Meet StreetsPAC's 2025 New York City General Election Endorsees!

2025 Endorsees: Mayor | Comptroller | Manhattan | Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn

Citywide

Mayor

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.

Comptroller

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.

Manhattan

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.

Bronx

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.

Queens

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.

Brooklyn

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.