Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Brooklyn City Council Candidate: David Galarza


Running for: City Council, 38th Council District, Brooklyn

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website: http://www.davidgalarza.com/

Candidate Bio:

David Galarza has spent his 20 year professional career engaged in union, political, civic, religious and journalistic activities. As a candidate for the 38th City Council District (encompassing sections of Sunset Park, Red Hook, Windsor Terrace and South Slope) he plans on utilizing his experience to continue his advocacy on behalf of his fellow Brooklyn neighbors.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Sunset Park, David has been active in, and helped establish, numerous local organizations including SPAN (Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors) a grassroots civic group that works on zoning, land use and housing issues; and the Latino Youth League of Sunset Park, which ran after school and summer programs for youth and in 1993, successfully fought against the building of a sludge treatment plant planned for the area.

David is currently a Communications Specialist for CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME. In that capacity he has helped workers obtain improved safety and health conditions, better wages and benefits, helped organize direct care workers, and fought against the closure of a several State facilities. David began his professional career as a journalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Miami Herald. He went on to serve as a spokesperson for former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, and worked in the public affairs offices of the New York City Comptroller, the Board of Education and served as a consultant to the non-profit Children’s Aid Society.

A former member of Brooklyn’s Community Board 7, David chaired the Housing Committee. He helped organize the community against the inappropriate use of land and buildings, created an ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged abuse of a local family and youth by police officers and assisted local organizations in promoting affordable housing initiatives. David has served on the boards of Latinos for National Health Insurance, The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition and the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID). In 2003, David was named Community Advocate of the Year by the Sunset Park Lions Club.

David attended Long Island University and is a product of Brooklyn public schools. He and his wife Inez, a New York City public school speech therapist and member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), are the parents of a son, Sean, a high school junior.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Brooklyn City Council Candidate: Bob Zuckerman

Running for: City Council, 39th Council District, Brooklyn

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website: http://www.zuckerman2009.com/

Contact Info: Zuckerman2009@gmail.com

Candidate Bio:

As the current Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) and Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC), Bob is implementing programs to encourage smart development along the Gowanus Canal corridor, helping area residents to access affordable housing, cleaning the Canal through environmentally sound strategies, and creating new parks along the waterfront.

Additionally, Bob proudly serves as President of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND), a progressive Democratic club that builds coalitions with community organizations to encourage civic engagement.

Previously Bob served for over two years as Executive Director of the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. During his time at the Chamber, Bob successfully doubled membership, started the Non-Profit and LGBT Committees, created "Out to Work: The LGBT Career Fair," and advocated on behalf of small businesses before the City Council.

Prior to these appointments, Bob was Executive Director of the New York Nightlife Association, a trade association representing the hospitality industry, and served as Assistant Director of Development for the LGBT Community Center in New York

Bob holds a Juris Doctorate from American University and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Emory University.

He lives in Park Slope with his partner of 11 years, Grant Neumann, and their feline companions, Ozzie and Willie.

Brooklyn City Council Candidate: Saquan Jones

Running for: City Council, 36th Council District, Brooklyn

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat


Contact Info: saquanjones@saquanjones.com, 917-776-3261

Candidate Bio:

Saquan Jones, no stranger to overcoming adversity, grew up in Queens, New York and is proud to be a part of the great tradition of Brooklyn. Born June 18, 1976 and raised in the Queensbridge Housing Project; Jones is the eldest of two children and was raised by his single mother.

An attendee and graduate of public schools throughout Queens (P.S. 76 and J.H.S. 204) and Manhattan (Martin Luther King Jr., High School), Jones, who became a father at the age of 19, was able to earn scholarships from the United Negro College Fund to attend Virginia Union University located in Richmond, Virginia. During his undergraduate tenure, he majored in both History and Political Science with a minor in Secondary Education, earning his Bachelors of Arts in May of 1999.

Following his graduation from Virginia Union University with honors, Jones obtained his New York State Public School Teacher Certification and went on to pursue a post graduate degree at Pace University in New York. Graduating from the nationally ranked Lubin School of Business with an MBA in Financial Management, he has served in a number of different capacities for various Fortune 500 companies.

While building a successful career in the private sector, Jones continued his commitment to societal issues, specifically those impacting family and community. This drove him to take lead roles in various community service initiatives including fund raising efforts for the United Way and even using his own resources to secure and provide housing for underprivileged families.

Jones' personal life experiences make it easy to understand why he maintains an unwavering devotion to become an advocate for the residents of Brooklyn's 36th City Council District.