Village Preservation and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) will be holding a forum with candidates for the 1st City Council District, currently represented by City Councilmember Christopher Marte (district map here). This diverse district includes most of Manhattan south of Houston Street.

Because of the decennial redistricting, this election is for a two-year term, and the district boundaries are new. The primary election will be held on June 27, 2023, with early voting from June 17 to 25. The general election will be held on November 7, 2023.

This will be a unique opportunity to hear from candidates about preservation, development, and planning issues in our neighborhood, and how they will deal with them as City Councilmember. Candidates so far confirmed are Christopher Marte, Susan Lee, Helen Qiu, and Ursila Jung (pictured above, left to right).

There will be an opportunity for questions from the public moderated by the hosts, and the forum will be recorded and shared after. The City Council plays an enormously important role in land use, development, and preservation issues, particularly on the local level. They are local neighborhoods’ advocates and representatives to our city government.