Mitchell Interviews NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick

Mitchell’s guest today is NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick.  Garodnick was praised by the New York Times for his “independent streak,” In his first year on the Council, Garodnick established himself as a leader in the fight for affordable housing, spearheading the $4.5 billion tenant-backed bid for the purchase of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village. With a background in civil rights and education advocacy,  Dan represented the Partnership for New York City in the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. Before joining the City Council, he also directed the New York Civil Rights Coalition’s “Unlearning Stereotypes: Civil Rights and Race Relations Program” in 42 New York City public schools, teaching students non-violent ways to combat racial discrimination, and how to use the processes of government to affect social change. Additionally, Garodnick represented thirteen same-sex couples seeking marriage equality in New York State, and sought and received funding to rebuild African-American churches in Virginia and Georgia burned by racially-motivated arson. Garodnick holds a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, and a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College. Mitchell holds Dan as a Councilman “for the people”. What goes on in NY is often applicable to other municipalities in the country. Time allowing, today’s interview will look at the ongoing polarized conflict between landlords and tenants in NYC, rehabilitating NY’s criminal justice system, water, the greening of NYC and other pressing issues time allows for. Dan’s website is: http://council.nyc.gov/html/home/home.shtml