Gale A. Brewer District 6 - Council Member - Democrat
Biography
Council Member Gale A. Brewer has been representing the Upper West Side and Upper Clinton in the New York City Council since 2002. She was re-elected in the November 2009 general election with over 80 percent of the vote, receiving nearly 5,000 more votes than any of the other 50 Council Members who ran. In the November 2003 and 2005 elections, she received 86% and 80% of the vote, respectively. Her service in the Council is a continuation of nearly 30 years of public service.
Brewer currently chairs the Committee on Governmental Operations.
Brewer chaired the Committee on Technology in Government from 2002-2009, where she worked to make better use of technology to save money, improve City services, and bring residents, businesses and non-profits closer to government and their communities. Other committees on which Gale Brewer serves include: Aging; Finance; Higher Education; Housing & Buildings; Mental Health; Technology in Government; Transportation; and Waterfronts. In addition, she co-chairs the Manhattan Delegation, sits on the Council's Budget Negotiating Team and is a member of the Rules Committee Working Group. Brewer has been instrumental in passing numerous laws, including legislation protecting domestic workers; a bill establishing an electronic death registration system; two bills aimed at eliminating graffiti and unwanted stickers; and legislation requiring City publications to be made available via the Web.
In addition, Brewer was a member of the New York State Universal Broadband Initiative’s Digital Literacy and Community Outreach Action Team and served as a member of the New York State Attorney General’s Real Estate Working Group/Subcommittee on Enforcement and Mediation, New York Foundation Center Library Advisory Committee, and of the Information Technology and Communications Committee of the National League of Cities.
Prior to her election, Brewer served as Project Manager for the NYC Nonprofits Project and worked with the Telesis Corporation, a private firm that builds affordable housing. As Deputy Public Advocate for Intergovernmental Affairs (1994-1998), Brewer promoted legislation, wrote policy, and monitored the implementation of the National Voter Registration Act. Her web site, the first in City government, won an award from New York Magazine. As director of the Mayor's Federal Office in New York City (1990-1994), she assisted the Dinkins Administration with its legislative agenda and initiated private funding for a technical assistance program for community-based organizations seeking federal funds. On the West Side she served for over a decade as Chief of Staff to Council Member Ruth Messinger.
Brewer has received numerous awards for her service on over two dozen neighborhood and nonprofit boards as well as her work in the City Council. In 2000, she was cited by the Daily News as "One of 50 New Yorkers to Watch." She has taught urban policy at Barnard, Baruch, Brooklyn, Hunter, and Queens Colleges. Gale has an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and did her undergraduate work at Columbia University and Bennington College. She is married to Cal Snyder and has raised adopted children.
General Information
Entered City Council: 01/01/2002 Current Term Expires: 12/31/2013
Represents: West Side 54th to 96th Streets
Represents Community Boards: Nos. 4, 7, and parts of 5
Shula Warren, Chief of Staff Issues: Press Contact and Outreach; Education Policy and Liaison to NYC DOE; Constituent Services for Schools; Bed Bugs Task Force; Staff and Intern Oversight
Contact: swarren@council.nyc.gov
Kunal Malhotra, Director of Legislation and Budget Issues: Implementing technology best practices within government, digital divide, general legislative initiatives, CD6 and Manhattan Delegation budgetary issues
Contact: kmalhotra@council.nyc.gov
Gabrielle Vallese, Deputy Director and Scheduler Issues: Intern Program Coordinator and Supervisor; Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) Executive Producer; "This Side of Central Park with Gale Brewer"; Meeting and Event Coordinator
Contact: gvallese@council.nyc.gov
District Office
Rosalba Rodriguez, Director of the District Office Issues: Housing Services, Tenant-Landlord Conflict Resolution; Liaison to the Latino and NYCHA communities
Contact: rrodriguez@council.nyc.gov
Jesse Bodine, Director of Constituent Services Issues: Quality of Life Issues, Development, Liaison to Community Boards 4 and 7
Contact: jbodine@council.nyc.gov
Our Interns and Volunteers
Each fall, spring and summer, the Office of Council Member
Gale A. Brewer recruits students from NYC’s colleges and high schools
including Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, Hunter
College, Baruch College, Beacon High School and Stuyvesant High School.
