Equality Matters: A Profile of State Assembly District 67

Central Park is the heart of Manhattan, and you live right in the middle of it.

A mix of affluent and working class residents, you enjoy a high quality of life but decreased small businesses lost due to high rents and worry your neighborhood is losing its character. A State Assembly District 67 leader should be there for you all the time. You need someone to protect affordable housing, tackle income inequality, while encouraging the community’s artistic nature to flourish. What are the biggest issues facing this district?

Issue #1: Gentrification

The migration of young, middle-class residents to the neighborhood has prompted a domino effect of gentrification, where unique cultural landmarks that were thought irreplaceable are being pushed out by the wealthy and large chain stores that have little interest in investing back into the community. A neighborhood that was once filled with artists and diversity is slowly being driven out because high rents are making it impossible to take root here. Gaps in socioeconomic equality have made themselves blatant and many residents want legal protections to prevent long-time inhabitants from being displaced.

Issue #2: Affordable Housing and Legal Protections

While the neighborhood is amongst the most affluent in the city, like all of NYC, the Upper West Side is home to public housing that receives little attention and funding. Working-class residents have expressed dangers and health hazards due to neglect, and one of the sole sources of affordable housing in the city is becoming increasingly more expensive.

Issue #3:  Pushing Out Mom and Pop

Some of NYC’s biggest businesses started small, and small business is the city’s lifeblood. When you think of the American Dream, you envision a mom-and-pop shop that created a livelihood on its own terms. So what does it say about the American Dream when the city is filled with empty storefronts? If big businesses are allowed financial legal loopholes, why can’t the small businesses that make up the city’s tapestry receive protection to ensure their survival?

Will the State Assembly 67 representative address the growing needs of this community? Learn more about Democratic candidate Linda Rosenthal and get informed about 2018’s New York State elections at racetorepresent.com.

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