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Ydanis Rodriguez has a long track record of fighting and winning for our community. For more than 20 years he has served his community with honesty, dignity, and integrity. Now, as an elected councilmember, he will continue to fight for much-needed services to the community, including higher quality education, job creation, affordable quality health care, and more affordable housing.
Ydanis was born on June 18th, 1960 in the Dominican Republic and came to Washington Heights when he was 18 years old. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the City College of New York, paying his way working as a taxi-driver. He then went on to obtain his Master’s degree in Bilingual Education at City College.
In 1992, Ydanis successfully helped to found Gregorio Luperon High School, a school dedicated to the success of immigrant families, where he became a public high school teacher. Although Ydanis began his activism in the Dominican Republic fighting for a new school in his hometown, Licey Almedio, and continued during his tenure at City College, working to fight against tuition increases and budget cuts through student government, his 14 years of experience teaching refined and strengthened his passion for serving the community.
As a founding teacher at Gregorio Luperon High School, Ydanis became very aware of increased overcrowding and the lack of resources at his school and others in the area. With other teachers and community members, he advocated for increased school capacity and higher quality facilities. He took the fight to City Hall, resulting in the construction of a new state of the art facility to house Gregorio Luperon High School.
After winning this fight, Ydanis continued to work for change in Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill. Whether it was to improve translation and interpretation services in local hospitals, to shut down a proposed correction facility on 182nd street, or to keep open the 180th Street Post Office, Ydanis was actively involved. On behalf of the community, he worked with the Straphangers Campaign to oppose public transit fare increases, exposed abusive and corrupt landlords with tenant associations, and founded a program which provides access to academic and extra-curricular resources to first generation high school and pre-high school students and their families—a program acclaimed by today’s Governor Paterson.
Ydanis and his family currently reside in Marble Hill. As City Councilman, Ydanis continues to fight for District 10 residents, in partnership with the community. As he often says, “I’ve not come to do anything by myself. I have an open door policy.”
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Entered City Council: 11/24/2009
Current Term Expires: 12/31/2013
Represents: Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill
Committees: Transportation; Youth Services; Fire and Criminal Justice Services; Civil Service and Labor; Immigration.
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