Jessica Lappin

Jessica Lappin
Former member of the New York City Council from the 5th District
In office
January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2013
Preceded by Gifford Miller
Succeeded by Benjamin Kallos
Constituency Upper East Side
Personal details
Nationality United States
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Andrew Wuertele
Residence Manhattan, New York City, United States
Alma mater Georgetown University
Profession Politician
Website http://www.downtownny.com

Jessica Suzanne Lappin is a lifelong New Yorker, Lower Manhattan business leader and a former city elected official. In 2014, she became the president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, New York City's largest Business Improvement District, which serves Lower Manhattan. Prior to that, she served two terms as a member of the New York City Council, representing Manhattan's fifth district, which includes the Upper East Side, East Midtown, and Roosevelt Island. She previously worked as a senior adviser and District Chief of Staff to Gifford Miller, the former Speaker of the New York City Council. She also ran in the Democratic Primary for Manhattan Borough President in 2013 and finished in second place.

Career

On February 3, 2014, Lappin was appointed as president at the Alliance for Downtown New York, the organization that manages the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District.[1] The Alliance provides service, advocacy, research and information to advance Lower Manhattan as a global model of a 21st century Central Business District. Lappin also serves as the President of its sister organization, the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association.

A lifelong New Yorker, Ms. Lappin has a distinguished record in civic life and public service. A New York City Council Member representing Manhattan’s fifth district from 2006 to 2013, she earned a reputation as a committed advocate for her constituents and a champion of common-sense, practical solutions. She played a key role in bringing the Cornell-Technion Applied Science and Engineering Campus to Roosevelt Island and worked with a wide variety of stakeholders to mitigate negative impacts stemming from construction of the 2nd Avenue subway. As Co-Chair of the City Council Women’s Caucus, she authored a nationally recognized, landmark bill to protect women’s health and reproductive rights and formed a coalition to combat sex-trafficking.

As the former Chair of the Council’s Land Use Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses, she made significant contributions to the protection of the city’s waterfront and helped lead the fight for a greener New York. She authored laws creating the city’s textile recycling and street corner recycling programs. She was instrumental in reclaiming waterfront areas that had been inaccessible and in making them available to the public. By securing $15.5 million in funding, she helped spur the development of four new waterfront parks. They include FDR Four Freedoms Park and Southpoint Park on Roosevelt Island, Andrew Haswell Green Park on Manhattan’s east side waterfront, and a soon-to-be-built park behind One Sutton Place.

Bringing jobs to New York City has always been a top priority for Ms. Lappin. She authored a biotech tax credit that has encouraged small biotech companies to create and keep jobs in the city. The establishment of the Cornell-Technion Applied Science and Engineering Campus on Roosevelt Island, for which she was an influential proponent, is expected to generate 30,000 jobs in the next three decades.

Another issue of great importance to Ms. Lappin is the quality of education in New York City. A parent of two public school students, she has fought successfully to improve educational excellence and opportunities throughout the city; she oversaw the approval of 20,000 new class seats citywide and provided crucial support for the opening of six new schools in Manhattan.

Before holding public office, Ms. Lappin was a senior advisor to Council Speaker Gifford Miller, who also represented Manhattan’s fifth district on the New York City Council. In 2013, she was a Democratic candidate for Manhattan Borough President and finished second in a competitive four-way race. In 2011, the Aspen Institute, a renowned international think tank, selected her as a Rodel Fellow. The program is focused on transcending political partisanship and addressing overarching questions of leadership and effective governance. Alumni include Congresswomen Gabby Giffords and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Personal life

Lappin, who is Jewish,[2] was raised in Manhattan. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School, one of the nine specialized high schools in New York City. She attended Georgetown University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a BA in government and french.[3]

Lappin married Andrew Wuertele in 2003.[3]

The couple has two children, Lucas and Miles.[4] She is a fan of the New York Mets and the New York Jets.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Alliance for Downtown New York Appoints Jessica Lappin as President" (PDF) (Press release). New York, New York: Alliance for Downtown New York. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
  2. ↑ Geselowitz, Gabriela (2013-09-04). "Jewish Candidates' September Dilemma". The Jewish Week (New York, New York). Retrieved 2014-11-10.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Weddings/Celebrations; Jessica Lappin, Andrew Wuertele". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). 2003-09-21. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
  4. ↑ Rauh, Grace (2007-10-11). "New Mother Lappin Back In Council Mix". The New York Sun. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
  5. ↑ Santos, Fernando (2009-05-01). "In Council, It’s Mets 18, Yanks 13, and Neither 12". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-11-10.

External links