Erik Bottcher is a dedicated public servant and activist who has devoted his life to progressive causes and to the betterment of the community he loves. In 2021, he was elected to represent City Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Square, Flatiron, Times Square, the Theater District, and the Garment District.
Growing up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains as the only gay person he knew, Erik’s personal struggles with depression sparked in him a lifelong dedication to helping the most marginalized members of our society. His career in public service began in 2009 as the LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS Community Liaison in the City Council’s community outreach unit, where he organized grassroots campaigns on issues including hate crimes, transgender rights, housing for people with HIV/AIDS, and marriage equality.
Erik then served as the statewide LGBTQ Community Liaison in the governor’s office, where he helped organize the fight for marriage equality in New York State, working with activists from Buffalo to Montauk in an unprecedented grassroots campaign to garner support for the Marriage Equality Act. New York State made history as the largest state to legalize same sex marriage.
From 2015 to 2021, Erik served as Chief of Staff to Council Member Corey Johnson. In this role he gained an encyclopedic knowledge of every block of Council District 3 while serving tens of thousands of constituents and fighting for more green space, better schools, affordable housing, senior services, and more.
Since taking office in January of 2022, Erik has established a citywide reputation as one of the most active members of the New York City Council, and a leader on critical issues such as addressing our city’s sanitation crisis and the crisis of serious mental illness. He helped lead the fight for a full restoration of pre-pandemic sanitation services in the FY 2023 budget, including twice daily, six days a week corner basket service, and the return of twice a week street sweeping. His mental health plan and advocacy have helped shape and accelerate efforts to address New York’s mental health crisis.
Erik is Co-Chair of the Council’s Manhattan Delegation and is a member of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus. He serves on the following City Council committees: Civil Service and Labor, Contracts, Economic Development, Higher Education, Immigration, Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction, Public Housing, Small Business, and Technology.