The Office of Council Member Gale A. Brewer is currently seeking
Policy/Legislative Interns for the Fall 2009 /Spring 2010 semesters at our City
Hall and District Offices. Interns work closely with the Council Member and
staff on a variety of high-level projects. Intern responsibilities are flexible
based on skills and interests; duration and time commitment of internships are
flexible. Interest in government, public policy, and quality of
life issues; strong writing and interpersonal skills; ability to adapt
quickly to new situations is preferred.
NYCC Technology in Government Committee / NYC Broadband Advisory Committee
Since 2002, Council Member Gale A. Brewer has been leading the effort to close the "digital divide" in New York as Chair of the Technology in Government Committee. The Technology in Government Committee regularly holds hearings on important and cutting edge technology issues facing City government and New Yorkers alike. Furthermore, her interest in these important issues led her to introduce legislation to create a Committee that would hear from the average New Yorker about how technology does and could play a role in improving his/her life. In 2005, Local Law 126 was signed by the Mayor. It created the Broadband Advisory Committee to get public input on this issue as well as advise the Mayor and the City Council on how bring affordable broadband to all New York City.
10/23/2008 – Refrain from implementing proposed regulatory amendments that would allow portable devices to operate on the white space radio spectrum. (transcript │committee report )
10/17/2008 - Supporting the local efforts to acquire the .nyc Top Level Domain and urging The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to approve the City’s application in order to meet the needs of city residents via the Internet. (transcript│committee report )
9/19/2008 - Oversight - The Regulation and Use of the Unallocated Portion of the Radio Spectrum, Also Known as White Spaces: Res 1613-2008 (video│legislation│transcript )
9/19/2008 - Requiring DOITT to produce an annual technology strategy: Int 0054-2006 (transcript│committee report)
Our Annual Education Newsletter Briefing
Council Member Gale A. Brewer’s (D-Manhattan) much-heralded education mailing has arrived for its seventh consecutive year in Council District 6 (Upper West Side, North Clinton) mailboxes. Amidst yet another round of daunting bureaucratic reorganization at the Department of Education, Brewer’s Education Newsletter remains a mainstay of consistent, accurate, and comprehensive information for parents navigating an otherwise confusing maze of options. Information provided by the guide includes:
Name, address, level, and contact information for every public school in Council District 6 – including a detailed map of the district pinpointing each school’s location.
Statistics measuring teacher qualifications, past student performance, and Title I status
Special program offerings and partnerships that make each school unique
Essential contacts at the school, district, borough, and citywide levels
Information on four NEW schools opening in District 6, including a new middle school, West Prep Academy (100 West 77 Street) and three high schools in the Brandeis Complex (145 West 84 Street): the Urban Assembly School for Green Careers, Innovation Diploma Plus High School, and the Global Learning Collaborative
A new “Coping with the Economic Downturn in New York City” section created to help support our friends and neighbors in District 6 during these hard economic times. Information provided includes employment opportunities, job networking sites, the Workforce Investment Board(www.nyc.gov/wib), and information about local impacts of the Federal stimulus package compiled by Brewer’s office.
Council Member Brewer’s Education Guide, unique in New York City, is in high demand across the district. In addition to parents, real estate brokers request updated copies to include in their information packets for potential renters and buyers. As New Yorkers tighten their belts, more parents are turning to public education and require information to navigate the system. Ultimately, the guide plays a vital role in connecting all community members, especially parents, with the schools in their neighborhood. Especially in a city system as large, confusing, and constantly changing as New York City’s, Council Member Brewer’s Education Guide serves as a testament to consistency, clarity, and sanity.
To receive a copy of the education mailing, contact the office of Council Member Brewer at 212-873-0282 or gbrewer@council.nyc.gov.
Updated News on Frank McCourt High School for Fall 2010
Adapted from NYC Department of Education Press Release: Chancellor Klein Proposes New Selective High School Named in Honor of Renowned Author and Former New York City Public School Teacher Frank McCourt
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced a proposal to create a small, selective high school named in honor of Frank McCourt. The new school would open on Manhattan’s Brandeis campus in September 2010 serving ninth graders, with additional grades phased in annually until the school serves the full complement of high school grades beginning in the 2013-14 school year. Best known as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt also worked as a New York City public school educator for 29 years, including 15 years as a teacher of English and creative writing at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan until his retirement in 1987. The proposed school represents the culmination of a year-long collaboration between elected officials, parents, and the Department of Education. (More...)
