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Eric McClure
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC's Testimony to City Council on Vision Zero in News 2026-10-28 14:15:54 -0400
StreetsPAC's Testimony to City Council on Vision Zero
Yesterday, we testified at the New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's oversight hearing on Vision Zero. The hearing was billed as an evaluation of the city's street-safety strategy, and came six weeks after the Mamdani administration released Vision Zero Reimagined, its blueprint for building on the city's original 2014 Vision Zero plan. The hearing also covered several pieces of legislation, including Intro 1070-2026, Committee Chair Shaun Abreu's bill that would create a pilot program for low-traffic neighborhoods, and Intro 1153-2026, sponsored by Brooklyn Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, which would implement the "Stop Super Speeders" program authorized this year by the state legislature.
Our full testimony follows below.
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State General Election Voter Guide in News 2026-10-20 11:54:37 -0400
StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State General Election Voter Guide
We're excited to bring you our 2026 New York State general election voter guide, featuring our endorsements of 39 candidates running statewide – nine for the State Senate and 30 for Assembly seats – along with an endorsement in the lone New York City Council race and recommendations on two of New York City's five ballot proposals.
Our endorsees include 14 incumbents, five candidates challenging sitting officeholders, and 20 candidates, several of whom defeated incumbents in primaries, vying for open seats. For the first time since we launched StreetsPAC in 2013, we are endorsing a truly statewide slate of candidates who are running in races from Suffolk County to Erie County.
We began to look at races across the state in earnest in 2024, and the number of candidate questionnaire responses we received from beyond New York City more than quadrupled this year. We've expanded the scope of our work for two reasons. First, many of New York City's most important street-safety and transportation measures, including our speed and red-light camera programs and MTA funding, require state legislative approval; and secondly, cities, towns and villages across New York State stand to benefit from complete-streets initiatives, reduced speed limits, and development of multi-use paths, among many other policies, the same way New York City does.
In-person early voting for the November 3 general election begins this coming Saturday, October 24, which is also the deadline to register to vote in the election if you are not already a registered voter. If you live within New York City's five boroughs, you can check your registration status, confirm your early-voting and election-day polling locations, and find other important election-related information at vote.nyc. If you live elsewhere in New York State, you can find similar information at elections.ny.gov. We've included links to Ballotpedia entries, which include maps, for each of the districts in which we're endorsing, listed in the individual endorsement statements that follow below.
Early voting will continue daily through Sunday, November 1, with varying hours, in advance of election day on November 3, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your early-voting and election day voting sites, which may be different, and check early-voting hours at findmypollsite.vote.nyc if you vote in New York City, and at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov if you vote anywhere else in New York State.
We couldn't be more thrilled about this slate of candidates, both in the degree of their commitment to the issues for which StreetsPAC advocates and in the scope of the districts they seek to represent, and we urge you to join us in supporting them. Read on below to learn more about each of our endorsees, including important aspects of their visions for street safety and transportation policy. Candidates are listed below by legislative body (Senate first, then Assembly), and in ascending order by district number. For each of our endorsees, we've included links that will take you directly to information about helping with and/or donating to their campaigns.
State Senate | State Assembly | Council District 3 | NYC Ballot Proposals
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2026 NYS Primary Election
2026 State Senate Endorsees: Queens | Brooklyn | Manhattan | Beyond New York City
New York City
Steven Raga, 12th State Senate District, Queens (Open Seat) – Steven Raga, who has represented the 30th Assembly District since 2023, is running to fill the sizable shoes of Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, who opted not to seek re-election, in the overlapping 12th State Senate District. Assemblymember Raga is the sponsor of a bill that would authorize New York City to launch a pilot program to automate enforcement of parking violations like obstruction of fire hydrants and crosswalks and double-parking, as, in his words, "I'm for Mayor Mamdani making buses fast and free, but they're not going to be faster if you have a bunch of double-parked cars." While he's open-minded about a careful, data-transparent pilot program for automated vehicles, he believes transportation policy should be focused on strengthening the MTA, improving subway and bus service, and investing in safer street design. He's opposed to attempts to license and register Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, but supports increased regulation of faster models. We also felt very positively about his opponent in the Democratic primary, community organizer Aber Kawas, but while both candidates are largely aligned with us on transportation policy, we believe Assemblymember Raga's experience in Albany gives him an edge. You can support Steven Raga's campaign here.
Jessica González-Rojas, 13th State Senate District, Queens (Challenger) – Jessica González-Rojas, who won her 34th Assembly District seat in 2020 with StreetsPAC's endorsement, is challenging incumbent Jessica Ramos in the overlapping 13th State Senate District. During her first term in the Assembly, "JGR" introduced and passed the MTA Bike Access bill, which became law in 2021 and mandates the creation of a strategic plan to facilitate access to the MTA's bridges and stations. Her "Green New Northern" plan calling for the redesign of dangerous Northern Boulevard led to new dedicated bus lanes, and she continues to advocate for the addition of micro-mobility lanes on Northern. Assemblymember González-Rojas was one of the legislature's fiercest proponents of Sammy's Law, and she championed the creation of Paseo Park, which was born of the 34th Avenue Open Street. She survived getting run over while in a crosswalk in 2024, which left her with a broken arm but doubled her resolve around street-safety issues. You can volunteer to help Jessica González-Rojas' State Senate campaign here.
Jabari Brisport, 25th State Senate District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Jabari Brisport won his State Senate seat in 2020 with our endorsement, and he's been a reliable supporter of safer streets and better public transit ever since. He gets around the city by bus and subway and Citi Bike, and he believes that progressive transportation policies are inextricably tied to fighting climate change and making the city greener and healthier. He opposes efforts to saddle the use of Class 1 and 2 e-bikes with burdensome regulations, which he thinks would greatly hamper their adoption, instead supporting expansion and upgrading of citywide bike infrastructure as the means to improve cycling safety. But while he's a critic of over-criminalization, he does think that confiscation of illegal and unsafe e-motos and similar devices would help discourage their proliferation. He's also receptive to the idea of developing legislation that would require the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to retest drivers who've caused crashes resulting in deaths, injuries, or property damage. You can help support Jabari Brisport's re-election effort here.
Grace Lee, 27th State Senate District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Grace Lee, who has represented the overlapping 65th Assembly District since 2022, is running to succeed Brian Kavanagh, who surprised a lot of people, us included, when he announced that he would not seek re-election. Assemblymember Lee would like to see increased urgency around efforts to improve safety on Canal Street, citing the crash that killed Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok last July as evidence of the need for significant design changes. She helped secure a commitment for an elevator at the busy Delancey Street subway station funded by revenue from congestion pricing, which she supports and believes is working, though she's advocating to make the resident income exemption easier to access. Assemblymember Lee would like to see the State DMV enhance driver-education efforts, retest drivers who commit multiple violations, and consider periodic retesting for license holders as they grow older. She opposes registration and licensing for Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, though she supports the 15-mph speed cap on pedal-assist Citi Bikes, which she rides often. We also had a very good interview with the other candidate in the Democratic primary, Yuh-Line Niou, the previous Assemblymember for the 65th District, who was also closely aligned with us on transportation policy, but there were a few areas in which we leaned to Ms. Lee. You can volunteer with Grace Lee's campaign here.Beyond New York City
Evan Menist, 39th State Senate District, Dutchess, Orange & Putnam Counties (Challenger) – Evan Menist, who currently serves as co-Executive Director of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and as an elected member of Poughkeepsie's Common Council, is running in the Democratic primary in this Hudson Valley district for the right to challenge incumbent State Senator Rob Rollison. Mr. Menist has worked in various capacities in state, county, and local government. In his four terms on the Council, he's worked to enact a new comprehensive plan, to install new stop signs and other traffic-calming measures, and to rezone to allow for more density accompanied by enhanced tenant protections. He teamed up with Northern Dutchess NAACP to repeal Poughkeepsie's bicycle-registration law after he discovered that it was being used to stop people of color disproportionately and justify unlawful searches, and he's currently pushing for the installation of speed cameras on Poughkeepsie's arterial roadways. Mr. Menist is also interested in "trails to rails" efforts to restore train service on abandoned rail rights of way. You can donate to or volunteer with Evan Menist's campaign by clicking the links.2026 State Assembly Endorsees: Queens | Brooklyn | Manhattan | Beyond New York City
Pesach Osina, 23rd Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Pesach Osina, a senior staff member for the past several years in the City Council Speaker's office, is running in the Democratic primary to succeed Stacey Pheffer Amato in this southern Queens district. His top transportation priority is bringing the QueensLink project to fruition, which would reactivate the LIRR's abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch as an extension of the city's subway system and could double transit service to the Rockaways. His most urgent short-term goal is to improve bus service in the district, especially to speed up the trip from one end of the Rockaway peninsula to the other. He's also a strong supporter of expanding access to the Fair Fares program by raising income thresholds and streamlining enrollment. Mr. Osina will advocate for a state-level integrated study to explore how transportation and street safety can be improved throughout the district, and he'd like to see the ferry operate more frequently. You can sign up to volunteer with his campaign here.
Patrick Martinez, 30th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Patrick Martinez is running to succeed Steven Raga as the Assemblymember representing Queens's 30th District. A member of the generally progressive Queens Community Board 2, he's a regular straphanger who's never owned a car and says his main form of transportation is a bicycle. Mr. Martinez notes that more than half of the district's residents rely on public transit, and it's a driving factor in why he strongly supports the IBX. He also backs the QueensLink initiative aimed at bringing rail service back to the long-defunct Rockaway Beach Branch, and he plans to advocate for a new LIRR station in the district. In terms of street safety, Mr. Martinez believes both Roosevelt Avenue and Broadway are in need of significant redesigns, and he thinks that drivers who accumulate a certain number of license points for dangerous violations should be required to undergo some type of retesting. You can support Patrick Martinez's Assembly campaign here.
Brian Romero, 34th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Brian Romero, who most recently was chief of staff for State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, previously served in the same role for several years for Jessica González-Rojas, whom he is running to succeed in the Assembly. He played a key role in the passage of the MTA Bike Access bill, handling many of the negotiations with the MTA and Assembly central staff around the legislation's details. Mr. Romero intends to continue the push for improvements on Northern Boulevard, and for better elevator access along the elevated #7 subway line. He plans to ask for a position on the Corporations Committee in the Assembly so he can push the MTA to make the same kind of progress with the bike-parking aspect of the Bike Access law that it has with bridge improvements, advocate for robust bike-parking facilities at future IBX stations, and add his voice to the campaign for fast and free buses. You can contribute to Brian Romero's election effort here.
Diana Moreno, 36th Assembly District, Queens (Incumbent) – Diana Moreno, who won the special election in February to succeed Zohran Mamdani as the Assemblymember representing Astoria and Long Island City, is running in the Democratic primary for the same office. She's committed to leading on issues of traffic safety, and was a regular cyclist before becoming a mother not long ago. She now primarily gets around the city by subway and bus, at least for the time being. Assemblymember Moreno has been a vocal supporter of New York City DOT's efforts to install a protected bike lane on Queens's 31st Street, and she's opposed to efforts to require licensing and registration for Class 1 and 2 e-bikes. She's also open to pushing for reforms to the Department of Motor Vehicles, including the possibility of periodic retesting of drivers. You can volunteer to help Diana Moreno win her primary race here.
