17 Facts About Daniel Garodnick

Daniel Garodnick was born on May 5,1972 and is an American lawyer and a former Democratic New York City Councilmember for the 4th district.

Daniel Garodnick is currently the Chair of the New York City Planning Commission.

Daniel Garodnick served as president and chief executive officer of the Riverside Park Conservancy.

Daniel Garodnick earned a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.

Between college and law school, Daniel Garodnick spent time in both Millen, Georgia and Portsmouth, Virginia helping to rebuild African American churches that had been burned by arson.

Daniel Garodnick spent two years working for the New York Civil Rights Coalition as the director of a program to teach New York City public school ways to combat racial discrimination, and how to use government to effect social change.

Daniel Garodnick served as a Member of the New York City Council for 12 years, President of Riverside Park Conservancy, and as Director of the Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission.

In May 2008, Daniel Garodnick married Zoe Segal-Reichlin, general counsel of Everytown for Gun Safety.

Daniel Garodnick was elected to New York City Council in 2005, winning 63 percent of the vote in the general election and defeating both the Republican and Libertarian candidates.

In 2008, when a developer proposed rezoning the largest stretch of undeveloped, privately owned land in Manhattan, Daniel Garodnick was able to adjust the plan to reduce the height of the towers, provide for acres of gardens and a school, as well as a $10 million contribution from the developer for a future pedestrian bridge over the FDR Drive.

In 2015, when the de Blasio administration and Council Member Carlos Menchaca were at a logjam over the $115 million redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Daniel Garodnick helped broker an agreement between both sides.

Daniel Garodnick is best known for his work fighting for his childhood home in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, where he spearheaded the largest housing preservation deal in New York City history in 2015, with 5,000 units for middle-class families.

Daniel Garodnick wrote a book on the subject, called "Saving Stuyvesant Town: How One Community Defeated the Worst Real Estate Deal in History," published by Three Hills Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press.

Daniel Garodnick negotiated the East Midtown Rezoning in 2017, covering an 80 block area in midtown Manhattan, which the Daily News said worked "stunningly well" almost immediately began to generate new commercial space, and to deliver significant public improvements to the area.

Daniel Garodnick authored and passed over 60 laws during his tenure on the New York City Council.

Daniel Garodnick was endorsed for Speaker by the Democratic Organizations of Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn, as well as the New York Times Editorial Board which cited his independence and support for middle class housing.

Daniel Garodnick successfully approved the Green Fast Track initiative which eliminates red tape and streamlines the environmental review process for small- and medium-sized all-electric residential developments.