By Tracy Zwick
The Upper West Side will be sending new representatives to DC and Albany this January. Micah Lasher will succeed 18-term Congressman Jerry Nadler, representing New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes the Upper West Side and Upper East Side. Eli Northrup will take his place beside longstanding Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (District 67) in the state house as the 69th District’s representative, serving most of the UWS north of West 80th Street.
What should be at the top of our new public servants’ to-do lists?
West Side Rag stopped by farmers markets, coffee shops, places of worship, parks, and bus stops over the last week to ask residents what they most want the district’s new — and returning — legislators to prioritize in their first 100 days.
The responses covered everything from homelessness and housing to hate, subway and park safety, the Iran war, ICE, dog poop, and the price of cauliflower.
Antisemitism, Israel, and the Democratic Party
More than any other issue, the UWSers we met wanted antisemitism to receive immediate attention in both state and federal chambers. Some extended this concern to include the direction of the Democratic Party, particularly its approach to Israel.
Dennis, a financial professional and grandfather living in the West 100s, had two requests for Congressman-elect Lasher. One was decidedly local: a new post office to replace what he called the terrible Cathedral Station facility on West 104th Street. The other was national: deploy more federal resources to address antisemitism.
A mother walking with her school-age daughter near 84th Street and Central Park West echoed Dennis’s concern, saying antisemitism was “top of mind” for her.
On West 83rd Street, a resident in her 60s said she wants Democrats at every level to take a stronger stand against antisemitism. She identified as “a lifelong Democrat,” and said she “does not align” with Mayor Mamdani’s views on Israel. She reported finding it increasingly difficult to know where Jewish New Yorkers fit within the party.
A woman standing nearby chimed in, adding that she wants Democrats to “stand up and not give in to the DSA.”
Maude, of the West 70s, and William, of the West 100s, said they wanted the Iran war to end.
Safety, Cleanliness and Getting Around
Several UWSers said they want our local representatives to focus first on our neighborhoods and the things that impact their daily routines.
Kristen, a musician, said addressing homelessness on neighborhood streets should be the number-one priority. International issues, including the war in Iran, she said, could be “left to the bigger players.”
Julia, a Columbia University student, needed no time to consider the question. “Safety in the subways, 100%,” she replied without hesitation when asked what she wanted our newly elected officials to prioritize.
Doria, of the West 100s, wants an immediate increase in enforcement and education around two familiar neighborhood complaints: people who don’t pick up after their dogs, and those who smoke marijuana in parks. “It’s an absolute mess,” she said, “it’s become difficult to walk around and feel like a normal person.”
Janice, a dog owner who lives on Riverside Drive, was worried about e-bikes speeding through Riverside Park, creating hazards for people and pets. She wants the rules against e-bikes on park footpaths enforced, along with traffic laws governing bikes on one-way streets, which she said are flouted by cyclists.
Elizabeth, of the West 80s, wants more police officers walking neighborhood streets, particularly in parks and on blocks where crimes have recently occurred. With attacks on women making her increasingly concerned about safety, she wondered why she rarely sees officers patrolling our neighborhoods on foot. “Once in a while you see officers in a subway. But they are never, ever on foot in our neighborhoods, and they should be.”
Housing, Affordability and the Changing Neighborhood
Housing affordability came up repeatedly, although residents had different ideas about what should be done.
Dan, a small building owner in the West 80s, wants Albany to revisit rent-stabilization regulations adopted during the pandemic. He argued that restrictions on rent increases have made it financially unfeasible for some owners to renovate their properties, resulting in apartments sitting empty rather than being returned to the rental market. He added that rent freezes discourage investment and ultimately drive up market-rate rents.
Michele, who lives on West 94th Street and works the reception desk at a local gym, wants limits on annual rent increases. Her rent recently went up 10%, adding about $250 to her monthly housing costs. She also has a more immediate neighborhood concern – keeping “drug dealers” from congregating on her stoop.
Russell, a dog walker who has lived on the UWS since 1977, also wants housing costs addressed. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said of current rents. He particularly wants more affordable housing for artists — painters, poets, singers and dancers who come to New York but struggle to afford to stay.
Karen, who lives in the West 100s, is most concerned about the way the neighborhood is developing. She wants planning decisions to take infrastructure into account, including sewage, parking and subway capacity, rather than “catering to developers and real estate interests.”
She’s also worried about the neighborhood’s changing commercial landscape. Rising rents, she said, have driven out independent bookstores and interesting restaurants, leaving too many banks and fast-food establishments in their place.
Elizabeth had a more specific commercial concern: the empty storefronts around 86th Street. She is frustrated by how long some spaces have remained vacant and thinks elected officials should actively recruit businesses to the neighborhood. “There is a lot of money to be spent by residents in this area,” she said. “Get something in there.”
At the Columbia Greenmarket on Thursday, a mother and her adult daughter offered two related priorities. The daughter wanted a more affordable NYC for artists and people doing creative work. Even food prices have become a problem, she said, pointing to the price of cauliflower at the market. The mother wanted legislation addressing corruption.
Both of these concerns were echoed by Nathan, who WSR met at the 97th Street Greenmarket Friday. He wants affordability addressed, and he wants Congress to take a tougher stance on corruption within the Trump administration and the Trump family. Nathan expects federal lawmakers to hold hearings, rein in what he sees as flagrant abuses, and make a record of them for history.
Protecting the Social Safety Net
One resident who lives on West 94th Street wants our elected officials to spend less time on political rhetoric and reelection campaigns, and more time understanding what is happening to vulnerable New Yorkers. “Visit a local library,” is what she’d tell our newly elected representatives. “Talk to people waiting in line for food outside of Advent Church.”
She worries that the erosion of social services is having a devastating effect on communities like ours, and wants legislators to see those needs firsthand and develop policies to address them.
An UWS woman who attended a social gathering at Congregation Rodeph Shalom on West 83rd Street Thursday night said she wants Congressman-elect Lasher to fight cuts to poverty programs under H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation law. The legislation makes significant changes to Medicaid and SNAP, including new work requirements and changes to program funding and eligibility. She worries that people who depend on public benefits will lose access to essential support and wants elected officials to work to reverse those cuts.
And a Few Other Requests
A nonprofit lawyer who lives in the West 100s had a list of priorities for Washington, including rolling back tariffs and establishing stronger checks on ICE. He also wants better subway service, including newer trains, fewer delays, cleaner stations and more enforcement against fare evasion.
Elena, who was shopping at the Columbia Greenmarket, had a request that goes beyond any single policy issue. She wants the Democratic Party to get on the same page, to find common ground and move in a direction that more people can agree on.
Some To-Dos are Easier To Do Than Others
The UWS task list for Northrup, Lasher and their colleagues is long and varied. But the UWSers we spoke with hoped our newest representatives would make significant progress on many items in their first 100 days.
Respondents felt many issues could be tackled immediately– adding more police patrols, enforcing bike rules and pooper-scooper laws, and clamping down on weed smoking in Riverside Park, for example. Programs, policies and laws to protect Jews and combat antisemitism could also roll out quickly, as could some affordability measures.
Whether our new representatives can deliver on these expectations is another question. But they now have a streetside sampling of what’s on their constituents’ minds.
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