Samantha Kattan, 37th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Samantha Kattan, a tenant organizer and Democratic Socialist, is running to succeed Claire Valdez, who's in turn running for Congress, in this western Queens Assembly District that includes Ridgewood, Sunnyside, Maspeth, and a portion of Woodside. Kattan has a master's degree in urban planning, and told us that one of her goals is to make cities less car-dependent. A regular cyclist before having her now-one-year-old daughter, she lists improving the district's cycling infrastructure as one of her top street-safety priorities, along with investing in bus service and prioritizing bus right-of-way. She supports wider implementation of lower speed limits, and favors legislation, like Stop Super Speeders, that seeks to modify driver behavior without being overly punitive. We also thought highly of Pia Rahman, who is one of Ms. Kattan's rivals in the Democratic primary and shares her commitment to prioritizing street safety, but we believe Samantha Kattan is best equipped to be the next Assemblymember. You can find information about helping her campaign here.
David Orkin, 38th Assembly District, Queens (Challenger) – David Orkin, an immigrant-rights attorney and union organizer, is challenging incumbent Jenifer Rajkumar in this central Queens Assembly district. A dedicated cyclist who regularly walks to work, he plans to push for design changes to the district's three major arterial roadways–Jamaica Avenue, Woodhaven Boulevard, and Atlantic Avenue–where he'd especially like to see more pedestrian space and better traffic controls. He'll advocate for action on cycling infrastructure, which is non-existent in the southern portion of the district, and for fast and free buses, which he thinks would greatly benefit the many neighborhoods that rely heavily on surface transit. Mr. Orkin opposes efforts to license and register Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, and calls Assemblymember Rajkumar's "Priscilla's Law" bill "incredibly overbroad." You can sign up to volunteer for David Orkin's campaign here.
Catalina Cruz, 39th Assembly District, Queens (Incumbent) – Catalina Cruz earned our endorsement when she first won her Assembly seat in 2018, and in every election since. She's been a strong supporter of Paseo Park along Jackson Heights' 34th Avenue, one of her district's borders, and she worked closely with us in 2020 while assembling a coalition of elected officials who pressed the city for safer Open Street designs. Assemblymember Cruz opposes the licensing and registration of e-bikes, which she thinks would be deeply detrimental to her community's large working-immigrant population. On the transit front, she's a supporter of the IBX project, for which the northern terminus will be adjacent to her district, and she would like to see the MTA reconstruct and reopen the Long Island Railroad's Elmhurst Station, which would relieve crowding on the 7 line. You can volunteer for Catalina Cruz's re-election campaign here.
Brian Cunningham, 43rd Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Brian Cunningham won our endorsement in 2022 to his first full term in the Assembly after winning a special election in March of that year. As a member of the Assembly's Transportation Committee, he co-sponsored the speed-camera reauthorization bill that paved the way for the wide expansion of the program in New York City. He's the prime sponsor of legislation that would authorize the use of cameras on city street sweepers to enforce alternate-side parking violations, which he's let Assembly leadership know is a priority (it is for DSNY, too), and he told us he's revising an overly broad e-bike regulation bill to focus more squarely on commercial app regulation. He's also open to working with advocates on a package of transportation- and street-safety-oriented legislation that could include a requirement for additional education and re-testing for drivers. Assemblymember Cunningham's opponent in the Democratic primary lists concerns about protected bike lanes as the first item on his website's Issues page, so the choice for voters in the 43rd District is an easy one.
Emily Gallagher, 50th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Emily Gallagher has been a tremendous champion for street safety and public transit since winning her seat in 2020 with our backing against one of the Assembly's most senior incumbents. She led the fight to redesign dangerous McGuinness Boulevard, for which the city broke ground on the final segment last week, and which garnered her a well-funded primary opponent in 2024. Her Stop Super Speeders bill, mandating the installation of speed-limiting technology in the vehicles of drivers with significant numbers of speeding tickets, just passed as part of the state budget. She would like to see the city reopen some of her district's discontinued Open Streets, and is committed to advocating for further design enhancements to Berry Street. Assemblymember Gallagher was a staunch ally in bringing congestion pricing to fruition, and has been a consistent advocate for G train riders. You can volunteer to help Emily Gallagher's re-election effort here.
Jo Anne Simon, 52nd Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Jo Anne Simon has earned our support repeatedly during her dozen years in the legislature, which have been notable for her consistency in sponsoring or co-sponsoring numerous bills aimed at making streets safer and public transit more reliable, including her bill that would end New York City's opt-out from statewide daylighting laws. She's a long-time member of the Assembly's Transportation Committee, and is the prime sponsor of a bill that would codify pedal-assist e-bikes as bicycles. Assemblymember Simon has been a champion for accessibility and improved bus service, especially for restoring Brooklyn's B71 bus route and for adding service between Red Hook and lower Manhattan, and she believes it's well within the purview of the legislature to work with the governor to reform the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' licensing procedures. She was named the New York League of Conservation Voters's 2025 Environmental Champion in the Assembly for her work on sustainability issues. You can contribute to Jo Anne Simon's re-election effort here.
Christian Celeste Tate, 54th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Challenger) – Christian Celeste Tate, a Democratic Socialist and strategy consultant who works with philanthropies and non-profits to address poverty and inequality, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Erik Dilan in this district that spans Brooklyn's Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and East New York neighborhoods. As First Vice Chair and chair of the Transportation Committee, he's helped steer Brooklyn Community Board 4 in a more progressive direction, supporting full accessibility for the Broadway Junction station, resisting efforts to require universal licensing and registration for e-bikes, and passing a unanimous resolution opposing the NYPD's issuing of criminal summonses for cycling infractions. He's committed to using his influence in the legislature to push for both better bus service and cycling infrastructure in East New York. He hopes to tap into the same voter energy that he helped marshal as the East New York field lead for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. You can volunteer with Christian Celeste Tate's Assembly campaign here.
Eon Tyrell Huntley, 56th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Challenger) – We endorsed Eon Tyrell Huntley when he challenged incumbent Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman in 2024, and we're doing so again in June's Democratic primary. Mr. Huntley, a retail worker, former PTA president, and Democratic Socialist, is a regular subway commuter and Citi Bike member who's a proponent of expanding and improving protected biking infrastructure in Bed-Stuy. He supports universal daylighting, as well as the mayor's call for fast and free buses, and believes it's important to extend the bike share program into places like East New York. He thinks the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles should be much more proactive in addressing unsafe driving, and should entertain protocols like retesting drivers who accumulate a certain number of violations for dangerous driving behaviors. You can help Eon Tyrell Huntley win his primary race by signing up here.
Jibreel Jalloh, 59th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Challenger) – Jibreel Jalloh, a community organizer, Obama Fellow, and former Brooklyn Borough Advocate for the Office of the Public Advocate, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Jaime Williams in the Democratic primary in this district that abuts Jamaica Bay. He's keenly aware of the transportation challenges facing the district, a subway desert that also lacks adequate bus service, leading to commutes that are 50% longer than the NYC average. It's a reason that he's excited about the IBX, which will almost reach Canarsie, and why he's worked with Transportation Alternatives to advocate for ferry service. He plans to seek a seat on the Assembly's Transportation Committee, and will push the MTA to conduct a comprehensive study of the district's transit needs. Mr. Jalloh would like to see cycling infrastructure improved, with both bike lanes and secure parking facilities, as a last-mile solution. He's also open to supporting better biking access on the Marine Parkway Bridge. You can sign up to volunteer with Jibreel Jalloh's campaign here.
Illapa Sairitupac, 65th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Illapa Sairitupac first came to our attention in 2022, when he ran a competitive second in the Democratic primary to Grace Lee, who went on to win this Assembly seat and is now running for the overlapping State Senate district. A tenant organizer and immigrant-rights activist, he believes strongly that we must reshape our built environment to livability, safety, accessibility, and sustainability, and he cites Canal Street as a prime candidate for that type of transformation. He supports pedestrianizing large parts of downtown, and backs NYC DOT's efforts to implement a two-way protected bike lane on Lafayette Street. He's opposed to regulating and licensing Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, but he does think that New York City should phase out Class 3 models and adopt a "20 is plenty" approach, including wide-ranging speed limit reductions under Sammy's Law, while also regulating delivery apps much more aggressively. We also enjoyed our conversations with two of the other candidates vying for the seat, Lilah Mejia and Jasmin Sanchez, but Mr. Sairitupac's full embrace of congestion pricing was among the distinctions that separated his candidacy. You can sign up to help Illapa Sairitupac's campaign here.
Ryder Kessler, 66th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Ryder Kessler, the co-founder of Abundance NY and a former progressive organizer and social-impact entrepreneur, is our choice to succeed Deborah Glick, who is retiring from the Assembly. He believes there are far better uses for many of the three million curbside spaces the city devotes to free parking, like wider sidewalks, universal daylighting, containerized trash receptacles, and dedicated busways – as well as a universal, integrated citywide network of protected bike lanes. He notes that 95% of the residents of the district don't commute by car, and that the design of the streetscape should reflect that. A convert to fast and free buses, he thinks there are a number of ways to increase MTA funding so it's not a question of buses or subways, but both. Given his work in voter protection, he believes there are models for states to share car-registration data that will greatly reduce insurance fraud. We were fortunate to have five of the six Democratic primary candidates in this race participate in our process, and we thought that Jeannine Kiely and David Siffert made good impressions in particular, but we feel strongly that Mr. Kessler, whom we also endorsed for this seat in 2022, is the best choice. You can help Ryder Kessler win his race by volunteering here or donating here.
Eli Northrup, 69th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Eli Northrup is running to succeed Micah Lasher, who's running for Congress, in this Upper West Side Assembly district. Mr. Northrup, who finished second to Mr. Lasher two years ago, impressed us to the point that we remained neutral in the 2024 primary race. He's a public defender in the Bronx, and has already spent considerable time in Albany advocating for criminal-justice reforms. Given his experience, he has concerns about disparities in traffic enforcement, and has a strong preference for restorative justice, mandatory education, and escalating fines over suspending licenses and registrations. As someone who gets around by public transit and bike, he's pledged to be a clear voice for fast and free buses in the Assembly, and as someone who regularly rides a pedal-assist Citi Bike, he'll oppose efforts to license and register Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, while working to regulate delivery apps and advocate for better street design. You can volunteer to help Eli Northrup get elected here.
Jeannette Garcia, 90th Assembly District, Yonkers (Open Seat) – Jeannette Garcia, a labor organizer and immigration attorney, is running in the Democratic primary to succeed Assemblymember Nader Sayegh, who is not running for re-election. The time she spent in Barcelona earning her master's degree, traveling everywhere on the city's extensive and very affordable bike-share system, informs her belief that Yonkers can do much more to offer alternatives to driving. Given the high proportion of residents who commute to New York City, she is committed to advocating for across-the-board transportation improvements, from improved Metro North service to Bee Line bus expansion to investments in last-mile solutions like protected bike lanes and bike share. Ms. Garcia also believes that New York State's DMV should require mandatory defensive-driving education when people renew licenses. You can sign up to volunteer with Jeannette Garcia's campaign, or donate, here.
Janet Tweed, 102nd Assembly District, Schoharie & Greene Counties (Open Seat) – Janet Tweed, a physical therapist and trustee of the Village of Delhi, is running in the Democratic primary for the open seat held currently by Chris Tague, who is running for State Senate. She was the Democratic nominee for the seat in 2024. A regular bike commuter when she lived in Philadelphia and Chicago, she's been involved in complete-streets efforts at the village, town, and county levels, and supported lowering local speed limits to 25 mph after the state allowed municipal control, which she notes has definitely made a difference. She's had a hand in getting rid of antiquated parking requirements to spur economic activity and improve walkability in downtown areas, and she's supportive of a proposed Albany bill that would levy a $25 fee on car registrations dedicated to upstate transit funding, though she knows it will be unpopular in her transit-starved rural district. We also had a good interview with Thomas Boomhower, who's running in the Democratic primary as well, but we felt Ms. Tweed had the edge given her experience. You can contribute to Janet Tweed's campaign for Assembly here.
Sam Hodge, 106th Assembly District, Columbia & Dutchess Counties (Challenger) – Sam Hodge, NYU's Title 9 coordinator and a former prosecutor in the Bronx District Attorney's office, is challenging incumbent Didi Barrett for the Assembly seat representing Columbia and Dutchess counties, including the city of Poughkeepsie. He's served as chair of the Democratic Party in Columbia County for the past four years, and during his tenure the party has flipped every county seat and raised more money than any county party north of Westchester. He supports retesting drivers who accumulate repeated moving violations, and believes the New York State DMV should require completion of a safety module when drivers are renewing their licenses. As a junior prosecutor in the Bronx, Mr. Hodge handled DWI and suspended-license cases and saw many repeat violators, which informs his belief that government needs to provide more tools for holding dangerous drivers accountable. He's committed to fighting for better public transit options in the district, and he opposes efforts to license and register Class 1 and 2 e-bikes. You can contribute to Sam Hodge's campaign here.
Jon Lipe, 119th Assembly District, Utica & Rome/Oneida County (Open Seat) – Jon Lipe, who was until recently a congressional staffer, is running in the Democratic primary to succeed Marianne Buttenschon, who is not seeking re-election. He attended American University in Washington, D.C. and then worked for several years on Capitol Hill, and the walkable, bikeable, car-free lifestyle he was able to lead in Washington informs his vision of what Utica and Rome, at least in part, could be. He's committed to pushing for increased investment in those cities' public transit systems, which he views as a key component of revitalizing their downtown areas, something he believes can be accelerated by expanding sidewalks and eventually, building out a cycling network. Mr. Lipe is open to requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to mandate retesting for drivers who accumulate a significant number of moving violations, and he thinks there's a proactive role for DMV to play in notifying motorists about infrastructure changes like new roundabouts, bike lanes, and curb regulations. You can support Jon Lipe's campaign for Assembly here.
Maurice Brown, 129th Assembly District, Syracuse (Challenger) – Maurice "Mo" Brown, an Onondaga County legislator and organizer who also managed Anna Kelles's winning Assembly campaign in 2020, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli in June's Democratic primary. He's committed to fighting for increased funding for Centro, the region's public-transit system, to extend routes and enhance service, and for major upgrades to the city's bike infrastructure, with an emphasis on more protected lanes. He was very involved in the effort to tear down I-81, which runs through the center of Syracuse, advocating for the street-grid replacement that is being implemented, and he hopes to expand the city's scooter-share program to the entirety of Onondaga County before he leaves his current position. Mr. Brown primarily gets around the district on his e-bike, so he knows firsthand that efforts to require licensing and registration for Class 1 and 2 vehicles are misguided and counter-productive. You can help Mo Brown get elected by donating to his campaign here.
Adam Bojak, 149th Assembly District, Buffalo (Open Seat) – Adam Bojak, who represents people in family court who can't afford an attorney and also offers free legal advice to tenants, is running in the Democratic primary to succeed Jon Rivera, who's running for State Senate. He lives in Buffalo with his wife and two pre-school-aged kids, and concern for their wellbeing is key to his commitment to safer streets. He'd like to see major improvements to Buffalo's cycling infrastructure, and he's committed to seeking increased funding for NFTA-Metro, which operates the region's buses and very limited rail options, in order to expand service. Mr. Bojak would make revitalizing Buffalo's downtown a focus, and will seek positions on the Assembly's transportation and housing committees to help facilitate that work. A Democratic Socialist, he's earned the endorsement of multiple DSA chapters, and the Working Families Party. You can contribute to Adam Bojak's campaign here. -
Eric McClure published Announcing StreetsPACs Next Round of 2026 New York State Legislative Endorsements in News 2026-10-08 10:30:15 -0400
Announcing StreetsPAC's Latest Round of 2026 New York State Legislative Endorsements
We're thrilled today to announce our endorsements of 17 candidates running in November's general election for the New York State Legislature, five for State Senate and a dozen for the Assembly. They join the 21 winning candidates whom we endorsed ahead of June's primary election in forming a slate that includes races across the entirety of New York State, from Suffolk County to Erie County, the first time we've endorsed in races statewide.
This new group of endorsees includes seven incumbents, five candidates challenging sitting officeholders, and five candidates vying for open seats. Building upon our statewide success in June's primaries – we backed winning candidates in the Hudson Valley, Syracuse, Utica, and Buffalo – nearly two-thirds of our newly endorsed candidates are running for seats on Long Island or in upstate districts.
We began in earnest to look at races across the state in 2024, and the number of candidate questionnaire responses we received from beyond New York City has more than quadrupled this year. We've expanded the scope of our work for two reasons. First, many of New York City's most important street-safety and transportation measures, including our speed and red-light camera programs and MTA funding, require state legislative approval; and secondly, cities, towns and villages across New York State stand to benefit from complete-streets initiatives, reduced speed limits, and development of multi-use paths, among many other policies.
In-person early voting for the November 3 general election begins on Saturday, October 24, which is also the deadline to register if you are not already a registered voter. If you live within New York City's five boroughs, you can check your registration status, confirm your early-voting and election-day polling locations, and find other important election-related information at vote.nyc. If you live elsewhere in New York State, you can find similar information at elections.ny.gov. We've included links to Ballotpedia entries, which include maps, for each of the districts in which we're endorsing, listed in the individual endorsement statements that follow below.
Early voting will continue daily through Sunday, November 1, with varying hours, in advance of election day on November 3, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your early-voting and election day voting sites, which may be different, and check early-voting hours at findmypollsite.vote.nyc if you vote in New York City, and at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov if you vote anywhere else in New York State.
We couldn't be more excited about this slate of candidates, both in the degree of their commitment to the issues for which StreetsPAC advocates and in the scope of the districts they seek to represent, and we urge you to join us in supporting them. Read on below to learn more about each of our endorsees, including important aspects of their visions for street safety and transportation policy. Candidates are listed below by legislative body (Senate first, then Assembly), and in ascending order by district number. For each of our endorsees, we've included links that will take you directly to information about helping with and/or donating to their campaigns.
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Eric McClure published One More Time for the People in the Back: Safer Streets and Better Transit Aren't Just Good Policy, They're Good Politics! in News 2026-06-25 15:57:10 -0400
One More Time for the People in the Back: Safer Streets and Better Transit Aren't Just Good Policy, They're Good Politics!
Primary Election Results
When the early returns on Tuesday's primary election started coming in shortly after the polls closed, we posted to our Bluesky account that it was shaping up as a big night for Zohran Mamdani and NYC-DSA. That was accurate, as candidates endorsed by New York City's Mayor won every one of their races, and Democratic Socialist candidates nearly did the same. But it was also not quite the full story.
That's because as returns rolled in, the candidates we endorsed also had an outstanding night. While we didn't win every race, 20 of our 28 endorsees won their elections outright on Tuesday, and two others are leading in contests that remain too close to call, but look very promising. Streetsblog NYC has a great rundown here.
It's further validation of a point we've been making for a long time: safer streets and better public transit aren't just good policy – they're good politics. Time and again, candidates who embrace progressive transportation policies, rather than run away from them, are coming out on top. You have to look no further than the aforementioned Mayor Mamdani for evidence of that.
Three of our endorsees in New York City-based Assembly races – David Orkin, Christian Celeste Tate, and Eon Huntley – defeated incumbents with mixed records, at best, on transportation issues. And in Syracuse, Maurice Brown holds a narrow lead in his primary against William Magnarelli, whose tenure as Assembly Transportation Chair has been less than stellar. Streetsblog Empire State has more on that race here.
While on the topic of upstate contests, we made endorsements in six races besides Mr. Brown's. Three of those endorsees won, and two of them, Jon Lipe in Oneida County and Adam Bojak in Buffalo, are almost certain to win in November. The same is true for Mo Brown if his lead holds up once all ballots are counted.
Even in some of the races in which our endorsees came up short, notably Queens's 12th State Senate District and Manhattan's 66th Assembly District, the winning candidates impressed us and are sure to embrace progressive positions on street safety and transit when they take office.
We want to offer or congratulations and gratitude to all of our endorsees, and our deep appreciation to every one of the dozens of candidates who put in the time and effort to participate in our endorsement process. We will continue our work over the summer, and expect to make a number of additional endorsements ahead of the general election. Stay tuned!
Andrew Gounardes Birthday Fundraiser
Speaking of elected officials who embrace progressive transportation policies, there's nobody in Albany who's stepped up on that front more than State Senator Andrew Gounardes. That's why we've signed on as co-hosts for his birthday fundraiser on Wednesday, July 1st, in DUMBO.
Andrew's been an unequivocal champion for all things street safety since he was elected in 2018, and most recently, his Stop Super Speeders bill passed in the budget during the recently concluded legislative session. Please join us to celebrate his accomplishments and leadership. RSVP here.
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Election Voter Guide in News 2026-06-22 14:13:20 -0400
StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Election Voter Guide
There's a primary election today across New York State, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you haven't already cast your ballot by mail or during early voting, today's your last chance to vote!
Our voting guide, presented in full below, features our endorsements of 27 candidates running for State Senate and Assembly throughout New York State, plus one more for New York City Council.
Our 2026 primary endorsees for the legislature include six incumbents; nine candidates running against, or for the right to face, a sitting incumbent; and a dozen candidates vying for open seats. We've endorsed candidates in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, as well as in a number of districts beyond New York City, from Yonkers to Buffalo.
We're especially excited about the many terrific candidates we've encountered from outside New York City. We began making an effort to look at races across the state two years ago, and the number of candidate questionnaire responses we received from beyond the city has more than quadrupled this year. Our interest in looking to districts in upstate New York and on Long Island is two-fold. First, many of New York City's most important street-safety and transportation measures, including speed and red-light camera programs and transit funding, require state legislative approval; and secondly, cities, towns and villages across the state stand to benefit from complete-streets initiatives, reduced speed limits, and development of multi-use paths, among other policies.
There's also a New York City election, for Manhattan's 3rd City Council District, in which Carl Wilson, who won a special election with our endorsement in April, has to run again in the Democratic primary thanks to the quirks of election law.
If you live in New York City, you can check your registration status, confirm where to vote, and find other important election-related information at vote.nyc. If you live outside New York City, you can find similar info at elections.ny.gov.
If you only need to double-check your poll site, you can do that at findmypollsite.vote.nyc if you vote in New York City, and at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov if you vote elsewhere in New York State.
We're truly energized about this year's crop of candidates, both in the depth of their commitment to the issues for which StreetsPAC advocates and in the scope of the districts they seek to represent, and we urge you to join us in supporting them. Turnout is expected to be limited, so your vote can make a real difference. Read on below to learn more about each of our endorsees, including important aspects of their visions for street safety and transportation. Candidates are listed below by legislative body (Senate first, then Assembly, then New York City Council), and in ascending order by district number. You can jump to different sections using the links below, and if you have time to volunteer tomorrow, we've included links for most of our endorsees that will take you directly to information about helping out with their campaigns.
Jump to: State Senate | State Assembly | Council District 3
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Voter Guide in News 2026-06-12 16:35:06 -0400
StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Voter Guide
Early voting for New York State's June 23 primary election gets underway tomorrow, and we're excited to bring you our voting guide, featuring our endorsements of 27 candidates running for New York State's Legislature, five for State Senate and 22 for the Assembly – plus one more for New York City Council.
Our 2026 state endorsees include six incumbents; nine candidates running against, or for the right to face, a sitting incumbent; and a dozen candidates vying for open seats. We've endorsed candidates running in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and as in 2024, a number of districts outside New York City, spanning Yonkers to Buffalo.
We're especially happy about the many terrific candidates we've encountered from well beyond the five boroughs. We began making an effort to look at races across New York State in 2024, and the number of candidate questionnaire responses we received from outside the city has more than quadrupled this year. Our interest in looking to districts on Long Island and in upstate New York is two-fold. First, many of New York City's most important street-safety and transportation measures, including speed and red-light camera programs and transit funding, require state legislative approval; and secondly, cities, towns and villages across the state stand to benefit from complete-streets initiatives, reduced speed limits, and development of multi-use paths, among other policies.
There's also the one New York City election, for Manhattan's 3rd City Council District, where our co-endorsee in April's special election, Carl Wilson, who won that race, has to run again in the Democratic primary thanks to the quirks of election law.
In-person early voting for the primary begins Saturday, June 13, which is also the deadline to register if you are not already a registered voter. If you live within New York City, you can check your registration status, confirm your early-voting and election-day polling locations, and find other important election-related information at vote.nyc. If you live outside the city, you can find similar information at elections.ny.gov. We've included links to Ballotpedia entries, which include maps, or links to similar information, for each of the districts in which we're endorsing, listed in the individual endorsement statements that follow below.
Early voting will continue every day through Sunday, June 21, with varying hours, in advance of the primary on Tuesday, June 23, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your early-voting and Primary Day voting sites, which may be different, and check early-voting hours at findmypollsite.vote.nyc if you vote in New York City, and at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov if you vote elsewhere in New York State.
We're truly energized about this year's crop of candidates, both in the depth of their commitment to the issues for which StreetsPAC advocates and in the scope of the districts they seek to represent, and we urge you to join us in supporting them. Read on below to learn more about each of our endorsees, including important aspects of their visions for street safety and transportation. Candidates are listed below by legislative body (Senate first, then Assembly, then New York City Council), and in ascending order by district number. You can jump to different sections using the links below, and for each of our endorsees, we've included a link that will take you directly to information about volunteering with their campaigns, if available.
Jump to: State Senate | State Assembly | Council District 3
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2026 NYC CD3 Special Election
Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson (Co-Endorsement), Council District 3, Manhattan (Open Seat) – The race to succeed Erik Bottcher came down to a coin toss for us, and given that this is a ranked-choice election, we thought it best to leave the coin toss to the voters. We found almost nothing to nitpick in the questionnaire responses that Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson submitted, and their interviews revealed that they share a commitment to making streets safer and the transit system more robust and reliable.
Lindsey Boylan came to prominence in 2021 when she became the first person to document harassment by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. She has a background in urban planning, and managed some of the city's most noteworthy public spaces before joining the state's Economic Development Corporation. Ms. Boylan, a regular cyclist, supports pedestrianizing more of Broadway, expanding School Streets, and implementing universal daylighting. She's opposed to efforts to require licensing and registration for low-speed Class I and II e-bikes, while she acknowledges the importance of better regulating delivery apps and keeping illegal e-moto devices off city streets. She's a strong advocate for universal daylighting, and is determined to play a significant role in shaping the future of the soon-to-be redeveloped Port Authority Bus Terminal. Ms. Boylan has earned the endorsement of the Working Families Party, along with the support of several progressive current and former elected officials including Mayor Mamdani, Julia Salazar, Tiffany Cabán, and Brad Lander.Carl
Wilson has spent most of the last decade working in the City Council, first managing constituent services for then-Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and more recently as Chief of Staff to the Council Member he is running to succeed, Erik Bottcher. He moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, but gravitated to activism after the 2016 presidential election, co-founding the progressive Hell's Kitchen Democrats. Mr. Wilson is committed to fighting to fully fund the Department of Transportation's staffing and capital needs to help it better meet Streets Plan benchmarks, and supports reallocating curb space to daylight intersections and to add features like bike parking and loading zones, as well as to improve accessibility. He too opposes the licensing and registration of Class I and II e-bikes, believing that the city should focus on better street design and infrastructure and app accountability, along with enforcement that's fair and targeted to truly unsafe behavior. Mr. Wilson has won the endorsements of a significant number of elected officials whose districts overlap the 3rd Council District, including Manhattan BP Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Tony Simone, and is supported by the three most recent holders of the seat, former City Council Speakers Chris Quinn and Corey Johnson and the newly minted State Senator, Mr. Bottcher. -
Eric McClure published 2026 NYS Special Election (February) in Endorsements 2026-06-09 22:13:42 -0400
2026 NYS Special Election (February)
Diana Moreno, 36th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Diana Moreno, a union and immigrant organizer and working mother of a one-year-old, is our pick to succeed Zohran Mamdani as the Assemblymember representing Astoria and Long Island City.Ms. Moreno, who has earned the Democratic Party, Working Families Party, and NYC-DSA nominations for the special election, told us she's committed to leading on issues of traffic safety. A regular cyclist before she became a mother, she primarily gets around the city by subway and bus.
She rallied with advocates last December against the court decision ordering New York City DOT to remove a portion of Queens's 31st Street bike lane, and told us that she was deeply affected by the hit-and-run death of Amanda Servedio in 2024, which occurred near her home. She's a fan of the 31st Avenue Open Street, which is also close to where she lives.
Like the previous Assemblymember, Ms. Moreno believes that government should be a force for improving people's lives, including in systemically changing the way our streets are designed in order to prevent traffic crashes. She noted that the tragic death of Dolma Naadhun in the district three years ago gave rise to the campaign for universal daylighting in New York City, an effort she strongly supports.
She's open to pushing for reforms to the Department of Motor Vehicles, including the possibility of periodic retesting of drivers, and expressed concerns about the potential for proposed auto-insurance reforms to negatively impact crash victims. She also told us she would have no problem pushing back against legislation seeking to require licensing and registration for e-bikes, citing both barriers to usage and the effect on immigrant delivery workers, and believes a better approach would be to more effectively regulate delivery-app companies and prevent the sale of illegal e-motos.
Keith Powers, 74th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Keith Powers, who recently completed his second of two terms in the City Council, is our choice to succeed Harvey Epstein in this Assembly district representing Manhattan's east side.A four-time StreetsPAC endorsee, Mr. Powers has been a reliable advocate for walking, biking, and public transit. He delivered on a number of transportation-related campaign promises while in the Council, including the extension of Sixth Avenue's protected bike lane to Central Park, the closing of the gap in the Second Avenue bike lane, and the creation of the 14th Street busway.
He was the author of the Council bill that created the city's e-bike, moped, and lithium-ion battery trade-in program, which was launched last year, and was a key supporter of NYC DOT's complete-street redesign of 3rd Avenue.
While campaigning for Borough President last year, Mr. Powers rode every one of Manhattan's bus routes, and issued a seven-point plan for improving bus service, which will come in handy given the Assembly's oversight role with the MTA. He also leveraged his influence over the Midtown South Mixed-Use rezoning proposal to compel the Adams administration to move forward with the 34th Street busway project.
If elected to the Assembly, Mr. Powers is committed to working to strengthen mechanisms for getting repeat dangerous drivers off the streets, and to ensuring that victims of traffic violence are not affected negatively by proposed insurance-reform efforts. He also pledges to oppose any efforts to require registration and licensing of Class I and II e-bikes.
Mr. Powers's opponent in the special election, Joseph Foley, an entrepreneur and small-business owner, regular transit rider, and dedicated cyclist, impressed us with his energy and thoughtfulness about transportation issues, but we believe Keith Powers is best prepared to serve the people of the 74th Assembly District.
A note about the Special Election for Manhattan's 47th State Senate District seat
We did not receive questionnaires from either candidate contesting the special election to succeed new Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the State Senate, which is likely due to the compressed timetable around the election and what would appear to be the lopsided nature of the race between sitting Democratic City Council Member Erik Bottcher and Republican candidate Charlotte Friedman. Mr. Bottcher has been a solid ally in the Council, and we expect he will win this race handily.
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Eric McClure published Announcing StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Endorsements! in News 2026-06-05 12:31:19 -0400
Announcing StreetsPAC's 2026 New York State Primary Endorsements!
We're excited today to announce our endorsement of 27 candidates running in the June 23 primary election for New York State's Legislature, five for State Senate and 22 for the Assembly.
Our 2026 endorsees include six incumbents; nine candidates running against, or for the right to face, a sitting incumbent; and a dozen candidates vying for open seats. We've endorsed candidates running in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and as in 2024, districts outside New York City, stretching from Yonkers to Buffalo. We'll also be making several more endorsements this summer in races without primaries, and will continue to consider additional endorsements in the general election in the coming months.
We're especially excited about the many terrific candidates we've encountered from well beyond the five boroughs. We began making an effort to look at races across New York State in 2024, and the number of candidate questionnaire responses we received from outside the city has more than quadrupled this year. Our interest in looking to districts on Long Island and in upstate New York is two-fold. First, many of New York City's most important street-safety and transportation measures, including speed and red-light camera programs and transit funding, require state legislative approval; and secondly, cities, towns and villages across the state stand to benefit from complete-streets initiatives, reduced speed limits, and development of multi-use paths, among other policies.
We also reviewed questionnaires from, and in many cases conducted interviews with, a number of other candidates from across New York City, including the Bronx, Staten Island, and Harlem, who didn't quite meet all of our criteria for endorsement. Nevertheless, we found more common ground than differences, and will remain in conversation with them on many important issues.
In-person early voting for the June 23 primary begins on Saturday, June 13, which is also the deadline to register if you are not already a registered voter. If you live within New York City, you can check your registration status, confirm your early-voting and election-day polling locations, and find other important election-related information at vote.nyc. If you live outside the city, you can find similar information at elections.ny.gov. We've included links to Ballotpedia entries, which include maps, or similar files, for each of the districts in which we're endorsing, listed in the individual endorsement statements that follow below.
Early voting will continue daily through Sunday, June 21, with varying hours, in advance of Primary Day, which is Tuesday, June 23, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your early-voting and Primary Day voting sites, which may be different, and check early-voting hours at findmypollsite.vote.nyc if you vote in New York City, and at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov if you vote elsewhere in New York State.
We're truly energized about this year's crop of candidates, both in the depth of their commitment to the issues for which StreetsPAC advocates and in the scope of the districts they seek to represent, and we urge you to join us in supporting them. Read on below to learn more about each of our endorsees, including important aspects of their visions for street safety and transportation. Candidates are listed below by legislative body (Senate first, then Assembly), and in ascending order by district number. For each of our endorsees, we've included a link that will take you directly to information about helping and/or donating to their campaigns.
Read more -
StreetsPAC's Special Election Voter Guide
Good morning! There's a special election today to fill the vacant seat in the New York City Council's 3rd District on the west side of Manhattan. Polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and if you're a registered voter of any party in the 3rd Council District, you can find your polling site here.
We've made a co-endorsement in this special election, and you can learn more below about the two terrific candidates whom we urge you to rank one-two, or two-one, in this non-partisan, ranked-choice contest.
Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson (Co-Endorsement), Council District 3, Manhattan (Open Seat) – The race to succeed Erik Bottcher in the City Council came down to a coin toss for us, and we opted to leave the coin toss to the voters. We found almost nothing to nitpick in the questionnaire responses that Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson submitted, and their interviews revealed that they share a commitment to making streets safer and the transit system more robust and reliable.
Lindsey Boylan came to prominence in 2021 when she became the first person to document harassment by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. She has a background in urban planning, and managed some of the city's most noteworthy public spaces before joining the state's Economic Development Corporation. Ms. Boylan, a regular cyclist, supports pedestrianizing more of Broadway, expanding School Streets, and implementing universal daylighting. She's opposed to efforts to require licensing and registration for low-speed Class I and II e-bikes, while she acknowledges the importance of better regulating delivery apps and keeping illegal e-moto devices off city streets. She's a strong advocate for universal daylighting, and is determined to play a significant role in shaping the future of the soon-to-be redeveloped Port Authority Bus Terminal. Ms. Boylan has earned the endorsement of the Working Families Party, along with the support of several progressive current and former elected officials including Mayor Mamdani, Julia Salazar, Tiffany Cabán, and Brad Lander.Carl
Wilson has spent most of the last decade working in the City Council, first managing constituent services for then-Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and more recently as Chief of Staff to the Council Member he is running to succeed, Erik Bottcher. He moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, but gravitated to activism after the 2016 presidential election, co-founding the progressive Hell's Kitchen Democrats. Mr. Wilson is committed to fighting to fully fund the Department of Transportation's staffing and capital needs to help it better meet Streets Plan benchmarks, and supports reallocating curb space to daylight intersections and to add features like bike parking and loading zones, as well as to improve accessibility. He rides a bike almost every day, and he too opposes the licensing and registration of Class I and II e-bikes, believing that the city should focus on better street design and infrastructure and app accountability, along with enforcement that's fair and targeted to truly unsafe behavior. Mr. Wilson has won the endorsements of many of the elected officials whose districts overlap the 3rd Council District, including Manhattan BP Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Tony Simone, and he's supported by the three most recent holders of the seat, former City Council Speakers Chris Quinn and Corey Johnson and the newly minted State Senator, Mr. Bottcher.We urge you to assign Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson the top two rankings on your ballot, in whichever order you see fit.
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Petition: Tell NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch that the Show Must Go On!
According to reporting from Streetsblog, the NYPD has killed NYC Department of Transportation plans to host as many as 20 World Cup viewing parties on city Open Streets and plazas in June and July. The overtime-loving police department claims it will be "overstretched during a busy summer that includes the World Cup games in the New York area and the nation’s 250th birthday party on July 4," according to Streetsblog.
For the vast majority of New Yorkers who can't afford exorbitantly priced FIFA match tickets, or even the absurdly inflated train fare to MetLife Stadium, outdoor viewing parties are were a fun and free way to root on your favorite team in a communal setting.
Sign the petition to tell NYPD Jessica Tisch that the show must go on!
To: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch
New Yorkers want to join fellow soccer fans to watch World Cup matches on the city's Open Streets and plazas, and NYC DOT had a plan to allow them to do just that – until NYPD said no. Don't use excuses about police resources to stand in the way of these fun, free, communal events!
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC Endorses Carl Wilson & Lindsey Boylan in City Council District 3 Special Election in News 2026-04-17 18:50:42 -0400
StreetsPAC Endorses Lindsey Boylan & Carl Wilson in City Council District 3 Special Election
Voters in the west side of Manhattan's 3rd Council District are fortunate to have a high-quality field of candidates to consider for the April 28th special election to replace former City Council Member Erik Bottcher, who resigned his position in February after winning a special election of his own to fill a vacant seat in the State Senate. And we were fortunate to have all of the candidates on the ballot participate in our endorsement process.
Each of the four candidates – Lindsey Boylan, Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Layla Law-Gisiko, and Carl Wilson – possesses an impressive résumé that involves extensive public service or community involvement, or a combination of the two. Each has garnered a number of meaningful endorsements. And each demonstrated a good amount of fluency around transportation and street-safety policies.
But as we went through our process, which involved a detailed questionnaire that probed positions on topics ranging from the NYC Streets Plan to micro-mobility policies to outdoor dining, as well as a personal interview with our board, two candidates separated themselves from the group – but not from each other. While we don't often make a co-endorsement, we are doing so in this case. You can read more about our co-endorsees below, but first, a little special-election housekeeping.
Early voting for the special election begins this Saturday, April 18th, and continues through the following Sunday, April 26th, with varying hours, while the main event takes place on Tuesday, April 28th, when the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Registered voters in Manhattan's 3rd Council District can find their early-voting and election-day polling sites and see a sample ballot here. The special election is a non-partisan, ranked-choice contest, and yes, there will likely be a primary in June.
Now, here are our endorsees for the 3rd Council District seat!
Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson (Co-Endorsement), Council District 3, Manhattan (Open Seat) – The race to succeed Erik Bottcher came down to a coin toss for us, and given that this is a ranked-choice election, we thought it best to leave the coin toss to the voters. We found almost nothing to nitpick in the questionnaire responses that Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson submitted, and their interviews revealed that they share a commitment to making streets safer and the transit system more robust and reliable.
Lindsey Boylan came to prominence in 2021 when she became the first person to document harassment by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. She has a background in urban planning, and managed some of the city's most noteworthy public spaces before joining the state's Economic Development Corporation. Ms. Boylan, a regular cyclist, supports pedestrianizing more of Broadway, expanding School Streets, and implementing universal daylighting. She's opposed to efforts to require licensing and registration for low-speed Class I and II e-bikes, while she acknowledges the importance of better regulating delivery apps and keeping illegal e-moto devices off city streets. She's a strong advocate for universal daylighting, and is determined to play a significant role in shaping the future of the soon-to-be redeveloped Port Authority Bus Terminal. Ms. Boylan has earned the endorsement of the Working Families Party, along with the support of several progressive current and former elected officials including Mayor Mamdani, Julia Salazar, Tiffany Cabán, and Brad Lander. You can sign up here to help Lindsey Boylan get out the vote.Carl
Wilson has spent most of the last decade working in the City Council, first managing constituent services for then-Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and more recently as Chief of Staff to the Council Member he is running to succeed, Erik Bottcher. He moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, but gravitated to activism after the 2016 presidential election, co-founding the progressive Hell's Kitchen Democrats. Mr. Wilson is committed to fighting to fully fund the Department of Transportation's staffing and capital needs to help it better meet Streets Plan benchmarks, and supports reallocating curb space to daylight intersections and to add features like bike parking and loading zones, as well as to improve accessibility. He too opposes the licensing and registration of Class I and II e-bikes, believing that the city should focus on better street design and infrastructure and app accountability, along with enforcement that's fair and targeted to truly unsafe behavior. Mr. Wilson has won the endorsements of a significant number of elected officials whose districts overlap the 3rd Council District, including Manhattan BP Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Tony Simone, and is supported by the three most recent holders of the seat, former City Council Speakers Chris Quinn and Corey Johnson and the newly minted State Senator, Mr. Bottcher. You can volunteer to help Carl Wilson get out the vote here.We urge you to assign Lindsey Boylan and Carl Wilson the top two rankings on your ballot, in whichever order you see fit.
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2025 NYC General Election
2025 Endorsees: Mayor | Comptroller | Manhattan | Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn
Zohran Mamdani, Mayor (Open Seat) – Zohran Mamdani, who won a stirring and by some accounts startling victory in June's Democratic mayoral primary, is our choice to be the next Mayor of New York City.Mr. Mamdani, who since 2021 has represented Queens's 36th District in the New York State Assembly, has distinguished himself as a staunch supporter of public transit. He has made "fast, fare-free buses" one of the central tenets of his campaign, an idea that no less of an authority than economist Charles Komanoff thinks could pay for itself in increased efficiency and operational savings. In the Assembly, he won a fare-free bus pilot program that resulted in more than a 30% increase in ridership along the designated routes, and increased discrete new ridership by double digits. He's been a strong supporter of congestion pricing, and his "Get Congestion Pricing Right" campaign called for more investment in bus service, six-minute headways for subways, and expanded camera enforcement for bus lanes. Streetsblog has called him a "driving force in Albany on transit policy," and he's earned the praise of both bus and subway advocates and MTA officials, who have cited his willingness to listen and learn.
Mr. Mamdani has also been a committed supporter of safer street designs, galvanized by the death of constituent Alfredo Cabrera Licona in Astoria's Crescent Street bike lane, for which he had advocated, just after he was elected to the Assembly. He joined colleagues in city and state government to develop the Western Queens Street Safety Plan in 2023 (a precursor to calls for universal daylighting, for which he has espoused continued support), amplified the demands to pedestrianize the Queensborough Bridge's South Outer Roadway, and proposed the 31st Avenue bike boulevard. He's a Citi Bike member and regular rider who can often be spotted cycling around his district.
Of great note, Mr. Mamdani has pledged to complete a lengthy list of street-safety and transit projects that foundered or were outright abandoned by the current administration. He has promised to finish the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, to restore several blocks of protected bikes lanes on Bedford Avenue, and to complete bike-infrastructure projects on Ashland Place and Third Avenue in Brooklyn. He's also committed to moving ahead with busways on Fordham Road and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. And he's expressed support for regulating the app companies and the algorithms that incentivize breakneck delivery times rather than safe and responsible e-bike operation.
Mr. Mamdani has run an exuberant and exciting campaign that has energized an enthusiastic army of volunteers, and his social-media videos, many filmed as he rides on buses, subways, and bikes, have drawn millions upon millions of views. His responses to our questionnaire were thoughtful and thorough, and he has consistently shown up on the issues important to us. We have no doubt that he would appoint a top-notch DOT commissioner – he has cited Janette Sadik-Khan as a model for the position – and work closely with advocates, and we feel certain that he would be a catalyst for positive changes to the transit system and the streetscape. Better bus service is a key plank in his platform, and he's sure to make meeting the NYC Streets Plan's benchmarks a priority. We also expect that he will direct more resources to the city's Department of Transportation, and his inauguration on January 1st will undoubtedly boost morale within the agency.
