Council Member Alan Jay Gerson is a lifelong New York City resident. He is a proud graduate of P.S. 41, I.S. 70, and Stuyvesant High School. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Columbia College, and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar from Columbia Law.

Gerson began his civic activism as an aide to Assembly Member William Passannante. He practiced law with Kelley Drye & Warren for 18 years, during which he devoted countless pro bono hours to indigent individuals and not-for-profit organizations. Over two decades, Gerson served in many leadership capacities. His positions included:President of the Chelsea Housing group, President of the Village Reform Democratic Club, President of Congregation Emunath Israel, where he helped organize and maintain the acclaimed Project ORE, a non-sectarian homeless center.

As an officer of the Consumer Council of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater NY (HIP), Gerson issued one of the earliest critiques of managed care abuses. A committed environmentalist, he is a longtime Sierra Club member and has worked with the League for the Hard of Hearing to promote noise reduction efforts.

Gerson contributed to the lives of young people as a member of the Board of the Chinese-American Planning Council, and the Advisory Boards of the Puerto Rican Family Institute's New Arrivals Youth Group, and the St. Anthony of Padua after-school program. A longtime supporter of the Project Open Door Service Center and the Caring Community, Gerson contributed to a better quality of life for seniorcitizens. A supporter of the arts, he is fighting to create a folk music museum and affordable artist workspace.

As Chair of Community Board 2, Gerson launched an unprecedented number of initiatives including: a new youth swim team, an evening teenage center, a free community mediation facility, a heart defibrillator pilot program, new emergency shelters for homeless (runaway) teenagers, starting work on the Hudson River Waterfront Park, the first Arts Committee and Calendar, a new Public Safety Committee and a Community Court Proposal.

Entered City Council: 01/01/2002
Current Term Expires: 12/31/2009

Represents: SoHo, NoHo, TriBeCa, Washington Square area, South Village, Battery Park City, Wall Street area, South Street Seaport area, City Hall area, Little Italy, Chinatown, Lower East Side

Committees: Lower Manhattan Redevelopment (Chair); Economic Development; Finance; Fire & Criminal Justice Services; Parks & Recreation; Waterfronts; Youth Services

Council Member Gerson has been a prime sponsor of over 50 bills, some of which are contained in comprehensive packages. Many of them are still working their way through the legislative pipeline; others have been passed into law. Successes include:

2. The Dignity in All Schools Act - a major bill to combat bullying and intimidation in New York schools.  With the diligent efforts of the DASA coalition, the Department of Education has implemented DASA into its chancellor’s regulations.

3. LL 77 was CM Gerson’s first major environmental legislative accomplishment. It mandates the all off-road construction vehicles used in city construction projects utilize on ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) and be retrofitted with the best available technology (BAT) to filter particulate matter. Given the enormity of city construction in lower Manhattan, this bill keeps significant amounts of toxins out of the air.

4. Intro 168A – This law mandates that city ferries, which means the Staten Island Ferry and any ferries that the city may employ in the future, must also utilize ULSD and BAT.

5. Local Law 79 – The Right of First Refusal bill, which allows tenants living in an affordable housing development to match the highest bid on the property should the owner decide to exit the affordable housing program and sell the building(s.) By working with non-profit developers and creating an Affordable Housing Preservation Trust Fund, this law would have allowed people to maintain their homes and stay in their neighborhoods, with far less cost than building new housing. The law was struck down in court, but the judge who ruled against it urged its passage on the state level, so Council member Gerson is now working with the state assembly and senate to pass this bill as state legislation.

6. Intro 383A – passed in partnership with David Yassky, makes it illegal to record performances in motion picture theatres or at live theatrical or musical performances without the consent of the management. This bill tackled the huge illegal DVD industry.

7. Intro 790A, a Dilan/Gerson bill, creates a far safer workplace on high rise construction sites, with all workers required to complete an OSHA approved safety course. There have been far too many tragedies as we build and rebuild our city.

8. Intro 684 – Mandating the use of Ultra Low sulfur diesel fuel in generators on film shoots and at street fairs.

9. Intro 24 – The bicycle messenger helmet bill. This legislation makes it mandatory for the owners of businesses which employ bicycle messengers to issue them helmets or suffer a fine.

Lighting Bills – A package of four bills to cut down on light pollution and save the City money. These have been the subject of several recent positive editorials and stories in the NY Times.

Grab Bar Bill – which has already passed in Albany, allowing NYC to create a tax credit for landlords to help cover the costs of installation of bathroom grab bars for the elderly and disabled.

Vendor Regulations Reform Package – A comprehensive package of 16 bills that aim to clarify and codify the current City code regarding vendor enforcement.

EMS Response Reform Bill Package

Motorcycle Noise Bill package

For a complete list of every bill that Alan Gerson has co-sponsored, go to the City Council legislation search page on the link below and enter the key word "Gerson."

Each year, a small amount of money is available in grants to not-for-profit community organizations through Member Items from Council Member Gerson’s Discretionary Expense and Capital budgets. Fiscal Year 2010 begins on July 1, 2009 and the application process has begun.

These instructions are intended to guide community groups through the process of applying to Council Member Gerson for operations/expense member item funding. Any group applying for a grant from the Council Member’s general local budget, DYCD budget (Division of Youth & Community Development) or DFTA budget (Department for the Aging), should follow these instructions and submit the following forms to our office no later than March 24^th at 5:00pm.

1. Capital and Expense Application Form for FY 2010

2. Organization Qualification Form for FY 2010 NOTE: This form must be notarized and a copy of the organization’s latest CHAR500 form attached

3. Brief Supporting Materials (publicity, newsletters, brochures, etc.)

Additionally, organizations seeking over $10,000 TOTAL expense funding from the City must apply for prequalification with the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS). That on-line application form is available at www.nyc.gov/dycd. The deadline for that submission is March 31, 2009.

Capital Grants

These instructions are intended to guide community groups through the process of applying to Council Member Gerson for capital funding for fiscal year 2010. Any group applying for a capital grant should follow the instructions and submit the following forms to our office no later than April 10, 2009 at 5:00pm.

Capital and Expense Application Form for FY 2010

Non-City Capital Request Form

PLEASE NOTE: Cultural Organizations should submit our short Capital and Expense Form for FY 2010 and the DCA Non City Capital Request Form found at the Dept. of Cultural Affairs website: 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/funding/capital.shtml