide election this Primary Day. The event discussed how to fill in your ballot, how your responses are used to elect the winners, how candidates are using the systems while campaigning, and why the system was enacted.

We convened New York City Mayoral candidates to share their views on a variety of sustainability issues in a series of taped interviews. We asked questions on issues including air quality, water quality, parks and open space, public transportation, climate adaptation, composting, and green infrastructure. Watch the full video. Event Recap NYLCV President Julie Tight…

Throughout the month of February, we held a series of environmental candidate schools for those running for elected office in New York City.

On October 15th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF), Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Students for Climate Action (S4CA) held a candidate forum for New York Congressional Districts 1 and 2, which cover a large part of Suffolk County and the southeastern portion of Nassau County. The forum took…

On September 29th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for New York Senate District 55, which covers parts of Monroe and Ontario Counties, to replace State Senator Rich Funke. The forum took place on Zoom ahead of the general election on November 3rd. NYLCVEF regularly holds…

Get Involved

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS