Jo Anne Simon for Brooklyn

Redistricting Testimony given on February 1, 2012

2012-02-16T16:38:09Z

Here's the gist of my testimony before the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment on February 1, 2012:

The district lines as proposed underscore the reason for the popularity of non-partisan redistricting. The presently proposed lines DO NOT:

· reflect effects of a transparent process

· keep communities together

· reflect well on the legislature's role in redistricting, underscoring the public's dissatisfaction and belief that the people do not matter.

· Advance public policy, e.g.: transparency; 1 person, 1vote; protection for minority rights

The proposed Senate lines are the most obviously egregious, although legitimate similar concerns have been expressed about Assembly lines in other parts of the state.

The proposed lines DO:

· divide by what looks to be the interests of one party over another,

· divide communities of interest,

· pits one incumbent against another for no reason consistent with any public policy (locally, for example, this affects the current Senators from the 18^th and 20^th Senate districts)

The panel had earlier asked a resident of North Brooklyn why the State legislative lines mattered to the future development of affordable housing in New York City. The answer is of course it does, whether for funding or consistency of advocacy, or effectuation of public policy.

Common Cause/NY has set a fine example for redrawing district lines, showing that it can be done fairly and consistent with public policy.

I urged Governor Cuomo to veto lines and encouraged the Legislative Task Force to put their heads together and resolve the lines in the interest of the public.

Statement on Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale

2012-01-23T17:18:20Z

Here's the statement I recently submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation:

There can be no question that high-volume hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") poses enormous risks to the approximately 9 million people of New York City and tri-state area who rely on clean water from the Catskills and reservoirs upstate. Citizens of upstate New York and surrounding areas are at risk of property value depreciation due to contaminated land and air. There have also been reports of increased illness, including asthma, headaches, nausea, and allergies. These afflictions however are not just affecting humans--it has been reported that pets and livestock have been getting sick as well. In addition, the jobs fracking creates do not necessarily go to local citizens; two-thirds of those working at various fracking sites are from out-of-state.

There has not been enough research done on hydraulic fracturing to deem it "safe." As we learned recently with the unusual earthquakes in Ohio that were directly tied to fracking, we do not yet fully understand the geology of New York State and how it might be affected by fracking, nor how fracking might affect the many aging water tunnels underground. Because the natural gas industry has secured an exemption from the Clean Water Act (also known as the Halliburton Loophole), it need not, and has not, disclosed the chemicals or chemical mixtures it uses in the fracking process. Therefore, we do not know what chemicals are present in the fluids that would be injected deep into the ground, and we do not know how far they will travel within geological formations, or if they will return to surface aquifers. New York must absolutely ban any toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that could be potentially injected into the ground and reach our water supplies.

While natural gas may burn cleaner than other fossil fuels, air pollution from diesel engines, compressor stations, and flaring negate this, with the unfortunate addition of noise and light pollution. We will see the destruction of the environment with the construction of roads to fracking sites, as well as on-site storage pools that can potentially leak extremely hazardous chemicals into the ground, for which presently there is no known treatment or safe method of disposal. These disposal pools are the result of pumping millions of gallons of freshwater and chemicals into the ground to break apart the shale rock, which in the end returns to the surface contaminated and is then considered "hazardous waste." The proposed regulations do not adequately address the many unknowns in a process for which any unknown cannot be countenanced because the dangers are simply too great.

The clean water from upstate that millions of New Yorkers rely on is a special, unique resource that should not be put at risk for any reason. The DEC must protect everyone's water, regardless of where it is. The natural gas trapped in the Marcellus Shale is not going anywhere--the DEC needs to do more in-depth research before making any decisions that put our water - and our lives - at risk.

December News Update

2011-12-29T17:32:41Z

EDUCATION UPDATE

Not unexpectedly, the Panel for Education Policy approved the co-location - of a new K-4 charter school, Success Academy Cobble Hill, to move into and share the building at 284 Baltic Street which currently houses two schools serving grades 6-12 (School for Global Studies and School for International Studies) and a District 75 program for students with disabilities. I testified against this co-location for two reasons: (1) I believe the practice of forcing the co-location of charter schools into public schools is bad public policy, undermining public education, and (2) the public school programs at this location have turned themselves around, going from an F to a B in a short time. I believe school improvements should be nurtured, including the provision of a proper special educational environment for students with disabilities who are routinely left behind in the wake of charter co-locations. There was nothing about this proposal that demonstrated anything different would occur.

