| A quiet insurgency is taking place all across the Lower Manhattan political landscape, as a new generation of activists bids for positions of leadership. Among them is 25-year-old Dodge Landesman, who is running for a seat on the Democratic State Committee, representing the 65th Assembly District, which stretches from the Battery to Vesey Street on the West Side and jigsaws just above Houston Street on the East Side. The State Committee is a unpaid council of elected leaders who are responsible for shaping the platform of the New York State Democratic Party. They also play an important, if unofficial role, in setting the agenda that more prominent elected officials, such as State legislators, consider when setting priorities.
Although he is young, Mr. Landesman is already in some ways a seasoned political veteran. In 2009, he made New York City history by becoming the youngest-ever candidate for City Council, while still a senior in high school. (He lost to incumbent Rosie Mendez.) The following year, he became the youngest appointed official in City government, when then-Manhattan Borough President (now City Comptroller) Scott Stringer named him to Community Board 2. More recently, he handled local community outreach for the campaign of Financial District resident Yuh-Line Niou, in her spirited (but ultimately unsuccessful) third-party quest, under the banner of the Working Families Party, to replace Sheldon Silver as the State Assembly member representing the 65th District.
Kicking off his own campaign in June, Mr. Landesman said, “I am running as part of a movement, to change Albany, to give voters a choice. The State Committee is a forum for bringing attention and credibility to issues that matter. Members serve as a conduit to local elected officials, who take inquiries more seriously when they come through this channel.”
When Mr. Landesman embarked on the race, the State Committee post for the 65th District had been held for decades by John Quinn, husband of Alice Cancel, the Democratic Party loyalist who won the April special election to fill the seat vacated by Mr. Silver (who was also, for decades, the Speaker of the Assembly) following his conviction on corruption charges. Shortly afterward Mr. Landesman began organizing his campaign, however, Mr. Quinn announced that he would not be seeking reelection, and would instead focus on Ms. Cancel’s upcoming campaign to keep her seat in the Assembly.
“Like his wife, he was an ardent supporter of Sheldon Silver,” Mr. Landesman said of Mr. Quinn, “who used his power and post to consolidate loyalty and support for the former Speaker.”
“We have begun to change the process and advocate to make Albany more transparent, less secretive, more inclusive,” he continued. “I know we will usher in a new era not just for the 65th Assembly District, but for Albany and for State government. We will be a harbinger for the entire nation, showing that machine politics is no longer relevant. What is relevant is community activists who care about the residents, care about the community, who instead of trying to divide their constituents, bring every single member of the community together.”
Mr. Landesman recalled his experience working for the Educational Foundation for America, a not-for-profit that seeks to revitalize struggling city centers throughout the country, and his tenure as a vice president for Marriage Equality New York, one of the groups that led the charge to enact same-sex marriage in New York. “And on Community Board 2, I have been a unique and independent voice for young people,” he said.
Invoking a litany of issues he hopes to focus on, Mr. Landesman cited, “affordable housing; saving our senior centers, so there are no more closures like Rivington House; building new schools; and preserving open space, like the Elizabeth Street gardens.”
After Mr. Landesman spoke, the crowd peppered him with questions, such as “what is the biggest hot-button issue that voters really care about?” He answered, “definitely the democratization of the Battery Park City Authority. Right now, the way the Authority is set up, that community is under the control of the governor and the State, rather than the City. And it’s run in an incredibly undemocratic fashion. The governor appoints the members of the board, without any input from the community. Only one board member of the Authority lives in the community. There was one senior executive who was a resident, but she was forced out. So revolutionizing the way Battery Park City is run is crucial.”
Another questioner asked, “How do you plan on championing our public schools, and services for children with special needs?” Mr. Landesman replied, “schools in lower-income areas need to be funded as generously as those in more affluent neighborhoods. The Lower East Side should get the same funding as Battery Park City or the Financial District. We definitely need a lot more schools, and we need them funded.”
One of the issues that inspired Mr. Landesman’s original run for the City Council in 2009 was special education. “I used to be a special-ed student,” he recalled, “because I have a learning disability. I want to advocate to change that process. Usually, if you want your child to have access to a special education school, you have to hire a lawyer to bring your case to court. But if you’re working two jobs to make ends meet and don’t have the time or resources to do anything, you’re at a very severe disadvantage. If special education is to be considered truly a part of public education, we need a far more equalized process.” He added, “it’s incredibly unfair that I was afforded an excellent education, due to the resources and effort that my parents were able to put in, but that if you’re not in the same category, your child won’t get the same result I did.”
Mr. Landesman, who has been endorsed by Glenn Plaskin (president of the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association) and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political organization in the city), concluded, “I have the passion, the dedication, and the ability to communicate to win this. And I care about the residents of this district. A lot of people in the State Committee have used this post in the most passive way possible. But I want to be an activist State Committee member, who will not be afraid to challenge the powers that be. If you make some waves, you can be effective.”
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