Mr. Mamdani is a smart, charismatic leader who clearly loves New York City and sees it as a place of opportunity and possibility, the antithesis of the doom-and-gloom, broken-city vibes promulgated by the current occupants of Gracie Mansion – and the White House. He's run a stellar campaign that has never strayed from its principles, and we have every confidence that he will translate that success to City Hall.
We are thrilled to endorse Zohran Mamdani for Mayor, and we couldn't be more excited to urge you to join us in supporting his candidacy on election day.
You can help get Zohran over the finish line by volunteering for his campaign here.
Mark Levine, Comptroller (Open Seat) – Mark Levine, the current Manhattan Borough President, is our pick to succeed Brad Lander as New York City Comptroller. It marks the third office for which we've endorsed him since we launched StreetsPAC in 2013.First as a two-term member of the City Council, and since 2022 as Manhattan BP, Mark Levine has been a champion for safer streets and better public transportation. As Borough President, he's spearheaded the effort to expand the Hudson River Greenway by taking a lane from West Street (for which New York State DOT has kicked off a study and engagement process), led an effort to increase access to public restrooms, and advocated for ending parking minimums. He's also pushed for a crackdown on fake license plates and for adapting parking garages to serve as package-distribution hubs in order to free up sidewalk space. He was one of the most vocal supporters of a project that replaced three Upper West Side parking garages with several hundred units of deeply affordable housing, and he's called for tearing down the FDR Drive south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Mr. Levine has also diversified Manhattan's Community Boards, appointing a number of younger members more inclined to embrace change.
As a Council Member, he championed 125th Street Select Bus Service, bucking opposition from other elected officials, and supported expansion of the Amsterdam Avenue protected bike lane into Harlem, a road diet for Riverside Drive, and pedestrian-safety improvements on Morningside Avenue, all while facing down pockets of determined opposition.
As Comptroller, Mr. Levine plans to employ the office's audit powers to assess compliance with NYC Streets Plan mandates and to examine failings in the city's Vision Zero efforts, and to use the city pension fund's Economically Targeted Investments for projects that boost transit-oriented development and street safety, like affordable housing near transit and green infrastructure that calms traffic.
Having served in the Borough President's role, Mr. Levine has experience managing a larger staff, and we have high expectations that he will continue to pay attention to street-safety and transit issues as Comptroller in the same way that Mr. Lander has. Given his record, his vision, and his willingness to take on difficult challenges, Mark Levine should be New York City's next Comptroller.
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Manhattan Borough President (Open Seat) – Mr. Hoylman-Sigal, whom we've endorsed several times for the State Senate seat he first won in 2012, has been a strong voice in the legislature on a number of important issues, and has passed nearly 400 separate bills. As a father raising two school-age daughters in Manhattan, he's keenly aware of the need for making streets safe for everyone.He authored and passed two enormously meaningful pieces of street-safety legislation in 2024: Sammy's Law, which now enables New York City to further reduce local speed limits, and a bill requiring the point-of-sale registration of mopeds, which has put a big dent in the number of illegal devices on city streets. He's the Senate sponsor of a bill that would end New York City's opt-out from daylighting laws, and has been a strong supporter of congestion pricing; he says he's intent on exploring expanding the border of the congestion zone further uptown as Manhattan Borough President.
Mr. Hoylman-Sigal supports replicating the 14th Street busway on other major crosstown routes, continuing to build out the borough's network of protected bike lanes, especially on crosstown routes, and completing the East River Greenway. He also supports expanding outdoor dining, including making the application process simpler and ensuring that the program extends beyond wealthier neighborhoods, and he will work to hold app companies accountable for creating the conditions that force delivery workers to prioritize speed over safety.
He cites Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam as examples of cities that New York can learn from, and he's open to creating European-style superblocks and low-traffic neighborhoods, and expanding the Smart Curbs pilot, in Manhattan. Mr. Hoylman-Sigal is also willing to commit funding to Open Streets to help reduce the burden on volunteers.
We're confident that Brad Hoylman-Sigal will replicate his success as a State Senator as the Manhattan Borough President, and we urge you to join us in supporting his election.
Harvey Epstein, Council District 2, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Harvey Epstein has been a reliable ally since his election to the State Assembly in 2018, earning our endorsement multiple times. He's the lead Assembly sponsor of a bill that would authorize lowering the speed limit on Shared Streets to five miles per hour, and introduced legislation that would allow citizens to report ghost cars. Mr. Epstein was a regular and vocal presence at rallies for congestion pricing, even though he continues to believe the residential exemption should be pegged to a higher income level. He's been a strong supporter of the Avenue B Open Street, and pedestrianization in general, and he regularly gets around his neighborhood by bicycle. The first plank of his public-safety platform focuses on pedestrian and cyclist safety, prioritizing wide, well-lit sidewalks, clear crosswalks, and dedicated bike lanes.
Erik Bottcher, Council District 3, Manhattan (Incumbent) – Erik Bottcher is running for re-election to the seat he won with our endorsement in 2021. He has delivered on the biggest promises he made to us then: the implementation of a fully protected bike lane along 10th Avenue and the extension of the Sixth Avenue protected bike lane south of 9th Street. He's advocated for electrifying Citi Bike stations to eliminate the need for battery-swapping, and was an early proponent of curbside waste containerization. Among his top priorities for his next term are completion of the Broadway redesign to turn it into a true Shared Street, and filling the gaps in the 7th Avenue/Varick Street protected bike lane around Penn Station and south of Houston Street. He's also eager to work to bring more School Streets to his district.
Shaun Abreu, Council District 7, Manhattan (Incumbent) – Shaun Abreu is an example of someone who's really grown into the job of City Council Member over the past four years, and in doing so, he's earned our endorsement for re-election. After hearing from constituents about mountains of trash bags and full-bellied rats, he piloted the city's curbside waste containerization program, which has replaced 500 curbside parking spaces with a thousand in-street containers, leading to a 60% reduction in the rat population and making sidewalks easier to navigate. Next up, he wants to expand the program in his district, and then citywide. He's embraced his district's Open Streets, like the Shared Street on West 103rd, and is now advocating for a protected bike lane on West 155th Street. Council Member Abreu supports regulating delivery apps as a means toward improving street safety, and has earned high marks from pro-housing groups for his efforts to increase housing supply.
Vanessa Gibson, Bronx Borough President (Incumbent) – Vanessa Gibson, who in 2022 became the first woman and the first African American to serve as Bronx Borough President following two stints in the City Council, has earned our endorsement for a second term.As Borough President, she has advocated for improved transit service across the Bronx, supporting the Bronx Metro-North Area Plan that will bring four new railroad stations and nearly 7,000 units of housing to the east Bronx over the next few years. She also supported the MTA's Bronx Bus Network redesign, and continues to call for improving east-west bus connections across the borough. She's also vocal about the need for additional ferry service to help shorten what can be very long commutes from numerous areas of the Bronx.
Borough President Gibson opposed New York State DOT's recently shelved proposal to add a new elevated four-lane roadway along the Cross Bronx Expressway as part of the Five Bridges project to repair five deteriorating overpasses, and has advocated for capping as many sections of the expressway as possible to create more green space and help alleviate the harmful effects of vehicular emissions. Concerns about health underscored her conditional support for congestion pricing, but she's looking forward to the investments in accessibility and environmental mitigations enabled by the program's revenue. She told us that she hasn't seen negative effects from congestion pricing, and that the effort is clearly delivering on its stated goals.
The BP has also supported efforts to improve micromobility options in the Bronx, like new protected bike lanes on Soundview Avenue, Citi Bike expansion, and the East Bronx e-scooter pilot. She bought a new bike and relearned how to ride after taking office so she could take part in Transportation Alternatives' Tour de Bronx, an event for which she's become a real ambassador.
She told us she's committed to working with advocates and her future partner in the Manhattan Borough President's office to expand the hours of the Highbridge; she and current Manhattan BP Mark Levine secured extended seasonal hours a couple years ago. She also promised to push for new bike racks around the Bronx Supreme Court building. We hope that BP Gibson will become a more forceful voice for a Fordham Road busway, as well, but given Ms. Gibson's generally good record and continued potential for growth, we believe she's quite worthy of another term.
Shirley Aldebol, Council District 13, Bronx (Challenger) – Shirley Aldebol, a career union leader and organizer, is challenging Kristy Marmorato for this northeastern Bronx Council seat representing neighborhoods including Morris Park, Van Nest, Throggs Neck, and City Island. Ms. Aldebol, who was born and raised in the Bronx by parents who immigrated from Puerto Rico, had to ride three buses as a teenager commuting to Cardinal Spellman High School, so she appreciates the need for better public transit connections across the district. She's a supporter of congestion pricing, which she knows firsthand has shaved at least 20 minutes off the long express-bus commute to midtown. She also supports improving ferry service, but underscores the need to connect ferries to other local transit options, as they principally serve drivers in their current incarnation. Ms. Aldebol is committed to improving transit accessibility, and to redesigning intersections to prioritize pedestrian safety. She also told us one of the first things she would do would be to advocate for safe, separate lanes for bikes, scooters, and walking. You can help Shirley Aldebol win here race by volunteering here.
Pierina Sanchez, Council District 14, Bronx (Incumbent) – Pierina Sanchez, whom we endorsed when she won her seat in 2021, chairs the Council's Committee on Housing and Buildings, where she played a key role in steering the City of Yes zoning proposal to passage. Council Member Sanchez was also one of the few Bronx elected officials who supported the implementation of congestion pricing, helping to win air-quality mitigations that are crucial to improving health in the borough. She remains a supporter of a dedicated bus lane on Fordham Road, which she'll keep pursuing in a second term, and she'll continue to advocate for better hardened bike infrastructure. Council Member Sanchez has played a critical role in the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, a massive project that recently entered ULURP, and she's committed to making sure that once complete, it will be easily accessible by transit, biking, and walking. She's also amenable to seeking a seat on the Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Benjamin Chou, Council District 19, Queens (Challenger) – Benjamin Chou, a Douglaston-born New York City Firefighter who won June's Democratic primary with two-thirds of the vote, is challenging incumbent Vickie Paladino for the right to represent northeast Queens. Having witnessed the aftermath of countless crashes as a first-responder, Mr. Chou believes that there's much that the City Council can do legislatively to prevent tragedies, something he believes is critical for the people of the 19th Council District, which leads the entire city in traffic deaths. He supports completing the Eastern Queens Greenway and building the Queens Waterfront Greenway (and dedicating 1% of the city budget to parks), expanding hardened daylighting in the district, and redesigning some wider local streets to incorporate bike lanes. He's an advocate for creating a ferry route to Bayside and increasing Long Island Railroad service to help address the lack of transit options in the district, and dreams of extending the 7 line beyond Flushing. Mr. Chou also supports speed cameras, and is open-minded about congestion pricing and bike- and scooter-share. That open-mindedness stands in stark contrast to the incumbent. You can volunteer to help Ben Chou get the vote out here.