NY YOUTH WORKS

On December 9, I was delighted to attend the ceremony where Governor Cuomo signed into law the NY Youth Works bill. The law seeks to attack head-on the disparities in youth employment among those hardest hit - young people of color living in inner city neighborhoods.

NY Youth Works will function in three phases:

Phase 1: For up to six weeks before a youth is placed in employment, youth providers, like not-for-profits and workforce investment boards, will prepare eligible youth with skills such as work readiness, occupational training, and digital literacy.
Phase 2: Businesses will be offered a $3,000 wage subsidy in the form of tax credits to hire disadvantaged youths for six months. Preference will be given to employers in demand industries such as clean energy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and conservation. Priority will be given to employers that provide on-site occupational skills training during this period. During Phase 1 and Phase 2, participating youth will be provided with up to three monthly stipends of $300 to cover costs associated with transitioning into the workplace.
Phase 3: An additional $1,000 tax credit will be available to employers that retain the participating youths for an additional six months.

NYU-POLY CENTER FOR APPLIED SCIENCES

On Wednesday, December 21st, I joined Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblymember Joan L. Millman, NYC Councilmembers Letitia James and Stephen Levin and local technology business leaders to rally for an applied science campus at 370 Jay Street. NYU-Poly has proposed a Center for Urban Science and Progress there.

For those of us who live and work in and around Downtown Brooklyn, we have yearned for a better use that the empty and forlorn looking 370 Jay Street. For more than a decade, it's been deserted and desolate, falling into disrepair and not giving back to the local economy, much less the pockets of transit riders. Putting 370 Jay to work, creating a center for science and technology, will put New Yorkers to work. As you know, I am a small business owner on Fulton Street, and this would make a big difference - bringing a new vitality and a stronger interconnectedness between Downtown Brooklyn's educational institutions, including City Tech, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

COME FIGHT FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

2011-11-26T21:22:22Z

Community leaders and educators (including Assemblywoman Joan Millman and former Deputy Chancellor Carmen Farina) are proposing a free public Early Childhood Center in the building that currently houses Brooklyn School for Global Studies and the School for International Studies. The proposed Early Childhood Center would offer pre-K and kindergarten to children in local school zones.

BUT

The Department of Education wants to give the space to former NYC Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz to open a Success Academy Charter School that would serve students in K-4 from all across the district. The DOE's analysis of the available space is dubious, so there is a real concern about its squeezing the schools currently housed there, and harming those schools and the children they serve in the bargain.

Please attend and tell the Department of Education what you think would better serve the needs of neighborhood families.

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 29th at 5:30 pm 
WHERE: 284 Baltic Street (between Smith and Court Street)

There is an on-line petition you can sign. Also, a number of parents have set up a facebook page to share information.

Visit them at: http://www.facebook.com/events/268718893180043;
Twitter: #NoSuccess

Click to download:
Proposal for Early Childhood Center K293

Flier for 11.29
Success Academy vs Early Childhood

Hydrofracking, OWS, Milionaire's tax...

2011-11-26T19:26:55Z

As State Committeewoman for the 52nd AD, Jo Anne recently supported several resolutions before the State Democratic Committee. Besides a resolution supporting the rights of Occupy Wall Street to protest, she supported a resolution to ban hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) in NYS because there is just no assurance that it is safe to do do, and the extension of the so-called "millionaire's" tax to millionaires.

In addition, the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND) also passed a resolution supporting Occupy Wall Street. You can read them all here:

Click here to download the Hydrofracking Ban resolution:
NYSDC Ban Hyrdrofracking reso Nov 2011.docx

Click here to download the Millionaire's Tax Resolution:
Millionaire Surtax Resolution.docx

Click here to download the Independent Neighborhood Democrats' Resolution that supports Occupy Wall Street's right to protest:
IND OWS Resolution.doc

Ratner: Affordable Housing Won't Work For Atlantic Yards

2011-11-18T22:21:40Z

From Brooklyn Speaks

The latest bombshell to drop at the Atlantic Yards project came yesterday with the release of renderings of its first planned residential tower. As reported today by the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Ratner said Thursday that the existing incentives for developments where half the units are priced for middle- and low-income tenants "don't work for a high-rise building that's union built." He added that he had "accepted the fact that we're not going to get more subsidy."

The first part of Bruce Ratner's shocking statement pits union workers against working families, and becomes truly appalling when one considers his project removed 171 units of occupied affordable housing from the Atlantic Yards footprint before beginning construction. It sounds like the families he displaced shouldn't plan on coming back now.

The second part of his statement may set the stage for Forest City Ratner to claim an "Affordable Housing Subsidy Unavailability" under the master development agreement it executed with the Empire State Development Corporation. That's one of the conditions that allow FCR to drag construction of Atlantic Yards out even longer than the 25 years which it renegotiated with the ESDC in 2009 (and which a State Supreme Court judge ruled that ESDC approved illegally).

It's possible that Mr. Ratner is posturing for a negotiation with union officials aimed at reducing wages for labor on his project. But it's also likely that the result will be not only a reduction to union scale, but fewer affordable units than promised, with a longer wait for those units to be delivered, and at a greater cost to the public.
Why do we think so? Let's review the score on the plan that was approved originally:
• First, $200 million of State and City subsidy wasn't enough for Atlantic Yards.
• Next, Frank Gehry's architecture was too expensive for Atlantic Yards.
• Then, the 10-year project schedule was too short for Atlantic Yards.
• Eight acres of open space also didn't work for Atlantic Yards, unless one considers an 1,100-car surface parking lot to be open space.
• And providing unionized jobs for local residents hasn't worked for Atlantic Yards, either.
Now, the 2,250 units of affordable housing are in greater doubt. It may be the only public promise that FCR will be able to keep is that its arena will create a traffic nightmare in central Brooklyn.

At a September 26 meeting with community leaders and local legislators, ESDC CEO Kenneth Adams dismissed the idea that Atlantic Yards, like other large State projects, required dedicated oversight from his agency (as the State Assembly voted to approve in June). "Every project is different," he said.

In a sense, Mr. Adams is right. Atlantic Yards is different practically every month. But that's why his ESDC needs to bring this project under control.

Residential Parking Permit Hearing + Proposed Pilot

2011-11-04T19:27:28Z

On November 2nd, I testified before the City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation regarding Residential Permit Parking. The Committee voted to support a "home rule" message requesting that the state give the City the authority to create residential parking where needed. Legislation to that effect is sponsored by State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assembly Member Joan Millman. This bill, if passed, would allow the City to implement parking permits in neighborhoods that need this help. I was quoted on Streetsblog and in The Fort Greene Patch, saying: "We want to make sure we are not completely overrun, that our children are not killed crossing the street, and that we can breathe."

Residential Parking Permits (RPPs) are intended to ease parking for residents by reducing parking density and congestion, thereby encouraging the use of mass transit by commuters. This is critical in high-traffic areas, such as the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown Brooklyn, near the AtlanticYards/Barclays Center and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Although there is no specific design for a City RPP plan yet, the neighborhoods jointly proposed a pilot several years ago. With advances in technology, we are hopeful that when instituted, RPP will address specific community parking needs in targeted ways.

Click here to download and read my written testimony.
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4. Visitors would be able to park for a maximum of two hours during the period when residential permit parking regulations are in effect (7 AM - 7PM). There are also metered spaces available for short-term parking along commercial streets and some other streets in these neighborhoods. Better enforcement of metered parking would discourage on-street warehousing by car and limousine services. The enforcement of the "No Authorized Permit Parking Zone" would prevent government employees from using meters for all-day parking.

5. Temporary permits for residents' use (e.g. for shared services such as Zipcar) and for overnight visitors could be issued to residents by the same office described in Paragraph #2. Temporary permits would be valid for a three-day period and would display the dates and license plate numbers to prevent fraudulent use.

6. RPP would be pointless without dedicated enforcement. Parking enforcement is, all too often, selective and targeted at the "low-hanging fruit." We propose that discussions be held with the Traffic Enforcement arm of the New York City Police Department about the enforcement of residential permit parking.

