IN PUBLIC SERVICE: We Need a Recovery for Everyone

Vote for experienced leadership you can count on

June 17, 2021 By Council Member Farah N. Louis

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High unemployment rates. Health care disparities. Remote learning difficulties. Small businesses closing. A startling rise in gun violence. These are just a few of the pressing issues New Yorkers face. And with Election Day just a few weeks away, the choices we make will have a huge impact on how our city and our communities recover from the pandemic year.

In Brooklyn, I, Council Member Farah N. Louis, have been a strong advocate for our community throughout this crisis and am ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. As our city began to shut down to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, I took action not only in City Hall but on the ground, opening over 30 food pantries and delivering over a million high-quality meals and PPE throughout the district.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by all of us, as unemployment puts even more financial strain on many households. For renters who’ve had to deal with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, I introduced legislation to ensure that late rent payments do not impact credit scores. I also supported mortgage extensions for homeowners who have been impacted by the pandemic, as well as small-business owners who have faced similar hardship.

For our students who have struggled over the last year with the closing of school and the switch to remote learning, I worked to pass legislation to create a remote learning training program for parents, and to ensure that students with disabilities had access to the necessary equipment to enable remote learning. With the reopening of schools, we need a committed and experienced councilmember who understands the challenges students face and will work to find innovative ways to help those who continue to struggle.

Now, as we see vaccination rates rise and as the city begins to reopen, the rise in gun violence has caused many of us to worry about the future. That’s why I have made public safety my top priority in my campaign for re-election to City Council. I have a plan to make our neighborhoods safer that includes increased funding for programs that reduce gun violence by engaging with potential perpetrators to interrupt violence before it happens. I also developed public awareness campaigns to share information about staying safe as we reopen.

To further support our community, I’ll work to open the first-ever women’s clinic in our district, create a cease-and-desist zone in the district to protect homeowners from aggressive and unscrupulous real estate practices, and launch a new community center in East Flatbush.

The challenges we face make this election one of the most important we have had in decades. Experience matters, and here in District 45, there is no one better to continue to serve our communities than myself. I have been and I remain committed to the growth and stability of the community I grew up in, as the daughter of devout Caribbean immigrants. I know that we cannot just go back to the way things were before the pandemic, but sometimes out of tragedy, opportunity arises. So let us take this opportunity to uplift communities that were largely ignored for years.

Whether you are voting absentee, early June 12 through June 20, or in person on June 22, vote for me, Farah Louis, as your No. 1 choice for City Council District 45 in the Democratic Primary.