I asked Brad Lander about his first week in the City Council.

Thanks so much for asking about my first week in the City Council.  It was really great!   Our new staff team helped our first (official) constituents, got our office heat turned on (after a cold two-and-a-half days), and started meeting with community groups throughout the district.  On Wednesday, I attended my first City Council meeting.  It has been both exciting and inspiring.

“Our district office is open and ready to start serving constituents. We are located at 456 5^th Ave in Park Slope (on the 3^rd floor, above Neergaard Pharmacy), one block from the 4th Ave and 9th Street F and R subway stop.  I hope you’ll take the opportunity to come by and see us.  You can also call us at (718) 499-1090, fax us at (718) 499-1997 (if you still have a fax!), or email me at blander@council.nyc.gov.
Here’s the great staff team we have in place:

— Rachel Goodman, Chief-of-Staff, rgoodman@council.nyc.gov

— Michael Freedman-Schnapp, Policy Director, mfreedman-schnapp@council.nyc.gov

— Jessica Turner, Community Liaison (Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park), jturner@council.nyc.gov

— Michael Curtin, Community Liaison (Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope), mcurtin@council.nyc.gov

— Jonah Blumstein, Scheduler/Office Manager, blumstein@council.nyc.gov

“Rachel, Michael, Jessica, Michael, Jonah and I got right to work on the first day, as there were already a number of constituents reaching out to us for our help. And I have to say, I am even more sympathetic now to all the people calling our office, as I spent too much of my first two days as a Councilman trying to get the heat activated in our new office! It certainly reminded me of how important it is to have someone advocating for you when you are in need of service assistance. I hope to be that kind of advocate for all my constituents.  We had our first constituent service success story on Friday, getting assistance from the Parks Department’s Department of Forestry.

“Other highlights from the first week include my first meeting of the whole City Council, where my colleagues and I took our oath of office for the new term; meetings I attended with the 76th Precinct Community Council, the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association and Community Board 12; and a ribbon cutting ceremony that I took part in at the new Atlantic Terminal MTA hub (which is really magnificent on the inside, if you can get past the ugly security barriers).

“This weekend was full of a great set of events:  inaugural events for my new colleagues Jimmy Van Bramer and Danny Dromm (both from Queens) and for our new Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, a wonderful event celebrating Assemblyman Jim Brennan’s 25 years of public service, the Independent Neighborhood Democrats post-holiday party, and the baptism of the new daughter of John and Maria Heyer.  And I still managed to coach my son Marek’s basketball game (the team got blown out this week, but they showed a lot of poise).

“Finally, I want to share with you two recent media appearances:

“On the inaugural show of “Intersect,” a program, on Brooklyn Independent TV/BCAT, I debate (my friend, even though we don’t agree on this issue) Carl Hum, president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and small business owner Gil Sygler on a bill before the City Council that would require all employers to provide paid sick days to their employees … something that I believe is long overdue.

“On Wednesday, I did a radio interview with Jonathan Hicks from the Dubois Bunche Center at Medgar Evers College.  In the interview, I discuss an essay that I co-authored in a new book From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next for New York City’s Economy? which was published recently by the Drum Major Institute.  In my essay I discuss recommendations for how economic development should be undertaken – in order to preserve and strengthen neighborhoods, and create real opportunities and broadly shared prosperity.

All in all it was a great first week as the 39^th district’s City Councilman, the first of many over the next four years I am sure. Please don’t hesitate to contact me, or my office, if there is ever anything you need from us, and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.”

Brad