Shekar Krishnan, Council District 25, Queens (Incumbent) – Shekar Krishnan, whom we endorsed in 2021 and 2023, has more than earned our endorsement for another term in the Council. He's championed Paseo Park, which has completely transformed 34th Avenue and created a model for Open Streets that he believes should be replicated across the city, something he will continue to steward as chair of the Council's Committee on Parks and Recreation. A strong supporter of protected bike lanes and greenways, Council Member Krishnan is committed to continue seeking further changes on Northern Boulevard, including the addition of a micro-mobility lane to absorb moped traffic from 34th Avenue. He's also pledged to work with advocates to try to improve coordination between the Parks and Transportation Departments on greenway development and maintenance. A regular cyclist and a daily transit rider, Council Member Krishnan has also been steadfast in his support of congestion pricing.
Julie Won, Council District 26, Queens (Incumbent) – Julie Won earned our support in 2021 and 2023, and we're glad to once again endorse her given her status as a prominent ally on street-safety issues. Council Member Won was relentless in her advocacy for repurposing the Queensboro Bridge's South Outer Roadway from driving to walking, an effort that finally came to fruition this past May. Fresh off that hard-won victory, she's been leading the effort in the City Council to pass Intro 1138, her bill that would require the universal daylighting of intersections in New York City. She supported the recently opened protected bike path on Review Avenue, and she believes that Citi Bike should be subsidized. Council Member Won is fighting for additional open-space commitments as part of the Long Island City rezoning, including the full restoration of the Queensbridge Baby Park, and she told us she's intent on continuing to serve on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the next Council.
Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President (Incumbent) – Few, if any, of New York City's elected officials have been better allies on progressive transportation policies than incumbent Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, which made our decision to endorse him for a second term a slam dunk.When he took office in 2022, his very first act as the new BP was to ban cars from the plaza around Borough Hall, which set the tone for his first term. He has never wavered in his support for congestion pricing, Open Streets, or better cycling infrastructure, and has never been afraid to speak his mind about his positions, regardless of the audience.
He's been a strong proponent of the recently approved Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, which will significantly improve safety and mobility along a multi-block stretch of the avenue, but he wants to see the entirety of Atlantic Avenue remade with complete-street treatments, a mission that will be a priority for him in his second term. He's also a vocal supporter of the Interborough Express, which he sees as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how outer borough residents get around." While it's a project that will outlast his tenure as BP, he's committed to pushing the planning-and-outreach process along as quickly as possible.
Mr. Reynoso will also work to significantly expand ferry service. He notes that the trip between Canarsie and Manhattan takes about the same time whether by ferry or car, but that a single ferry run replaces dozens of car trips, and allows passengers to work, read, or relax rather than clog the borough's streets. He also plans to continue advocating for a comprehensive, future-facing solution for fixing the entire BQE corridor.
Another priority that's already underway is a complete redesign of Columbus Park, which lies adjacent to Brooklyn Borough Hall, intended to make it more of a destination and civic center for downtown Brooklyn.
Finally, Borough President Reynoso will continue to work to reform Brooklyn's Community Boards, which he believes should be "forums for inclusive planning and collaborative problem-solving" rather than "barriers to safer streets or progressive transportation policy."
Lincoln Restler, Council District 33, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – No one has been a stronger ally on street safety in the City Council than Lincoln Restler, who has emerged as one of the city's most committed elected leaders on transportation issues. In his first year in office, he led the effort to create a protected, two-way bike path on Schermerhorn Street, and in his second, worked doggedly to pass his bill eliminating an extended and unjustified waiting period for bike-lane projects. Last year, he worked closely with elected colleagues to deliver important safety upgrades to Atlantic Avenue. He's introduced legislation that would enable citizen reporting of illegal parking next to fire hydrants, in bike lanes and bus stops, and on sidewalks; another bill aimed at improving compliance with alternate-side parking rules; and a third that would peg the surcharge for a pedal-assist Citi Bike ride to the cost of a transit fare. Council Member Restler also played a crucial role in the NYC DOT's decision to create a busway on Livingston Street, and his refusal to accept City Hall's backpedaling on the McGuinness Boulevard redesign earned him a primary opponent backed by Brooklyn's Democratic Party machine. Two key objectives for his second term will be seeing through the transformation of Brooklyn Borough Hall's Columbus Park, which seeks to replace a parking lot for judges with a lawn and pavilion, among many other improvements, and to restore year-round outdoor dining via Intro 1421, which he introduced this month.
Crystal Hudson, Council District 35, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Crystal Hudson, who won her seat in 2021 and re-election in 2023 with our endorsement, is once again our choice to represent Brooklyn's 35th Council District. She achieved a significant milestone with the Council's approval this spring of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, a project she championed and for which she led the community-engagement process. It's a major rezoning of about a mile of Atlantic Avenue that will create 4,600 new housing units, and she secured a $115 million capital commitment from the city for streetscape and public-realm improvements, including a road diet, expanded sidewalks, and new protected bike lanes, medians, and curb extensions, plus commitments from the MTA to renovate the Franklin Avenue A/C and shuttle station. Council Member Hudson has been a supporter, and defender, of the Vanderbilt and Willoughby Avenue Open Streets, and backed the launch of Franklin Avenue's inaugural Open Street this summer. She's also emerged as a leading candidate to succeed Adrienne Adams as Council Speaker.
Alexa Avilés, Council District 38, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Alexa Avilés has been a fierce advocate for the residents of her Sunset Park and Red Hook district, especially around issues of environmental justice. Her bill requiring the Department of Transportation to redesign the city's truck routes with a focus on improving safety, increasing visibility, and reducing vehicle miles traveled passed with overwhelming Council support in 2023. In 2024, she passed a bill mandating that cruise ships docked in New York City use shore power when available rather than running their dirty diesel engines, and compelling cruise terminal operators to develop traffic-mitigation plans designed to promote the use of transit by cruise passengers. And this year, her ongoing push for an "indirect-source" rule for last-mile warehouse facilities, which have overrun her district, resulted in the city's Department of Environmental Protection agreeing to begin the environmental review necessary for creating the rule. Next up, Council Member Avilés will focus on pushing to finally eliminate the gaps in the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, and on trying to get the complete-streets project planned for deadly Third Avenue back on track after City Hall paused the process after caving to complaints from business interests.
Shahana Hanif, Council District 39, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Shahana Hanif has become one of the City Council's strongest voices for safer streets and better public transit since winning office in 2021. Ms. Hanif, who chairs the Council's Progressive Caucus, led the fight to extend her district's 9th Street protected bike lane after a constituent was struck and killed there early in 2023, and worked with other electeds to secure safety upgrades along Atlantic Avenue. Recently, she joined fellow Council Members – and StreetsPAC endorsees – Lincoln Restler, Crystal Hudson, and Rita Joseph in urging City Hall to implement a center-running bus lane on Flatbush Avenue, and she supports giving buses priority along both 7th Avenue and Church Avenue. Council Member Hanif has also faced down NIMBY opposition to back the creation of hundreds of units of new housing in transit-rich areas of Park Slope, at 341 10th Street and along Prospect Avenue.
Rita Joseph, Council District 40, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Rita Joseph, another two-time StreetsPAC endorsee, has been a staunch ally on numerous issues. From day one of her tenure, she's been an outspoken supporter of a dedicated bus lane for Flatbush Avenue's heavily used B41, a route on which she's a regular rider. She's made significant progress getting the MTA to renovate her district's shabby subway stations, and has championed better access to public restrooms across the city; two new self-cleaning bathrooms will soon open in her district. Council Member Joseph worked with fellow StreetsPAC endorsees Crystal Hudson and Shahana Hanif to win a pilot program allowing e-bike access in Prospect Park, which is being made permanent, and she has repeatedly stood firm in support of street-safety and transportation progress against vocal pockets of opposition. -
StreetsPAC's Special Election Voter Guide
Good morning! There's a special election today to fill vacant seats in the New York State Legislature. Polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Registered voters in the 36th and 74th Assembly Districts and 47th State Senate District can find your polling sites here.
We've made endorsements in two Assembly races, in Queens and Manhattan, respectively. You can learn more about those two terrific candidates below.
Diana Moreno, 36th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Diana Moreno, a union and immigrant organizer and working mother of a one-year-old, is our pick to succeed Zohran Mamdani as the Assemblymember representing Astoria and Long Island City.Ms. Moreno, who has earned the Democratic Party, Working Families Party, and NYC-DSA nominations for the special election, told us she's committed to leading on issues of traffic safety. A regular cyclist before she became a mother, she primarily gets around the city by subway and bus.
She rallied with advocates last December against the court decision ordering New York City DOT to remove a portion of Queens's 31st Street bike lane, and told us that she was deeply affected by the hit-and-run death of Amanda Servedio in 2024, which occurred near her home. She's a fan of the 31st Avenue Open Street, which is also close to where she lives.
Like the previous Assemblymember, Ms. Moreno believes that government should be a force for improving people's lives, including in systemically changing the way our streets are designed in order to prevent traffic crashes. She noted that the tragic death of Dolma Naadhun in the district three years ago gave rise to the campaign for universal daylighting in New York City, an effort she strongly supports.
She's open to pushing for reforms to the Department of Motor Vehicles, including the possibility of periodic retesting of drivers, and expressed concerns about the potential for proposed auto-insurance reforms to negatively impact crash victims. She also told us she would have no problem pushing back against legislation seeking to require licensing and registration for e-bikes, citing both barriers to usage and the effect on immigrant delivery workers, and believes a better approach would be to more effectively regulate delivery-app companies and prevent the sale of illegal e-motos.
Keith Powers, 74th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Keith Powers, who recently completed his second of two terms in the City Council, is our choice to succeed Harvey Epstein in this Assembly district representing Manhattan's east side.A four-time StreetsPAC endorsee, Mr. Powers has been a reliable advocate for walking, biking, and public transit. He delivered on a number of transportation-related campaign promises while in the Council, including the extension of Sixth Avenue's protected bike lane to Central Park, the closing of the gap in the Second Avenue bike lane, and the creation of the 14th Street busway.
He was the author of the Council bill that created the city's e-bike, moped, and lithium-ion battery trade-in program, which was launched last year, and was a key supporter of NYC DOT's complete-street redesign of 3rd Avenue.
While campaigning for Borough President last year, Mr. Powers rode every one of Manhattan's bus routes, and issued a seven-point plan for improving bus service, which will come in handy given the Assembly's oversight role with the MTA. He also leveraged his influence over the Midtown South Mixed-Use rezoning proposal to compel the Adams administration to move forward with the 34th Street busway project.
If elected to the Assembly, Mr. Powers is committed to working to strengthen mechanisms for getting repeat dangerous drivers off the streets, and to ensuring that victims of traffic violence are not affected negatively by proposed insurance-reform efforts. He also pledges to oppose any efforts to require registration and licensing of Class I and II e-bikes.
Mr. Powers's opponent in the special election, Joseph Foley, an entrepreneur and small-business owner, regular transit rider, and dedicated cyclist, impressed us with his energy and thoughtfulness about transportation issues, but we believe Keith Powers is best prepared to serve the people of the 74th Assembly District.
A note about the Special Election for Manhattan's 47th State Senate District seat
We did not receive questionnaires from either candidate contesting the special election to succeed new Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the State Senate, which is likely due to the compressed timetable around the election and what would appear to be the lopsided nature of the race between sitting Democratic City Council Member Erik Bottcher and Republican candidate Charlotte Friedman. Mr. Bottcher has been a solid ally in the Council, and we expect he will win this race handily.
