ON THE ISSUES
Shaun's Priorities
Housing
Everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. As a former tenant rights attorney and someone who was evicted as a child, Shaun has made housing policy his number one priority. Whether you’re a tenant, homeowner, or aspiring homeowner, there’s something in our housing agenda for you. Together, we’re building a community where everyone has a foundation for their future.
Shaun is a proud member of the City Council’s Housing, Land Use, and Zoning committees.
Accomplishments:
Building Housing for All: As a member of the City Council Zoning Committee, Shaun cast the decisive vote (4-3) for the City of Yes, the city's boldest pro-housing proposal in history. In addition to creating 80,000 housing units citywide over 15 years, we secured $5 billion to build housing, enable home ownership, and protect infrastructure like sewers, parks, and streets.
Broker Fee Legislation: Shaun co-led the passage of a bill banning landlords from automatically charging renters for broker fees, easing the burden on renters searching for a new home. Now, whoever hires the broker, pays the broker.
Affordable Homeownership: Shaun helped double funding for the HomeFirst Down Payment Assistance Program, increased funding for the HomeFix program, and secured resources for homeowner legal services like estate planning and small landlord support.
Right to Counsel Funding Expansion: Drawing from his experience as a tenant lawyer and his own family's eviction during childhood, Shaun secured $20 million in the city budget for eviction defense, ensuring more tenants have access to legal support to stay in their homes.
Housing Voucher Expansion: Shaun successfully advocated for expanded eligibility for housing vouchers, helping families transition from shelters to stable housing, even overriding a mayoral veto to prioritize community needs.
Electronic Payments for Rental Assistance: Shaun passed a law to ensure rental assistance payments go directly to landlords electronically, reducing delays and preventing discrimination against voucher holders.
Preserving Affordable Housing: Shaun protected nearly 1,000 units of affordable housing in the district through support for multiple Article XI tax exemptions, which dramatically improve living conditions in older buildings.
Fighting Source of Income Discrimination: Shaun championed the expansion of the City Commission on Human Rights unit dedicated to combating source of income discrimination, ensuring fair treatment for all renters.
What We’re Working On:
Housing Where it Belongs: Shaun continues to work with city agencies and community members to identify opportunities to build housing and make housing more affordable.
Elevating Tenant Voices: Shaun regularly brokers meetings between tenant associations and landlords, often with support from professional tenant advocates and legal experts, to improve their living conditions.
Expanding Tenant Rights: Shaun supports a legislative package to strengthen tenant protections, including expanding harassment definitions, mandating access to air conditioning, and safeguarding tenants in buildings with unresolved code violations.
Securing a Permanent Tax Break for HDFCs: Shaun is advocating for a new, permanent tax break to replace the expiring DAMP tax exemption in 2029, working with the HDFC Coalition to protect low- and middle-income homeowners while avoiding additional regulatory burdens.
Advocating for Community Land Trusts: Shaun supports the Community Land Act to combat displacement by empowering community land trusts and nonprofits to purchase multifamily buildings and allocate city-owned land for permanent affordability and community benefits.
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Education & Youth
Every child deserves a strong start and the resources to succeed. That’s why Shaun believes in an education system that lifts every student and treats our educators with the respect they deserve. Our education and youth initiatives focus on expanding quality early childhood programs, improving reading instruction, and ensuring afterschool options for kids in every neighborhood.
Accomplishments:
Expanding Universal 3-K: Shaun helped secure an additional $100 million in funding for Universal 3-K, ensuring every family who needs a seat has access to early childhood education. This victory came after the Council successfully fought against $514 million in proposed budget cuts to early education programs.
Investing in Local Schools and Youth Programs: Shaun allocated funding to support expansive youth programming, partnering with organizations like BioBus, the Boys and Girls Club, and Brotherhood Sister Sol to provide sports, arts, and educational opportunities. He also directed capital funds toward improving school infrastructure, including gyms, libraries, technology labs, and auditoriums, to address the historic underfunding of our public schools.