Pending Introductions
The following bills were introduced to the Council to the currrent session by Council Member Gale A. Brewer:
A complete listing of the Council Member's sponsored legislation can be found below the Resolutions section.
Int. 1059-2009: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of paid sick time earned by employees.
Int. 1042A-2009: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the abatement of graffiti on commercial and residential buildings and repealing subdivisions d, e and f of section 10-117.3 of the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the failure to remove graffiti from commercial and residential buildings and the city’s removal of such graffiti through nuisance abatement proceedings. (Passed and signed by the Mayor, Local Law 62-2009 )
Int 991-2009: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating open data standards.
Int 990-2009: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to securing personal information privacy.
Int 989-2009: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to for-hire vehicle licenses.
Int 873-2008: A Local. Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of health and mental hygiene to establish a bed bug technique training program for pest control.
Int 0872-2008: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the disposal of mattresses and furniture.
Int 828-2008: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to prohibiting general vendors from leaving pushcarts, stands or goods unattended.
Int 827-2008: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the review of driveway curb cuts.
Int 825-2008: Resolution supporting the local efforts to acquire the .nyc Top Level Domain and urging The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to approve the City’s application in order to meet the needs of city residents via the Internet. (Local Law 48-2008 )
Int 733-2008: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring contractors entering into arrangements with the city for housing development to pay the prevailing wage to their employees who perform work under such arrangements.
Recent Resolutions
Res 2046-2009: Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass Assembly Bill A7907 and Senate Bill S4778, legislation which would allow cultural institutions, hospitals and universities to access their endowments when the endowment’s value has dropped below market value.
Res 2003-2009: Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to approve, legislation creating an Interim Hotel Dwelling program.
Res 1661-2008: Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign into law S.2386 and A.5673, which enact a bill of rights for cooperative shareholders and condominium unit owners and direct the Attorney General to promulgate a handbook summary of these rights and the procedures available to enforce them.
Res 1660-2008: Resolution calling for a one-year moratorium on the use and expansion of CityTime surveillance technology used to track the time of City employees in order to properly assess its advantages and disadvantages.
Res 1659-2008: Resolution calling upon the Department of Education to ensure that there are cameras, tracking systems and security personnel on all school buses.
Res 1613-2008: Resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission to open a formal comment period on the Commission’s TV white space test report to enable all stakeholders to thoroughly review the data and comment, and to set aside a sufficient number of broadcast channels for the exclusive use of wireless microphone in order to protect all incumbent wireless microphone users. (Approved by the Council )
Res 1546-2008: Resolution calling upon the United States Congress to provide immediate funding for mass transit expansion and improvements and to subsidize fuel costs for public transit systems.
Res 1537-2008: Resolution calling on the President to direct the Department of Justice to review how the Americans with Disabilities Act protections against discrimination contained in Title I are applied and enforced.
Res 1495-2008: Resolution supporting the local efforts to acquire the .nyc Top Level Domain and urging The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to approve the City’s application in order to meet the needs of city residents via the Internet.
Council Member Gale A. Brewer's Sponsored Legislation
The months-long negotiations over the City’s FY10 $59.4 billion budget are finally complete. The newsletter below will enable you to see at a glance how we fared in Council District 6, including important local allocations of city-wide funds. My staff and I worked hard to meet the growing needs of the people of our community; look inside for good news about funding for arts organizations, schools, seniors and many other key constituencies. Some additional discretionary funding decisions remain to be made, and there is always more work to be done, and new challenges to be met. And for those seeking a broader view of funding priorities, a summary of all Council budget items is available from my office and on the Council website.
I look forward to your feedback.
Through a partnership with Lighthouse International, this newsletter is available in large print format, and in audio, digital, and Braille formats. La traduccion en espanol tambien esta disponible, llame 212-873-0282.
I want to thank everyone who offered their input and support through the budget process. It is an honor to represent the City’s most involved and committed community.
