The next HNBA community meeting (and yes, you are definitely on the invite list) will be held at the MTA’s Community Information Center at 69 East 125th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues) on:

Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 PM.

We’ll have a presentation from Michael Fox of Eloise Capital, the company that is developing the residential building at the corner of 126th and Madison Avenue.

We’ll also hear from our location hosts (the MTA) on the Park Avenue Viaduct project and how this essential capital replacement of the tracks between 115th Street and 1222nd Street is progressing.

Lastly, we’ll hear from the office of the Manhattan District Attorney (represented by ADA Reginald Green) on crime trends in Manhattan and in our community in particular. Here is your chance to speak to the Manhattan DA’s office about your experience with crime and public safety while hearing more about the data that underlies our day-to-day experience.

Looking forward to seeing you on April 9th

Who Are the City’s Council Members, Anyway?

The age distribution of New York City council members has remained consistent over the past two decades, with the mean age hovering around the mid-40s.

Data also indicates that a vast majority of council members hold undergraduate degrees, with the social sciences, particularly political science, being the most common field of study.

Notably, Columbia University has a significant presence among council members, with 20% having attended a CUNY college for their undergraduate degree.

Graduate education is also prevalent among council members, with nearly half holding graduate or postgraduate degrees, primarily in law and public administration. A significant portion of those who pursued graduate studies attended CUNY institutions, with Hunter College the most common graduate studies school chosen by city council members.

The data regarding employment history is perhaps the most shocking. The overwhelming majority of council members have prior experience working for government or government-related employers, including legislative and executive agencies.

A noteworthy finding is that nearly a quarter of council members in the 2022-2023 session were employed by another council member immediately before their election, often in senior positions such as chief of staff or legislative director. This trend has increased since the introduction of term limits in 2010, suggesting that former staffers are well-positioned with political connections to secure council seats, raising questions about the efficacy of term limits in promoting turnover and diversity in council membership.

To learn more about this data and to dive more deeply into it, see: