Helen K. Rosenthal
Member of the New York City Council
from the 6th district
In office
January 1, 2014 – January 1, 2022
Preceded byGale Brewer
Succeeded byGale Brewer
Personal details
Born
Helen K. Rosenthal

(1960-10-24) October 24, 1960 (age 63)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)New York City, U.S.
Alma materMichigan State University (BA)
Yale University (MPH)
WebsiteOfficial website

Helen K. Rosenthal (born October 24, 1960) was formerly an American politician who served as a member of the New York City Council for the 6th district. The district includes the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[1]

Early life and education

Rosenthal was born in Detroit, Michigan, and received a B.A. in socio-economic policy and political theory from Michigan State University in 1982. She earned a Masters in Public Health from Yale University in 1987.[2]

Career

From 1988 to 1995, Rosenthal served as an Assistant Director of the New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, where she managed the city's healthcare budget under Mayors Ed Koch, David Dinkins, and Rudy Giuliani.[3]

Rosenthal is a longtime member of Community Board 7, having served as Strategy and Budget Committee Chair, Vice Chair, and eventually board chair from 2007 to 2009. During this time, she advocated for additional public school seats on the Upper West Side, using data collection to dispute the city's assertion that the district had 1,500 empty school seats. This resulted in the creation of P.S. 452 in 2010.[4]

New York City Council

In March 2012, Rosenthal announced her candidacy for District 6 of the New York City Council, whose incumbent, Gale Brewer, was term-limited out of office.[5] Rosenthal focused her campaign on issues including public school education, affordable housing, budget expertise, and mass transit improvements. Her bid was endorsed by organizations including the Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women-NYC, and TenantsPAC, a group which advocates for rent-regulated tenants. Other supporters included Gloria Steinem, Michael Moore, former City Councilwoman Ronnie Eldridge, State Senator Liz Krueger, and State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick.[5][6]

Rosenthal speaking in 2021 as a memorial plaque is unveiled to accessibility activist Edith Prentiss

In September 2013, Rosenthal won the Democratic nomination for the District 6 City Council seat, defeating six other candidates.[7] She went on to win the November general election with 78% of the vote, and her vote total was the highest of any candidate running for City Council throughout New York City.[8]

Pedestrian safety emerged as a key issue for Rosenthal when three pedestrians were struck and killed on the Upper West Side over a ten-day period in January 2014.[9] She also advocates for better transportation services meeting the needs of all New Yorkers.[10]

In 2017, Rosenthal won the Democratic primary to become the Democratic nominee, with 65% of the vote over closest competitor Mel Wymore with 31%. Rosenthal defeated Republican Candidate Hyman Drusin and Independent Candidate William Raudenbush in the general election on November 7, 2017.[11][12] Rosenthal's support of a controversial school desegregation plan in her district was cited in endorsements received from The New York Times, the New York Daily News, and the Amsterdam News.[13][14][15]

Rosenthal was ranked first (tied with Keith Powers) as top lawmaker on New York City Council.[16]

In January 2019, Rosenthal announced her candidacy for New York City Comptroller in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election, but she dropped out of the race in July 2020.[17]

Election history

New York City Council: District 6
Election Candidate Party Votes Pct Candidate Party Votes Pct Candidate Party Votes Pct Candidate Party Votes Pct
2013 Primary election Helen Rosenthal Dem 7,716 26.84% Mel Wymore Dem 6,440 22.40% Marc Landis Dem 5,566 19.36% Others (4) Dem 9,023 32.06%
2013 General election Helen Rosenthal Dem 29,586 78.24% Harry DeMell Rep 4,928 13.03% Marc Landis WFP 2,538 6.71% Thomas Siracuse Gre 737 1.95%
2017 Primary election Helen Rosenthal Dem 13,060 64.8% Mel Wymore Dem 6,280 31.2% Cary Goodman Dem 805 4.0%
2017 General election Helen Rosenthal Dem 31,034 87.3% Harry DeMell Rep 3,581 10.1% Marc Landis Other 934 2.6%

References

  1. ^ "The New York City Council - Helen K. Rosenthal". legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "Helen Rosenthal – New York City Council Candidate on the Upper West Side, 6th District". linkedin.com. LinkedIn Corporation. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  3. ^ Chen, Daphne. "Three vying for UWS City Council seat". columbiaspectator. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  4. ^ "About Face for DOE: District 3 Needs New School". nypress.com. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Albrecht, Leslie. "Filmmaker Michael Moore Adds Star Power to City Council Race". dnainfo.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  6. ^ "NOW-NYC Endorses Helen Rosenthal, Candidate For NY City Council". helenrosenthal.com (Press release). Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  7. ^ "Statement and Return Report for Certification, Primary Election 2013 - 09/10/2013, New York County - Democratic Party, Democratic Member of the City Council, 6th Council District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections.
  8. ^ "New York City Council - 2013 Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  9. ^ Sanders, Anna (January 19, 2014). "Pedestrian dies in accident less than a block from Upper West Side home". Metro. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  10. ^ Gioino, Catherina; McShane, Larry (August 3, 2017). "Pols hop aboard city subways to hear commuter complaints right from the source ". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Councilmembers Rosenthal and Levine Soundly Defeat Democratic Challengers". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  12. ^ "Election Results: 2017 NY and NJ General Elections". WNYC. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Opinion - Democratic Primary Choices". The New York Times. September 12, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  14. ^ Editorials (September 3, 2017). "The Daily News' City Council picks: Manhattan - NY Daily News". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "New York Amsterdam News Endorsements Part One". August 31, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  16. ^ i_beebe (January 26, 2020). "The Best & Worst New York City Lawmakers". CSNY. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  17. ^ Khurshid, Samar. "2021 Comptroller Race Now Features Two City Council Members". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved May 31, 2020.

External links

Political offices Preceded byGale Brewer New York City Council, 6th district 2014–present Incumbent
Districts and members of the New York City Council
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