Daniel Garodnick
Encyclopedia
Daniel R. "Dan" Garodnick (born May 5, 1972) is a New York City Council
man representing Manhattan’s 4th District since 2006.
. While there, he represented the Partnership for New York City in the successful Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit seeking higher standards and equitable funding for public school students. He also represented a family that lost a member in the attack of September 11, 2001, defended a Living Wage Ordinance in the City of St. Louis, Missouri and represented 13 same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in New York State. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk to Judge Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Garodnick spent two years working for the New York Civil Rights Coalition as the director of a program to teach New York public school students non-violent ways to combat racial discrimination, and to use government to effect social change. He also sought and secured funding from Central Synagogue in New York to travel independently to Virginia and Georgia to help rebuild African-American churches burned in racially-motivated arsons in 1996.
Garodnick is a graduate of Trinity School (1990), where he was president of the student council and the model congress. Garodnick received his B.A.
from Dartmouth College
(1994) where he served as class president for each of his four years. He holds a J.D.
from University of Pennsylvania Law School
(2000), where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review
.
In May 2008, Garodnick was married to Zoe L. Segal-Reichlin, an associate at the Manhattan law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
, parts of midtown and Murray Hill
, and Stuyvesant Town
and Peter Cooper Village.
and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, introduced the Tenant Protection Act
. The bill, signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg
in March, 2008, made harassment by landlords a violation of the housing code. It was the first city law to so protect tenants from harassment, which was viewed as a means to raise rents by driving residents out of rent stabilized apartments.
and Peter Cooper Village. In 2006, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
put up for sale the 110-building complex, which opened in 1947 to house soldiers returning home from World War II
. Garodnick spearheaded a $4.5 tenant-backed bid to purchase Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village on behalf of the residents in order to preserve the properties’ historic affordability. Though Met Life ultimately sold the properties to Tishman Speyer in a highly leveraged deal for $5.4 billion, Garodnick’s effort earned the praise of the New York Times.
Garodnick authored New York City’s first green energy code to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, which are responsible for nearly 80 percent of New York’s carbon emissions. The bill would close a loophole in existing law that allows a building owner to replace inefficient equipment with more inefficient equipment when undertaking renovations to less than 50 percent of a building’s systems.
Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations
Education
Land Use
Public Safety
Rules, Privileges & Elections
Standards & Ethics
State & Federal Legislation
Transportation
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...
man representing Manhattan’s 4th District since 2006.
Biography
Prior to running for elected office, Garodnick was a litigation associate at the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & GarrisonPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. The firm has well-noted expertise in its corporate, personal representation, entertainment law and litigation practices, having long been a leader among national litigation firms...
. While there, he represented the Partnership for New York City in the successful Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit seeking higher standards and equitable funding for public school students. He also represented a family that lost a member in the attack of September 11, 2001, defended a Living Wage Ordinance in the City of St. Louis, Missouri and represented 13 same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in New York State. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk to Judge Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Garodnick spent two years working for the New York Civil Rights Coalition as the director of a program to teach New York public school students non-violent ways to combat racial discrimination, and to use government to effect social change. He also sought and secured funding from Central Synagogue in New York to travel independently to Virginia and Georgia to help rebuild African-American churches burned in racially-motivated arsons in 1996.
Garodnick is a graduate of Trinity School (1990), where he was president of the student council and the model congress. Garodnick received his B.A.
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 Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(1994) where he served as class president for each of his four years. He holds a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
(2000), where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review
University of Pennsylvania Law Review
The University of Pennsylvania Law Review is a law review focusing on legal issues, published by an organization of second and third year J.D. students at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It is the oldest law journal in the United States, having been published continuously since 1852...
.
In May 2008, Garodnick was married to Zoe L. Segal-Reichlin, an associate at the Manhattan law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
City Council
Garodnick was elected to New York City Council in 2005, winning 63 percent of the vote in the general election and defeating Republican candidate Patrick Murphy as well as libertarian candidate Jak Jacob Karako. In the five-way Democratic Primary of that same year he won 59 percent of the vote on his way to defeating Jack Lester, Meryl Brodsky, George Spitz and Karako. Within the City Council, Garodnick serves on various committees, chairing that of Planning, Dispositions and Concessions.The 4th District
Garodnick represents the 4th district, which comprises the Upper East SideUpper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
, parts of midtown and Murray Hill
Murray Hill
Murray Hill may refer to one of the following places:* Murray Hill, Kentucky, a small city in Kentucky* Murray Hill, Manhattan, a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, and Stuyvesant Town
Stuyvesant Town
Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village is a large private residential development on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, and one of the most iconic and successful post-World War II private housing communities...
and Peter Cooper Village.
Tenants' Rights
In 2007, Garodnick, along with Council Speaker Christine C. QuinnChristine C. Quinn
Christine Callaghan Quinn is a Democratic politician and the current Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, Quinn is the first female and first openly gay speaker....
and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, introduced the Tenant Protection Act
Tenant Protection Act
The Residential Tenancies Act, 2005 is the law in the province of Ontario, Canada, that governs landlord and tenant relations in residential rental accommodations. The Act received royal assent on June 22, 2006 and was proclaimed into law on January 31, 2007. The Act repealed and replaced the...
. The bill, signed into law by 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...
in March, 2008, made harassment by landlords a violation of the housing code. It was the first city law to so protect tenants from harassment, which was viewed as a means to raise rents by driving residents out of rent stabilized apartments.
The Bid for Stuyvesant Town
The creation and preservation of affordable housing is a priority for Garodnick, which was most clearly demonstrated during the sale of Stuyvesant TownStuyvesant Town
Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village is a large private residential development on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, and one of the most iconic and successful post-World War II private housing communities...
and Peter Cooper Village. In 2006, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
put up for sale the 110-building complex, which opened in 1947 to house soldiers returning home from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Garodnick spearheaded a $4.5 tenant-backed bid to purchase Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village on behalf of the residents in order to preserve the properties’ historic affordability. Though Met Life ultimately sold the properties to Tishman Speyer in a highly leveraged deal for $5.4 billion, Garodnick’s effort earned the praise of the New York Times.
Aftermath and Tishman Speyer
After its purchase of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, Tishman Speyer moved to deny lease renewals to tenants it viewed as illegally possessing rent stabilized apartments. From 2006 to 2008, Tishman Speyer challenged tenants’ legal right to a lease renewal in approximately 870 cases. The landlord was successful in only half of the court cases it brought against tenants, supporting Garodnick’s claim that the practice was an overbroad challenge of residents’ legal rights in an attempt to force rent-stabilized apartments to market rate rents. In response to the ongoing pursuit, Garodnick established free, monthly legal clinics for tenants and set up a “tenant hotline” for residents to get legal help, and called for a moratorium on the challenging of lease renewals.Infrastructure Task Force and Energy Policy
In the wake of a steam pipe explosion in midtown Manhattan, Garodnick was appointed by Council Speaker Quinn to co-chair the Council’s Infrastructure Task Force. In that role, Garodnick has advocated for infrastructure investments as a means of stimulating the economy, and explored measures to encourage the use of alternative energy. He coined the term “solar empowerment zones” to describe areas of the city where government should prioritize upgrades to the power grid and the removal of technical barriers to the expanded use of solar energy.Garodnick authored New York City’s first green energy code to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, which are responsible for nearly 80 percent of New York’s carbon emissions. The bill would close a loophole in existing law that allows a building owner to replace inefficient equipment with more inefficient equipment when undertaking renovations to less than 50 percent of a building’s systems.
Committee assignments
Planning, Dispositions & Concessions (Chair)Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations
Education
Land Use
Public Safety
Rules, Privileges & Elections
Standards & Ethics
State & Federal Legislation
Transportation