Mitchell Rabin Interviews Keith Powers for NYC City Council

l’s guest this evening is candidate for City Council for the East Side, Keith Powers. Keith is a lifelong New Yorker and a third-generation resident of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. Throughout his life, Keith has been committed to his community as a Democratic district leader, tenant leader, and community board member, as well as through his work for Assembly Member Jonathan Bing and State Senator Liz Krueger.   As Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Jonathan Bing, Keith drafted and worked on legislation to: Create an Equal Rights Amendment in the New York State Constitution to prevent discrimination based on gender; Institute ‘no fault divorce’ in New York State, ending the State’s reputation as the only state in the nation without it; Prevent the de-regulation of rent-stabilized apartments; Protecting middle-class Mitchell-Lama apartments; Preventing discrimination based on a tenant’s source of income (e.g. Section 8 vouchers or Social Security Disability Insurance); Create a small business grants program for businesses affected by Second Avenue subway construction; Improve community board oversight on nightlife establishments and close a loophole used by many bad establishments; Since 2011, Keith has worked for City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr. helping to advocate for after school funding, expanded Advanced Placement, prevent bullying of LGBT students in public schools, secure funding for employment and workforce programs, create new affordable housing, and preserve the quality of life on the Upper East Side.