Brad Lander
Encyclopedia
Brad Lander is a member of the New York City Council
, representing the 39th Council District in Brooklyn, which covers Park Slope, Cobble Hill
, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Borough Park. He came to public notice as an affordable housing
advocate that has negotiated important affordable housing concessions from the administration of Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
in major development projects. He directed the Pratt Center for Community Development
(formerly PICCED) and the Fifth Avenue Committee.
. He stepped down after six years as head of the organization to seek a seat in the New York City Council
. He still teaches community planning, housing, and urban policy in Pratt's graduate city planning department and is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School
.
Brad served for a decade as executive director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, a not-for-profit community-based organization in Brooklyn that develops and manages affordable housing, runs economic development and job training programs, and organizes tenants and workers. As a director, Brad won local and national recognition for his work at FAC including the 2000 New York Magazine Civics Award, and the 2002 Leadership for a Changing World award, sponsored by the DC-based Institute for Sustainable Communities. In 1999 Rolling Stone Magazine awarded Mr. Lander the "Do Something Brick Award" for his community work in affordable housing. Other awards from the Ford Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation and the University of Chicago were granted throughout his tenure as a director.
Brad served as the Housing Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 6
, serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Funds for Justice
, and is a little league
coach in the 78th Precinct Youth Council.
As the director of the Pratt Center, Brad Lander has been a critic of the Bloomberg administration's development policies. He has also been a critic of the Atlantic Yards
project, directing a Pratt Center study in 2005 that questioned the project's subsidies, neighborhood impacts, and lack of community involvement in the original plan. Lander's work in 2003–2005 on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning led to the first New York City inclusionary housing program to create affordable housing in new development outside Manhattan Brad was a key leader in forming a coalition that repealed the 421-a tax break for luxury housing and required that new development in many parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens include affordable housing to qualify. He recently co-led the completion of the One City One Future platform, which is a progressive vision for economic development in New York City.
and Working Families Party
lines on November 4, 2009, with 70% of the vote. Lander won a hotly-contested Democratic Primary on September 15, 2009 with 41% of the vote in a field of five. His term runs from Jan 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013.
Lander is the co-founder of the newly formed Progressive Caucus in the New York City Council, a group that was described by the New York Times as "the City Council’s most liberal members." Brad shares the title of co-chair of this caucus with his Manhattan colleague Melissa Mark-Viverito.
where he received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and he attended the University College London
on a Marshall Scholarship
, and Pratt Institute
.
A Brooklyn resident of nearly two decades, Brad lives in Park Slope with his wife, Meg Barnette, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Planned Parenthood NYC
, and their children, Marek and Rosa, who attend Middle School 51 and Public School 107, respectively, in Brooklyn.
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
, representing the 39th Council District in Brooklyn, which covers Park Slope, Cobble Hill
Cobble Hill
Cobble Hill may refer to:*Cobble Hill, an alternate name for Tyringham Cobble, a hill in Massachusetts, USA.*Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, USA*Cobble Hill Tunnel, an abandoned railroad tunnel in Brooklyn, New York, USA...
, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Borough Park. He came to public notice as an affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
advocate that has negotiated important affordable housing concessions from the administration of Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
in major development projects. He directed the Pratt Center for Community Development
Pratt Center for Community Development
The Pratt Center is the oldest university-based advocacy planning and technical assistance organization in the United States. Located in Brooklyn, New York, it focuses primarily on New York City and leverages the professional skills of Pratt Institute's academic departments—architecture, design,...
(formerly PICCED) and the Fifth Avenue Committee.
Career
Brad Lander is the former Director of the Pratt Center for Community DevelopmentPratt Center for Community Development
The Pratt Center is the oldest university-based advocacy planning and technical assistance organization in the United States. Located in Brooklyn, New York, it focuses primarily on New York City and leverages the professional skills of Pratt Institute's academic departments—architecture, design,...
. He stepped down after six years as head of the organization to seek a seat in the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
. He still teaches community planning, housing, and urban policy in Pratt's graduate city planning department and is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School is a law school located in Brooklyn Heights, in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.-History:Founded in 1901 by William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley, Brooklyn Law School was the first law school on Long Island. Using space provided by Heffley’s business school, the law...
.
Brad served for a decade as executive director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, a not-for-profit community-based organization in Brooklyn that develops and manages affordable housing, runs economic development and job training programs, and organizes tenants and workers. As a director, Brad won local and national recognition for his work at FAC including the 2000 New York Magazine Civics Award, and the 2002 Leadership for a Changing World award, sponsored by the DC-based Institute for Sustainable Communities. In 1999 Rolling Stone Magazine awarded Mr. Lander the "Do Something Brick Award" for his community work in affordable housing. Other awards from the Ford Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation and the University of Chicago were granted throughout his tenure as a director.
Brad served as the Housing Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 6
Brooklyn Community Board 6
Brooklyn Community Board 6 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Gowanus, and Cobble Hill...
, serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Funds for Justice
Jewish Funds for Justice
The Jewish Funds for Justice is an Amercian charity based in New York. Since 2005, Simon Greer has been its President & CEO.-History:The original Jewish Fund for Justice was created in 1984...
, and is a little league
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
coach in the 78th Precinct Youth Council.
As the director of the Pratt Center, Brad Lander has been a critic of the Bloomberg administration's development policies. He has also been a critic of the Atlantic Yards
Atlantic Yards
The Atlantic Yards is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project of 16 high-rise buildings, under construction in Prospect Heights, adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York City...
project, directing a Pratt Center study in 2005 that questioned the project's subsidies, neighborhood impacts, and lack of community involvement in the original plan. Lander's work in 2003–2005 on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning led to the first New York City inclusionary housing program to create affordable housing in new development outside Manhattan Brad was a key leader in forming a coalition that repealed the 421-a tax break for luxury housing and required that new development in many parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens include affordable housing to qualify. He recently co-led the completion of the One City One Future platform, which is a progressive vision for economic development in New York City.
City Council
Brad Lander was elected to office on the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
lines on November 4, 2009, with 70% of the vote. Lander won a hotly-contested Democratic Primary on September 15, 2009 with 41% of the vote in a field of five. His term runs from Jan 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013.
Lander is the co-founder of the newly formed Progressive Caucus in the New York City Council, a group that was described by the New York Times as "the City Council’s most liberal members." Brad shares the title of co-chair of this caucus with his Manhattan colleague Melissa Mark-Viverito.
Personal
Brad is a graduate of the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
where he received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and he attended the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
on a Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
, and Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
.
A Brooklyn resident of nearly two decades, Brad lives in Park Slope with his wife, Meg Barnette, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Planned Parenthood NYC
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, and their children, Marek and Rosa, who attend Middle School 51 and Public School 107, respectively, in Brooklyn.