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Eric McClure published StreetsPAC Endorses Diana Moreno and Keith Powers for Assembly in February 3 Special Elections in News 2026-01-29 09:42:28 -0500
StreetsPAC Endorses Diana Moreno and Keith Powers for Assembly in February 3 Special Elections
We're excited to announce our endorsements today of Diana Moreno and Keith Powers, who are running in special elections on February 3rd to fill two vacant seats in the New York State Assembly. Early voting is already underway and continues through Sunday with varying hours, and polls will be open on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Registered voters in the 36th and 74th Assembly Districts can find links to their early voting and election day polling sites near the bottom of this page.
And now, more about our endorsees.
Diana Moreno, 36th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Diana Moreno, a union and immigrant organizer and working mother of a one-year-old, is our pick to succeed Zohran Mamdani as the Assemblymember representing Astoria and Long Island City.Ms. Moreno, who has earned the Democratic Party, Working Families Party, and NYC-DSA nominations for the special election, told us she's committed to leading on issues of traffic safety. A regular cyclist before she became a mother, she primarily gets around the city by subway and bus.
She rallied with advocates last December against the court decision ordering New York City DOT to remove a portion of Queens's 31st Street bike lane, and told us that she was deeply affected by the hit-and-run death of Amanda Servedio in 2024, which occurred near her home. She's a fan of the 31st Avenue Open Street, which is also close to where she lives.
Like the previous Assemblymember, Ms. Moreno believes that government should be a force for improving people's lives, including in systemically changing the way our streets are designed in order to prevent traffic crashes. She noted that the tragic death of Dolma Naadhun in the district three years ago gave rise to the campaign for universal daylighting in New York City, an effort she strongly supports.
She's open to pushing for reforms to the Department of Motor Vehicles, including the possibility of periodic retesting of drivers, and expressed concerns about the potential for proposed auto-insurance reforms to negatively impact crash victims. She also told us she would have no problem pushing back against legislation seeking to require licensing and registration for e-bikes, citing both barriers to usage and the effect on immigrant delivery workers, and believes a better approach would be to more effectively regulate delivery-app companies and prevent the sale of illegal e-motos.
Keith Powers, 74th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Keith Powers, who recently completed his second of two terms in the City Council, is our choice to succeed Harvey Epstein in this Assembly district representing Manhattan's east side.A four-time StreetsPAC endorsee, Mr. Powers has been a reliable advocate for walking, biking, and public transit. He delivered on a number of transportation-related campaign promises while in the Council, including the extension of Sixth Avenue's protected bike lane to Central Park, the closing of the gap in the Second Avenue bike lane, and the creation of the 14th Street busway.
He was the author of the Council bill that created the city's e-bike, moped, and lithium-ion battery trade-in program, which was launched last year, and was a key supporter of NYC DOT's complete-street redesign of 3rd Avenue.
While campaigning for Borough President last year, Mr. Powers rode every one of Manhattan's bus routes, and issued a seven-point plan for improving bus service, which will come in handy given the Assembly's oversight role with the MTA. He also leveraged his influence over the Midtown South Mixed-Use rezoning proposal to compel the Adams administration to move forward with the 34th Street busway project.
If elected to the Assembly, Mr. Powers is committed to working to strengthen mechanisms for getting repeat dangerous drivers off the streets, and to ensuring that victims of traffic violence are not affected negatively by proposed insurance-reform efforts. He also pledges to oppose any efforts to require registration and licensing of Class I and II e-bikes.
Mr. Powers's opponent in the special election, Joseph Foley, an entrepreneur and small-business owner, regular transit rider, and dedicated cyclist, impressed us with his energy and thoughtfulness about transportation issues, but we believe Keith Powers is best prepared to serve the people of the 74th Assembly District.
A note about the Special Election for Manhattan's 47th State Senate District seat
We did not receive questionnaires from either candidate contesting the special election to succeed new Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the State Senate, which is likely due to the compressed timetable around the election and what would appear to be the lopsided nature of the race between sitting Democratic City Council Member Erik Bottcher and Republican candidate Charlotte Friedman. Mr. Bottcher has been a solid ally in the Council, and we expect he will win handily.
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Eric McClure published Safer Streets and Better Transit Aren't Just Good Policy – They're Good Politics! in News 2025-11-05 16:56:46 -0500
Safer Streets and Better Transit Aren't Just Good Policy – They're Good Politics!
Yesterday's citywide election put the exclamation point on something we've said for a long time: safer streets and better public transit aren't just good policy – they're good politics!
While there are myriad reasons why Zohran Mamdani – Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani – won a historic victory last night, including a platform that clearly resonated with voters, unparalleled organizing and ground game, and impeccable message discipline, his embrace of public transit, micro-mobility, and progressive transportation policy played a key role. Fast, free buses were at the top of his pitch to New Yorkers, and his ubiquitous campaign videos frequently showed him riding the subway or a bus or a Citi Bike. It all felt so authentic because that's how he really gets around, and because he truly is passionate about transit and cycling.
Up and down the ballot, StreetsPAC's endorsees won not in spite of their embrace of these issues, but at least in part because of it. And their victories, especially Mayor-elect Mandani's, herald what could be a transformative new era in city transportation policy. While it's important to not let expectations run away from reality, the vibes, to be sure, are immaculate.
Mayor-elect Mamdani's candidacy was supported by numerous street-safety advocates early on. He sat down in the spring for a robust "ask me anything" session organized by Alex "Miser" Duncan with the 37,000-plus-member MicromobilityNYC community on Reddit, which has grown into a political force in its own right. As his campaign progressed following his resounding win in the Democratic primary, Mr. Mamdani demonstrated that our fight was his fight, promising to complete a long list of street-safety and transit projects that foundered or were outright abandoned by the Adams administration. And he famously corrected a heckler that "it's pronounced 'cyclist!'."
While the hard part of winning an intense election is over, the other hard part of governing is just getting started. Mayor-elect Mamdani announced a top-notch leadership team for his transition today, and StreetsPAC will offer whatever support we can as his nascent administration develops plans for implementing its transportation policies.
We also want to offer or congratulations and gratitude to all of our endorsees, including Shirley Aldebol, who won an upset victory in the Bronx's 13th Council District, and Ben Chou, who couldn't quite do the same in Queens's 19th District, but gave it a spirited shot. Overall, 17 of our 18 endorsees won their races. We're also deeply appreciative of all the dozens of candidates who put in the time and effort to participate in our endorsement process.
All of us at StreetsPAC are excited for what comes next in New York City. You can help us continue our work here and as we look to statewide elections in 2026, by supporting us with a contribution. Thank you!
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StreetsPAC's Election Day Voter Guide
Today is Election Day in New York City!
Voting sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can find your polling site, review a sample ballot, confirm your registration status, and see other election-related information at vote.nyc.
For the past several months, StreetsPAC's board has been evaluating responses to our detailed candidate questionnaires, analyzing policy platforms, and conducting in-depth personal interviews with dozens of candidates. We're excited to present you with our voter guide, featuring our complete roster of endorsements for Mayor, Comptroller, three Borough Presidencies, and 13 City Council races across every borough except Staten Island. You can learn more about each of our endorsees below, along with summaries of the safe-streets and transportation issues they've pledged to support if elected.
Voter turnout in New York City has declined in every election since 2001, reaching a low of 23% in the last mayoral election, but while that level of participation is less than ideal, it does mean that your vote for a StreetsPAC-endorsed candidate who supports safe, complete and livable streets, and reliable, efficient and affordable public transit, could truly make a difference.The outcome of today's election will likely have an outsized effect on the future of transportation policy in New York City. With that in mind, we implore you to vote for every StreetsPAC-endorsed candidate who appears on your ballot. Use the links below to jump to a citywide race or the contests in a particular borough.
2025 Endorsees: Mayor | Comptroller | Manhattan | Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn
Read more -
Eric McClure published StreetsPAC's 2025 New York City General Election Voter Guide in News 2025-10-25 09:22:11 -0400
StreetsPAC's 2025 New York City General Election Voter Guide
Early voting leading to New York City's November 4th general election kicks off this Saturday, October 25th, and continues daily through Sunday, November 2nd. Early-voting sites will be open for at least eight hours every day, though the times will vary. You can find the full early voting schedule here. Polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day.
For the past several months, StreetsPAC's board has been busy evaluating responses to our detailed candidate questionnaires, analyzing policy platforms, and conducting in-depth personal interviews with dozens of candidates. We're excited to present you with our voter guide, featuring our complete roster of endorsements for Mayor, Comptroller, three Borough Presidencies, and 13 City Council races across every borough except Staten Island. You can learn more about each of our endorsees below, as well as the safe-streets and transportation issues they've pledged to champion if elected.
Voter turnout in New York City has declined in every election since 2001, reaching a low of 23% in the last mayoral election, but while that level of participation is less than ideal, it does mean that your vote for a StreetsPAC-endorsed candidate who supports safe, complete and livable streets, and reliable, efficient and affordable public transit, could truly make a difference in a close race.To check your voter-registration status, find your polling location and hours, and review a sample ballot, please visit vote.nyc. Take note that your early-voting site and election-day polling location may be different. If you're not registered to vote, you can still do so, but the deadline is October 25th.
We urge you to vote for every StreetsPAC-endorsed candidate who appears on your ballot. Use the links below to jump to a citywide race or the contests in a particular borough.
2025 Endorsees: Mayor | Comptroller | Manhattan | Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn
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Eric McClure published Zohran Mamdani Headlines StreetsPAC's General Election Endorsements in News 2025-10-22 10:16:55 -0400
Zohran Mamdani Headlines StreetsPAC's General Election Endorsements!
Mark Levine for Comptroller, Hoylman-Sigal, Gibson & Reynoso for BP, and 13 Council Candidates Round Out the Slate
We're thrilled today to announce our endorsements for Mayor, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council for New York City's November 4th general election, topped by our endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, whom we believe will bring a transformative new era of pro-safe streets, pro-public transit leadership to City Hall.
Our board has reviewed questionnaire responses from, and conducted interviews with, dozens of candidates since the spring, and we're proud to support a diverse slate of candidates who are committed to improving the safety of our streets and sidewalks and to making public transit an increasingly fast, accessible and comfortable (and possibly free!) way to get around the city.
In addition to endorsements in the citywide Mayor's and Comptroller's races, we are endorsing for Borough President in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, and in 13 City Council races across every borough except Staten Island.
Early voting ahead of the general election begins this Saturday, October 25th, and continues every day until Sunday, November 2nd. To check your voter-registration status, find your polling location and hours, and see a sample ballot, please visit vote.nyc. If you're not registered to vote, you can do so until Saturday.
We're excited to support this great group of candidates. Please read on below to learn about them, and specific aspects of their platforms. Use the links below to jump to a citywide race or borough.
2025 Endorsees: Mayor | Comptroller | Manhattan | Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn
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Eric McClure 2386pc
Eric McClure is StreetsPAC's Executive Director and Treasurer. He currently serves as the chairperson of Brooklyn Community Board 6, and is a co-founder of Park Slope Neighbors, a grassroots community-advocacy organization.