7. Permits, both residential and those issued by government agencies, should be recognized by the Department of Transportation. Ticketing and towing should be equally enforced against all violators, including privately owned vehicles of government and agency employees. The use of fraudulent agency permits should be subject to severe fines, and if a procedure for fining those individuals does not exist, one should be established. Both fraud enforcement and violation of the RPP regulations would bring significant revenue to support RPP.

8. We propose that RPP be tested in the form of a pilot program to evaluate its effectiveness.. A recent example was the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming study, in which pilot projects were established and eventually rejected or accepted as being of benefit or not.

Testimony on Redistricting

2011-10-09T20:54:14Z

I recently submitted testimony before the legislative task force empowered to determine the new lines for state and congressional districts. Among the points I addressed was the need to draw districts that reflect the dynamics and demographics of population trends and needs, and to enforce the recently enacted prison gerrymandering law.

Tricky move by pol's campaign boss

2011-09-12T21:26:25Z

The New York Post - By DAVID SEIFMAN - Posted: 12:58 AM, September 12, 2011

Talk about getting a leg up on the competition.

The campaign manager for Rafael Espinal -- a candidate in tomorrow's special election to replace state Assemblyman Darryl Towns -- got himself named a site monitor for the Board of Elections in the very same Brooklyn district where he is running.

Election officials confirmed Michael Olmeda's amazing double role this week.

Site monitors supervise poll inspectors, and political insiders said they had never heard of such a set-up, where a top official of one campaign was helping oversee an election involving his own candidate.

It would have been a sweet deal, but the Board of Elections got wind of it Friday and pulled Olmeda's credentials.

Espinal works as chief of staff to City Councilman Erik Dilan and is supported by Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez.

Also in the race are community organizer Jesus Gonzalez and Deidra Towns, the sister of ex-state Assemblyman Darryl Towns.

Olmeda didn't return calls for comment.

Vito is a bloc 'blocker'

2011-09-12T21:15:37Z

The New York Post - By AARON SHORT - Posted: 12:58 AM, September 11, 2011

Vito, let us in!

In the state Assembly race in Brooklyn, two candidates claim they can't campaign in senior housing projects run by allies of Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez -- because only Rafael Espinal, Lopez's handpicked candidate, is allowed in.

Jesus Gonzalez and Deidra Towns say the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center, a Lopez-founded charity that manages several senior facilities in the district, has made it nearly impossible for them to meet constituents in those buildings.

The Working Families Party's Gonzalez said he called to schedule visits three times in a month and was repeatedly rebuffed.

The barring of political foes from Lopez's empire dates to the December 2009 adoption of protocols requiring all candidates and public officials to schedule visits with Ridgewood Bushwick a week in advance.

But "seniors should not be walled off from the world for political reasons or any other," said Susan Lerner, of the good-government group Common Cause.

All agreed that seniors are a key voting bloc in this race.

Work for the Board of Elections this Fall - Be a Pollworker!

2011-08-02T20:16:03Z

The 52nd Assembly district needs pollworkers for the upcoming primary on September 13th. Click here to see the pollworker flyer!

You can apply to be a pollworker, interpreter (Chinese, Spanish, Korean), door clerk, or information clerk.

To view all jobs and descriptions, visit the Board of Elections website.

Voter Registration Dates and Deadlines 2011

2011-08-01T18:11:37Z

If you have not registered to vote yet, there is still time to register before the September 13th, 2011 primary! Click here.

REGISTRATION: To vote in the primary, the application must be postmarked no later than August 19th, or hand-delivered to the Board of Elections by August 19th to be eligible to vote.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Notices of change of address from registered voters must be received by August 24th by a county board of elections.

FAQ - English: Voting Information
FAQ - Spanish: Voting Information

Brooklyn Board of Elections
345 Adams Street
4th Floor 11201
(718) 797-8800

Click here for the Board Of Elections Website!

Judge Calls for Additional Review of Atlantic Yards Project

2011-08-01T17:27:37Z

This decision sends a clear message that no state authority or politically-connected real estate developer can be above the law when the future of our neighborhoods hangs in the balance," said Jo Anne Simon, Democratic Leader of the 52nd District, in a statement. "We expect an investigation into how this was allowed and call on Governor Cuomo to now take decisive action in reforming oversight of Atlantic Yards, ESDC's largest project."

