Jo Anne Simon
Brooklyn Borough President: JoAnne Simon
The Job:
A little of this, a little of that, a lot of everything. The Borough President has a wide scope of duties, including oversight on land use, appointments to community boards and community education councils, zoning reform and the creation of public-private partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits. The BP has wide latitude to set their own priorities and agenda, and can use its bully pulpit as a boroughwide official to catalyze positive change and growth for Brooklyn.
What’s at stake:
Brooklyn faces a challenging recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and needs a strong voice and advocate in order to grow successfully. The borough is also faced by widespread development at a staggering scale, with upzoning changing the character of our neighborhoods by the day.
About JoAnne
Joanne, currently an Assembly Member, is a longtime community and disability rights activist. As a civil rights attorney, she has fought for equal rights for disabled persons. She is a former teacher of deaf students, and is nationally recognized as an attorney. JoAnne has long championed LGBTQ issues, and has partnered with LID since her time as a Democratic District Leader. If elected, JoAnne would be Brooklyn’s first woman Borough President.
By the issues:
JoAnne’s campaign is built on strengthening community voices and input in the areas within the BP’s control. She would use her office to offer solutions to many crisis affecting Brooklyn on a local level, to include urban planning and land use and transportation. JoAnne has plans to champion environmental justice, particularly in Brooklyn’s industrial areas long plagued by pollution. Click HERE to read more about JoAnne’s platform.
Endorsements:
Representatives Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, the Union of Arab Women, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, Brooklyn Young Democrats, Voters for Animal Rights, the 504 Democratic Club and more. See all of JoAnne’s endorsements HERE.