Funding for Science-Based Reading Programs: Recognizing the importance of literacy, Shaun helped secure funding for effective, proven reading programs, supporting all students in reaching critical learning milestones.
What We’re Working On:
Securing a Fair Funding Formula: Shaun is pushing for changes in the city’s education funding formula to ensure that all schools receive the resources they need, particularly those serving high-need communities.
Reducing Red Tape for Childcare: Shaun introduced a trio of bills to streamline background check procedures, reducing costs and delays for childcare providers. These reforms include completing background checks within 14 days and sharing data between agencies to avoid duplication.
Extended Use of School Facilities: Shaun is working to extend the use of school spaces for community events and extracurricular activities, giving families more opportunities to engage with schools in meaningful ways.
Expanded Support for Teachers and Staff: Shaun is advocating for stronger support systems for educators, including training and resources to effectively implement new reading programs and meet diverse student needs.
Universal Afterschool Programs: Shaun has championed programs that give kids a safe place to go after school, enriching their learning and providing essential support for working families.
Supporting Year-Round Youth Employment: Shaun advocates for year-round youth employment programs, recognizing their value in providing opportunities and life skills. Reflecting on his own experience working at the public library as a high school student, Shaun understands how these jobs can shape young people’s futures and help them contribute to their communities.
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Sanitation & Sustainability
A cleaner, greener city means a healthier future for all. We’re leading the way with innovative sanitation programs that reduce waste and keep our neighborhoods clean. From containerizing our trash to expanding composting citywide, we’re transforming the way we manage waste to make our city more sustainable. With each initiative, we’re one step closer to a New York that’s better for the next generation. Shaun is the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste.
Accomplishments:
Trash Bags Off Our Sidewalks: Shaun secured and oversaw a 10-block trash containerization pilot program in Hamilton Heights, the first of its kind in NYC. Rat sightings in the area have decreased by over 55%, and the program's success is now driving its expansion across the entire city–beginning with other neighborhoods in our district this spring.
Restoring and Expanding Litter Basket Services: Shaun secured $25 million in the 2025 budget to restore and expand rodent-proof litter baskets and increase trash pickups in the city’s busiest areas, improving cleanliness and quality of life.
Letting Educators Educate: In response to complaints from parents and school principals, Shaun worked with the Department of Sanitation to establish on-street trash containers outside of schools and relieve the trash management burden on our educators.
Better Bins and Sanitation Services: Shaun replaced wire-mesh public bins with rodent-resistant Better Bins across the district and allocated funds to support sanitation nonprofits.
Saving Community Composting: Shaun partnered with the Save Our Compost coalition to restore community composting in NYC after it was defunded by Mayor Adams. These organizations provide essential composting infrastructure and education, fostering sustainable waste management citywide.
Reusable Water Bottles at Sports Venues: Shaun’s bill allows fans to bring reusable water bottles to stadiums, reducing waste from single-use plastics and promoting eco-friendly practices citywide.
Increased Penalties for Litter Violations: Shaun introduced legislation to raise fines for repeated littering, sending a strong message about the importance of keeping our streets clean.
Composting in Parks: Shaun co-sponsored legislation to establish composting facilities in NYC parks, with full implementation planned by 2027. Riverside Park’s successful on-site composting has become a model for reducing landfill waste and enhancing citywide sustainability.
What We’re Working On:
Sanitation Oversight Hearings: As Sanitation Chair, Shaun continues to lead oversight hearings to tackle solid waste, street cleanliness, and waste management improvements, pushing for a cleaner, healthier city.
Expanding Containerization of Trash: Shaun introduced legislation to containerize all city-owned trash, including schools, and is working to extend these requirements to buildings with ten units or more, reducing waste visibility and improving sanitation citywide.
Expanding Business Composting: Shaun is leading efforts to expand commercial organics requirements, focusing on food-related businesses, to increase composting participation, reduce landfill waste, and lower the city’s carbon footprint.
Citywide Curbside Organics Program: Shaun is overseeing the rollout of citywide curbside organics collection, a monumental step in reducing food waste and creating a more sustainable waste system.
