Moderator Bruce Simon leads the conversation.

Lively discussion ensued at LW!’s forum with the City Council candidates for the Upper West Side’s District 6 last week, covered in the New York Observer. Graciously hosted by our neighbors, the New York Society for Ethical Culture in their individually landmarked building, the roundtable discussion provided an opportunity for the public to hear the candidates’ views on land use issues, especially overdevelopment, historic preservation, parks, and open space.

Mel Wymore speaks to the crowd.

All seven of the candidates running for Gale Brewer’s City Council seat attended: Ken Biberaj, Debra Cooper, Noah Gotbaum, Marc Landis, Helen Rosenthal, Tom Siracuse, and Mel Wymore. The starting point for the discussion came from a New York Times article (5/30/13) which reported that the real estate community has established a $10 million PAC to elect candidates to the 21 open City Council seats who would further their pro-development, anti-neighborhood, and anti-small business agenda.

Over 100 neighbors attended the meeting to hear the candidates’ views and educate themselves prior to the September 10th primary election. LW! was happy to once again provide a free forum for the community to learn about the candidates, as we have done for elections in the past. Check out our Events Archive to read about our 2005 and 2009 events with mayoral candidates. For details about the upcoming election and how to find your polling site, click here.

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