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 All About 
The author of New York City's first Green Energy Code and the historic Tenant Protection Act, Dan Garodnick is a legislator committed to solving the critical issues facing New York City. Born and raised on the East Side of Manhattan, Dan was elected to the New York City Council on November 8, 2005. Dan was praised by the New York Times for his "independent streak," as well as for being a "champion of smarter redevelopment along the East River and a fighter for increased funding for the city's public school students." In his first year on the Council, Dan established himself as a leader in the fight for affordable housing, spearheading the $4.5 billion tenant-backed bid for the purchase of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village. His "creative problem solving" earned Garodnick a place on City Hall's list of "The Next Generation of Political Leaders in New York." He has been recognized for his "out-of-the-box public service" after mediating between the owners of a restaurant in his district and a group of workers who had filed a federal discrimination lawsuit, and winning praise from both sides for negotiating an equitable settlement. When the Upper East Side was in need of a location to house a new public school, with colleagues in government, Dan organized parents in a block-by-block canvass of the neighborhood that produced many promising sites. In his first term, Dan authored and passed a law to make government work better for property owners by staggering the City's mandated building facade inspections, and he passed the landmark Tenant Protection Act, the first City law to protect tenants from harassment by their landlords. He authored the Green Energy Code to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in buildings across the city, and stood up for consumers' rights by authoring the Livery Car Passenger Bill of Rights and the New York City Fair Debt Collection Act. With a background in civil rights and education advocacy, Dan represented the Partnership for New York City in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. Before joining the City Council, he also directed the New York Civil Rights Coalition's "Unlearning Stereotypes: Civil Rights and Race Relations Program" in 42 New York City public schools, teaching students non-violent ways to combat racial discrimination, and how to use the processes of government to affect social change. Additionally, Dan represented thirteen same-sex couples seeking marriage equality in New York State, and sought and received funding to rebuild African-American churches in Virginia and Georgia burned by racially-motivated arson. Prior to entering public office, Dan practiced as a litigator at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Dan holds a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, and a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College. He grew up in a rent-stabilized apartment in the Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village community, and he lives in that neighborhood today with his wife, Zoe. |  |
 
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