Protecting Commercial Waste Zones: Shaun’s bill will prevent monopolies in commercial waste zones, ensuring safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly waste management practices.
Organics Pickup at Community Gardens: Shaun is pushing for organics and yard waste collection at community gardens citywide, helping neighborhoods manage waste sustainably and support local green spaces.
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Worker & Consumer Protections
Everyone deserves fair treatment and transparency—whether at work, shopping for essentials, or using delivery services. Our worker and consumer protection efforts ensure New Yorkers are safe, supported, and empowered. From pioneering the first-ever height and weight anti-discrimination law to fighting for fair wages, better working conditions, and consumer rights, Shaun is building a city where everyone has access to opportunities.
Accomplishments:
Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Law: Shaun championed a groundbreaking law making it illegal to discriminate based on height and weight, creating a fairer, more inclusive workplace and community.
Exit Interviews for City Employees: To improve city workplaces, this law ensures that civil service employees who resign or retire are offered exit interviews, helping the city better understand and address workforce needs.
Supporting Hotel Licensing Legislation: Shaun strongly supported the Safe Hotels Act, requiring hotel operators to obtain licenses, enhancing safety and accountability. He collaborated with the Hotel Trades Union to ensure its passage, protecting both workers and guests.
Creating Jobs Through Zoning and Land Use: As a member of the Zoning and Land Use Committees, Shaun championed responsible rezonings and permits that create local jobs in construction, retail, and building management while balancing economic growth with community needs.
Restoring the Job Training Participant Program: Shaun advocated for restoring funding to the Parks Opportunity Program, providing six-month paid job training for low-income New Yorkers while supporting park maintenance and fostering economic opportunity.
Know Your Worth: To make the job search fairer for all New Yorkers, Shaun co-sponsored legislation requiring job listings to advertise the salary for the role, rather than revealing wages at the end of the interview process.
Supporting ACE for Cleaner Streets: Shaun allocated funds to ACE, a nonprofit that employs formerly homeless individuals to pick up litter and remove graffiti throughout the district, fostering cleaner neighborhoods and providing meaningful job opportunities.
What We’re Working On:
Pet Leave: Shaun is pushing for a bill to allow employees to use their paid sick leave to handle pet-related emergencies, recognizing that pets enrich our lives and supporting working pet owners.
Tipping Transparency for Deliveristas: Shaun’s proposed bills would require apps to show a tipping option at checkout, ensuring customers have the option to tip if they choose and that workers aren’t shortchanged by hidden fees.
Pay Transparency for Deliveristas: This bill would require delivery apps to clearly show how pay is calculated and how many hours they worked, empowering deliveristas with information to ensure they’re compensated fairly.
Backing the Construction Justice Act: Shaun co-sponsored legislation mandating a $40 per hour wage and benefits for city-subsidized housing projects, promoting fair compensation and economic justice in the construction industry.
Grocery & Retailer Pricing Accuracy: Shaun introduced a bill requiring stores to honor the lowest advertised price, ensuring shoppers aren’t overcharged and fostering trust between consumers and local businesses.
Protecting Non-Traditional Families in the Workplace: Shaun introduced legislation to promote inclusivity by recognizing non-traditional families, including families led by grandparents or stepparents, as an equally protected class in the workplace.
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Quality of Life
Every New Yorker should feel proud of their neighborhood. We’re dedicated to investing in our parks, making our streets safer, tackling rat infestations, and reimagining public spaces so they work for everyone. With projects like rat birth control and e-bike safety, we’re taking creative steps to improve daily life and address quality-of-life concerns head-on. Our commitment is to build a community where everyone can thrive.
Accomplishments:
Investing in Parks: Shaun secured over $34 million for parks in District 7, supporting projects like Morningside Park, Riverside Park, and Frederick Douglass Playground. As a champion of the 1% for Parks initiative, he prioritizes green spaces to enhance mental health and community well-being, particularly in high-density areas.
