Letitia James
Encyclopedia
Letitia A. "Tish" James is an American
lawyer
, activist and politician
in the Working Families Party
. She is the current New York City Council
member for Brooklyn
's 35th Council District. Elected in November 2003, she represents the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill
, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights
, Prospect Heights
and Bedford-Stuyvesant. She chairs the Sanitation Committee, and serves on the committees for Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, Small Business, Technology in Government, Veteran Affairs, and Women's Issues.
in Washington, D.C.
The daughter of Nellie and Robert James, she attended New York City public schools and received her Bachelor of Arts
from City University of New York
's Lehman College
in 1981. James was admitted to the New York State Bar Association
in 1988. During her law career, James served as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society
. In 2003, James studied for a Master's Degree
in Public Administration
at Columbia University
's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs.
In 1994, James championed the Primary Health Case Development Bill in the City Council, which expanded day care
resources for working families
across the city.
In 1996, James negotiated the Welfare Reform
Act on behalf of the New York State Black & Puerto Rican Caucus. James also served on former New York Governor Mario Cuomo
’s Task Force on Diversity
in the Judiciary.
Additionally, James has served as counsel
for Albert Vann
, Chief of Staff for Roger L. Green in the New York State Assembly
, and in the administration of New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. She was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office in 1999. While working in that position, James worked in many capacities but notably focused on consumer complaints involving predatory lending
.
James' first run for the 35th Council District was in November 2001. In a close race, James received 42% of the vote on the Working Families Party
line but lost to James E. Davis, a Democrat
. In July 2003, just months before the next election, Mr. Davis was assassinated by Othniel Askew, a striving politician from the area. Following the tragic event, James Davis' brother, Geoffrey, had decided he was going to take over the Council seat running on the Democratic platform, but on election day, November 4, he lost by an overwhelming margin to Letitia James as the Working Families Party nominee.
During her 2003 race, James officially became a member of the Working Families Party. She is the first member of the Working Families Party to win office in New York State, and the first third-party member to be elected to the city council since 1977.
In 2005, Letitia James became very involved in advocating for her community's needs in regard to the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena
in her district. Going against Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
, Borough President
Marty Markowitz
and developer Bruce Ratner
, James opposed the use of eminent domain
to evict her constituents, selling the MTA
's Atlantic Yards
property below the market value
, and keeping the planning of the project out of the New York City Council. Perhaps the most surprising turn of events for the arena project was when Bertha Lewis
, a Working Families Party and ACORN
founder, decided to endorse the stadium development once Bruce Ratner accepted her plan for affordable housing
. Lewis characterized James to Brian Lehrer
as an elected official who "doesn't choose to represent all of the people in her district." James responded that she is all in favor of affordable housing (she wants to include the area used for the stadium to be housing also) but is concerned about other issues in the project as well, like the height of office towers Ratner plans to build that are, she claims, out of character with the rest of the neighborhood.
Regardless, James picked up the Working Families nomination and won the Democratic party nomination by a large margin against her next main opponent Samuel Eric Blackwell, an urban planner
at Long Island University
and pro-stadium advocate. James was later re-elected on the Democratic line on November 8, 2005, with 88.11% of the vote, compared to 6.80% for Republican
Anthony Herbert, and 5.08% for Independent
Charles B. Billups.
James was the sponsor of New York law 2007/29, which addressed the Alternative Enforcement Program by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and violations of the housing maintenance code and multiple dwelling law; and 2008/004, which addressed the availability of Child Health Plus laws in day cares.
On October 10, 2006 there was a devastating fire at the Broken Angel House
, an architectural icon in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
. The fire attracted attention from the New York City Department of Buildings, which resulted in the citation of numerous building code violations. Letitia James began representing Broken Angel's owner, Arthur Wood, pro bono in his negotiations to keep his home. Thanks in part to James, the agency agreed to allow Wood to re-occupy Broken Angel if the upper levels are taken down and the central stairwell reconstructed. James originally advocated for the demolition
of the Second Empire houses on Admiral's Row
in order to build a parking lot for a proposed supermarket
to serve residents in nearby housing developments, but later supported preserving some of the historic housing. In 2008, James advocated against Mayor Michael Bloomberg
's attempts to seek a third term without a voter referendum. Additionally, she has a staff blog
called "Team Tish."
James won the Democratic primary
in September 2009 against her opponent, community organizer Delia Hunley-Adossa, winning re-election for a second full term.
In March 2010, she filed a lawsuit against laborer David Day after allegedly sustaining injuries from his trailer hitch. Day was parked legally when she walked behind his truck and bumped into his 4 inch trailer hitch.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, activist and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the 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...
. She is the current 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...
member for Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
's 35th Council District. Elected in November 2003, she represents the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bordered on the east by Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the west by Fort Greene, on the north by Wallabout Bay and on the south by Prospect Heights...
, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
, Prospect Heights
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in the northwest of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The traditional boundaries are Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway to the south, and Washington Avenue to the east...
and Bedford-Stuyvesant. She chairs the Sanitation Committee, and serves on the committees for Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, Small Business, Technology in Government, Veteran Affairs, and Women's Issues.
Early life and education
James is a life-long resident of Brooklyn. She attended Howard University School of LawHoward University School of Law
Howard University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Howard University. Located in Washington, D.C., it is one the oldest law schools in the country and the oldest historically black college or university law school in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The daughter of Nellie and Robert James, she attended New York City public schools and received her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
's Lehman College
Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
in 1981. James was admitted to the New York State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
in 1988. During her law career, James served as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases.-History:...
. In 2003, James studied for a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Public Administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs.
Political career
Letitia James' early political career centered around pressing for the passage of pertinent New York City legislation and reforms as a conscious member of her community. She established the Urban Network, a coalition of African-American professional organizations aimed at providing scholarships for young people.In 1994, James championed the Primary Health Case Development Bill in the City Council, which expanded day care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
resources for working families
Working poor
- Definition in the United States :There are several popular definitions of "working poor" in the United States. According to the US Department of Labor, the working poor "are persons who spent at least 27 weeks [in the past year] in the labor force , but whose incomes fell below the official...
across the city.
In 1996, James negotiated the Welfare Reform
Welfare reform
Welfare reform refers to the process of reforming the framework of social security and welfare provisions, but what is considered reform is a matter of opinion. The term was used in the United States to support the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act...
Act on behalf of the New York State Black & Puerto Rican Caucus. James also served on former New York Governor Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
’s Task Force on Diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
in the Judiciary.
Additionally, James has served as counsel
Counsel
A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.-U.K. and Ireland:The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers...
for Albert Vann
Albert Vann
Albert Vann is a member of the New York City Council from Brooklyn representing the 36th Council District, which includes parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights...
, Chief of Staff for Roger L. Green in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, and in the administration of New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. She was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office in 1999. While working in that position, James worked in many capacities but notably focused on consumer complaints involving predatory lending
Predatory lending
Predatory lending describes unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices of some lenders during the loan origination process. While there are no legal definitions in the United States for predatory lending, an audit report on predatory lending from the office of inspector general of the FDIC broadly...
.
James' first run for the 35th Council District was in November 2001. In a close race, James received 42% of the vote on the 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...
line but lost to James E. Davis, a Democrat
Democratic 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...
. In July 2003, just months before the next election, Mr. Davis was assassinated by Othniel Askew, a striving politician from the area. Following the tragic event, James Davis' brother, Geoffrey, had decided he was going to take over the Council seat running on the Democratic platform, but on election day, November 4, he lost by an overwhelming margin to Letitia James as the Working Families Party nominee.
During her 2003 race, James officially became a member of the Working Families Party. She is the first member of the Working Families Party to win office in New York State, and the first third-party member to be elected to the city council since 1977.
In 2005, Letitia James became very involved in advocating for her community's needs in regard to the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena
Brooklyn Nets Arena
The Barclays Center is a sports arena currently under construction in Brooklyn, New York City. The arena is being built partly on a platform over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority-owned Vanderbilt Yards at Atlantic Avenue. It is part of a proposed $4.9 billion sports arena, business and...
in her district. Going against Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
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...
, Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz is the Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City, the most populous borough in New York City with nearly 2.6 million residents. Markowitz was first elected borough president in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator...
and developer Bruce Ratner
Bruce Ratner
Bruce Ratner is an American real estate developer and is a current minority owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets...
, James opposed the use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to evict her constituents, selling the MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
's 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...
property below the market value
Market value
Market value is the price at which an asset would trade in a competitive auction setting. Market value is often used interchangeably with open market value, fair value or fair market value, although these terms have distinct definitions in different standards, and may differ in some...
, and keeping the planning of the project out of the New York City Council. Perhaps the most surprising turn of events for the arena project was when Bertha Lewis
Bertha Lewis
Bertha Lewis was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for her work as principal contralto in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.-Early life and career:...
, a Working Families Party and ACORN
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
founder, decided to endorse the stadium development once Bruce Ratner accepted her plan for 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...
. Lewis characterized James to Brian Lehrer
Brian Lehrer
Brian Lehrer is a radio talk show host on New York City's public radio station WNYC. His daily two-hour 2007 Peabody Award-winning program, The Brian Lehrer Show, features interviews with newsmakers and experts about current events and social issues...
as an elected official who "doesn't choose to represent all of the people in her district." James responded that she is all in favor of affordable housing (she wants to include the area used for the stadium to be housing also) but is concerned about other issues in the project as well, like the height of office towers Ratner plans to build that are, she claims, out of character with the rest of the neighborhood.
Regardless, James picked up the Working Families nomination and won the Democratic party nomination by a large margin against her next main opponent Samuel Eric Blackwell, an urban planner
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
at Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
and pro-stadium advocate. James was later re-elected on the Democratic line on November 8, 2005, with 88.11% of the vote, compared to 6.80% for Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Anthony Herbert, and 5.08% for Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Charles B. Billups.
James was the sponsor of New York law 2007/29, which addressed the Alternative Enforcement Program by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and violations of the housing maintenance code and multiple dwelling law; and 2008/004, which addressed the availability of Child Health Plus laws in day cares.
On October 10, 2006 there was a devastating fire at the Broken Angel House
Broken Angel House
Broken Angel or the Broken Angel house is a building located at 4/6 Downing Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, at the intersection of Downing and Quincy street. The house is a neighborhood institution and was featured prominently as a backdrop in the film Dave...
, an architectural icon in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bordered on the east by Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the west by Fort Greene, on the north by Wallabout Bay and on the south by Prospect Heights...
. The fire attracted attention from the New York City Department of Buildings, which resulted in the citation of numerous building code violations. Letitia James began representing Broken Angel's owner, Arthur Wood, pro bono in his negotiations to keep his home. Thanks in part to James, the agency agreed to allow Wood to re-occupy Broken Angel if the upper levels are taken down and the central stairwell reconstructed. James originally advocated for the demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
of the Second Empire houses on Admiral's Row
Admiral's Row
Admiral's Row is a row of Second Empire style homes formerly used by naval officers in the New York City borough of Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and owned by the National Guard. Some of the homes date back to the Civil War. U.S. Navy closed the original Navy Yard in the mid-1960s, it...
in order to build a parking lot for a proposed supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
to serve residents in nearby housing developments, but later supported preserving some of the historic housing. In 2008, James advocated against Mayor 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...
's attempts to seek a third term without a voter referendum. Additionally, she has a staff blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
called "Team Tish."
James won the Democratic primary
Primary
The word Primary when used alone may refer to any of the following:* Primary , the larger of two co-orbiting bodies* Primary is used for the name of the primary mirror in a telescope.* Primary , from Australia...
in September 2009 against her opponent, community organizer Delia Hunley-Adossa, winning re-election for a second full term.
In March 2010, she filed a lawsuit against laborer David Day after allegedly sustaining injuries from his trailer hitch. Day was parked legally when she walked behind his truck and bumped into his 4 inch trailer hitch.