]]> By Kristen V. Brown - July 13th, 2011 - The Carroll Gardens Patch

The Barcalys Center may be flying up, but today opponents of the mega project saw a small victory.

A court decision issued Wednesday by State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman ruled that the New York State Empire State Development Corporation, which oversees the Atlantic Yards project, acted illegally when it approved changes to the Atlantic Yards project in 2009 that increased the construction timetable from 10 years to 25 years. Friedman blasted the ESDC for approving the plan without studying the potential impacts of more than doubled construction time.

In her decision, Friedman railed against the ESDC, saying that "continuing use of the 10 year build date [that] was not merely inaccurate; it lacked a rational basis given the major change in deadlines reflected in the MTA and Development Agreements."

Friedman has ordered the ESDC to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) hold a public hearing on the SEIS and ultimately reconsider the entire 2009 plan in light of the new findings.

In December the ESDC rejected the need for any additional impact study, but Friedman said that the alternative "Technical Analysis" was "silent as to the impacts on neighborhood character and socioeconomic conditions of vacant lots, above ground arena parking and constructing staging, which may persist not merely for a decade, but, as petitioners aptly put it, for a generation."

In light of the decision, the petitioners called on Governor Cuomo to investigate the Atlantic Yards project.

Twenty-six community and neighborhood organizations, local elected officials, and community members filed suit against Atlantic Yards mega developer Forest City Ratner in November 2009, led by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn. In March 2010, Friedman ruled in favor of ESDC and FCR, but the case was reopened after it was revealed that the project's 2009 master plan made no guarantees that construction would be finished within 10 years. The petitioners have long-argued that decades of construction will have a negative impact of the neighborhoods in the footprint of the mega project.

"It was clear to us that the approval of the plan was rushed through illegally in order to enable FCRC to meet a deadline necessary for its arena bond financing," said Al Butzel of the Urban Environmental Law Center, which represented the BrooklynSpeaks sponsors, in a statement.

"While the Court felt it could only reverse the approvals for Phase II and require a new environmental review, it is time for Governor Cuomo to assert control over the ESDC and the project site and require a complete reassessment of the Atlantic Yards project," said DDDB attorney Jeffrey S. Baker. "We regret that the Arena is going forward. However, the project was never justified in phases. All of the purported benefits would have come from full development, not a stand-alone arena and a couple of high-rises."

Forest City Ratner wasn't quite as keen on the ruling--and the company plans to forge ahead.

"While we disagree with the decision, " said Joe DePlasco, a spokesperson for the developer, "it does not stop us from continuing work on the project and will not impact our current construction schedule. The arena is scheduled to open, as planned, in September, 2012 and we are working aggressively to start the residential portion of the project."

Click here to read the full article at the Carroll Gardens Patch.

State Court Justice agrees - ESDC and FCRC Acted Irrationally and Illegally

2011-07-14T08:04:12Z

Judge Calls Use of 10 Year Build Date "Not Rational;" Orders New Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Reconsideration of Modified Plan; Groups Call for Cuomo Investigation, Action on Reform Oversight

Today, New York State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman ruled that the New York State Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) acted illegally in 2009 when it approved changes to the Atlantic Yards project that increased from ten years to twenty-five years the amount of time allowed to developer Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) to complete the project without first studying the impacts of prolonged construction to the surrounding communities.

In her decision, the Judge lambasted ESDC for its "continuing use of the 10 year build date (that) was not merely inaccurate; it lacked a rational basis given the major change in deadlines reflected in the MTA and Development Agreements."

After concluding that the 10 year build date lacked a rational basis, the Judge went on to address ESDC's poor attempt to fill the void with a quickly put together "Technical Analysis: "Notably, the Technical Analysis is silent as to the impacts on neighborhood character and socioeconomic conditions of vacant lots, above ground arena parking and constructing staging, which may persist not merely for a decade, but, as petitioners aptly put it, for a generation."

]]> The judge has ordered the ESDC to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), hold a public hearing on the SEIS and and reconsider the 2009 MGPP in light of the new SEIS.

The BrooklynSpeaks groups were elated and called on Governor Cuomo to investigate the Project. "This decision sends a clear message that no State authority or politically-connected real estate developer can be above the law when the future of our neighborhoods hangs in the balance," said Jo Anne Simon, Democratic Leader of the 52^nd District. "We expect an investigation into how this was allowed and call on Governor Cuomo to now take decisive action in reforming oversight of Atlantic Yards, ESDC's largest project."

The suit was filed in November 2009 by several BrooklynSpeaks sponsors, local elected officials, and community members. The case was originally decided in favor of ESDC and FCRC in March of 2010 on the basis of representations made by ESDC as to the terms of its master development agreement with FCRC prior to the agreement being made available to the public. After the agreement was released and was found to contain no performance guarantees for a 10-year build out, the BrooklynSpeaks sponsors successfully argued for the case to be reopened.

Said Al Butzel of the Urban Environmental Law Center which represented the BrooklynSpeaks sponsors, "After reviewing ESDC's justification for not preparing a supplemental environmental impact statement, the Court correctly concluded the agency lacked a rational basis for approving the developer's proposed changes to the project. It was clear to us that the approval of the plan was rushed through illegally in order to enable FCRC to meet a deadline necessary for its arena bond financing."

The BrooklynSpeaks sponsors had argued that decades of extended construction, including the use of large portions of the site for a 1,100-car surface parking lot, would have a blighting impact on the surrounding communities. "Two years after Atlantic Yards' revised plan was adopted by ESDC, the project has yet to deliver any significant jobs for the people of Brooklyn, and its affordable housing is literally nowhere in sight," said Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee. "FCRC has moved forward with paving land where working families used to live. Now, there is an opportunity to make Atlantic Yards accountable to the public and ensure that the promised benefits of jobs for local residents, affordable housing and open space are delivered without further tax payer subsidy or delay."

"Although this decision marks a major victory for the community, litigation against the ESDC and FCRC was never our first choice," said Danae Oratowski, Chair of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council. "With no local elected officials having a vote in the approval process, and faced with decades of construction blight, we were ultimately left no other options. We now look forward to reforms at ESDC that will allow us to move forward constructively," she added.

###

About BrooklynSpeaks: BrooklynSpeaks is an initiative, launched in September 2006, consisting of civic associations, community-based organizations and advocacy groups concerned about the future of development at the Atlantic Yards site. The current sponsors include:

The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation; The Boerum Hill Association;

The Brooklyn Heights Association; The Congress for New Urbanism (NY Chapter);

Fifth Avenue Committee; The Park Slope Civic Council; Pratt Area Community Council; The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council; Tri-State Transportation Campaign

For more info: http://www.brooklynspeaks.net

Welcome

2010-11-26T19:39:57Z

I cut my community organizing teeth protecting the neighborhoods of Brownstone Brooklyn from predatory developers and unresponsive State and City Departments of Transportation.

During my 6 years as Boerum Hill Association president, I learned a lot about how things work, and about how they don't work, but should! I work hard to combine my commitment to our communities with my legal expertise to fight for our neighborhoods on issues like land use and development, education, transportation, open spaces and transparency in government.

Because of my nearly 20 years of principled community organizing and activism, Assembly member Joan L. Millman asked me in 2004, to run for N.Y.S. Democratic Committeewoman (a position also known as Democratic District Leader). I welcomed this new opportunity to serve the communities in the 52nd Assembly District.

In my professional life, I am a former teacher of the deaf and now a disability civil rights lawyer. As an attorney, I argued - and won - a landmark case before Sonia Sotomayor before her elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court (and I supported her 2009 nomination to the high court.) I am also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Fordham University School of Law, and President of New York's Dyslexia Association. I speak often about disability civil rights and high stakes standardized testing practices. In 2008 my expertise was called on to give testimony to the U.S. Senate on issues related to discrimination in standardized testing and education.

The challenges our neighborhoods face have never been greater. The pressure to develop and strapped government budgets threaten the strides we've made to strengthen our communities. It is for that reason I am running for re-election as Democratic District Leader - and why I ask for your support in the September 14th Primary Election.

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Simon