Reducing Vacant Storefronts: Shaun supported zoning changes under the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity initiative to address vacant storefronts, simplifying activation processes, encouraging flexible uses and quicker occupancy, and revitalizing neighborhoods by supporting small businesses.
Tackling the Iron Pipeline: With support from Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, Shaun passed legislation requiring the city to track the flow of illegal guns from out of state and explore strategies to reduce gun violence through investments in youth programs and improvements to public infrastructure.
Rat Birth Control Pilot Program: Shaun launched a creative approach to tackling the city’s rodent problem with a rat birth control program, reducing populations and making neighborhoods cleaner and safer.
Rat Mitigation Zones: Shaun helped establish rat mitigation zones in high-infestation areas, focusing resources to control rodent activity and improve public health. These zones also require buildings with violations for rodent infestations to store trash in rat-proof containers.
Sammy’s Law for Safer Streets: Shaun led efforts to pass Home Rule for Sammy’s Law, pushing for local control over speed limits to reduce traffic fatalities and enhance road safety.
Protecting Your Privacy: Shaun used discretionary funding to purchase a new shredding truck to help residents safely dispose of sensitive documents, promoting privacy and security from common identity theft scams.
What We’re Working On:
Scaffolding Reform: Shaun is working with Borough President Mark Levine to advance a package of legislation to tackle long-standing scaffolding issues, helping building owners access resources for maintenance and reducing unsightly and unsafe sidewalk sheds.
E-Bike Safety Measures: Shaun is backing legislation to promote safe e-bike use, including safer battery options, charging stations, and potential e-bike registration to reduce sidewalk speeding incidents.
More Safe & Clean Public Spaces: Shaun continues to prioritize public spaces by advocating for litter-free parks, safer streets, and neighborhood beautification initiatives that support a better quality of life for all.
Expanding Open Streets and Public Spaces: Shaun champions access to open streets and public spaces, supporting the Amsterdam Avenue Open Street and collaborating with the Columbus Amsterdam BID to create community-oriented events and vibrant public programming.
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Health
A thriving city is a city that cares—where every person’s health, safety, and well-being comes first. We’re bringing vital resources closer to home with initiatives like our mental health one-stop shop and transparency in hospital pricing legislation. And our focus on issues like sleep apnea, youth mental health, and gun safety awareness reflects our commitment to a city that cares for everyone. We’re working toward a New York that supports health at every age and every stage of life.
Accomplishments:
Expanding Psychiatric Beds: As a member of the Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction Committee, Shaun advocated for reopening inpatient psychiatric beds in state-licensed hospitals. So far, this effort has led to $30 million in state funding to expand psychiatric care at community-based hospitals across New York City.
Mental Health One-Stop Shop: Shaun’s legislation created a centralized resource for free mental health services, giving New Yorkers easy access to the support they need, regardless of income.
Hospital Pricing Transparency: Shaun co-sponsored a law requiring private hospitals to disclose pricing, helping patients make informed decisions and reducing unexpected medical bills.
Age In Place NYC Package: Shaun helped pass a legislative package supporting older adults with essential services like eviction protection, digital literacy programs, and expanded telehealth options to foster independence.
What We’re Working On:
Sleep Apnea Testing Access: Shaun proposed a city-funded program to provide free sleep apnea testing and treatment. Early detection of sleep apnea is essential to preventing severe health risks, such as heart disease and stroke, and improving safety, wellbeing, and longevity for all New Yorkers.
Social Media & Youth Mental Health Awareness: In response to the impacts of social media on youth, Shaun is advocating for educational materials to help parents and students navigate challenges safely and reduce risky behaviors.
Promoting Gun Safety Awareness: Shaun introduced legislation requiring schools to provide information on gun safety. This includes safe storage, gun buy-back programs, and recognizing risk factors for suicide, gun violence, and intimate partner violence.
Narcan Availability in Daycare Centers: Shaun is pushing for Narcan to be stocked in daycares to address potential overdose emergencies, providing an extra layer of safety for children and staff.