Letitia James

Tish James
4th New York City Public Advocate
Assumed office
January 1, 2014
Preceded by Bill de Blasio
Member of the New York City Council
from the 35th district
In office
January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2013
Preceded by James E. Davis
Succeeded by Laurie Cumbo
Personal details
Born (1958-10-18) October 18, 1958
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education City University of New York, Lehman (BA)
Howard University (JD)
Columbia University (MPA)
Website Government website

Letitia A. "Tish" James (born October 18, 1958)[1] is an American lawyer, activist and politician. The first African American woman nominated by a major party for statewide office in the New York, she is the Democratic nominee for Attorney General in the 2018 election.

James is the current New York City Public Advocate and first black woman to hold citywide office. She previously served for a decade as a member of the New York City Council. She represented Brooklyn's 35th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. James chaired the Economic Development and Sanitation Committees, and served on several other the committees.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, James obtained her law degree at Howard University in Washington DC, after graduating from Lehman College in The Bronx. She worked as a Public Defender. She was then on staff in the New York State Assembly, and worked as an Assistant Attorney General. She first ran for city council and won as a member of the Working Families Party.

Early life and education

James was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Nellie and Robert James.[2] She attended New York City public schools and received her B.A. from the City University of New York's Lehman College in 1981.[3]

James graduated from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.,[4] and was admitted to practice law in New York state in 1989.[5] She is attending Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs for a degree in Master of Public Administration.[6]

Career

James served as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society[7] and established the Urban Network, a coalition of African American professional organizations aimed at providing scholarships for young people.[8][9] In 1994, she promoted the Primary Health Care Development Bill in the City Council, which expanded day care resources for working families across the city. In 1996, James negotiated the Welfare Reform Act on behalf of the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Caucus.

She served on former New York Governor Mario Cuomo's Task Force on Diversity in the Judiciary. She served as counsel for Albert Vann, Chief of Staff for Roger L. Green in the New York State Assembly, and in the administration of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. She was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office in 1999. While working in that position, James worked in many capacities but notably focused on consumer complaints involving predatory lending and other unlawful business practices.[7]

2001 and 2003 City Council races

James' first run for the 35th Council District was in November 2001. In a close race, James received 42% of the vote on the Working Families Party line but lost to James E. Davis, a Democrat. In July 2003, just months before the next election, Davis was assassinated by Othniel Askew, another politician. Following the tragic event, Davis's brother, Geoffrey, had decided he was going to take over the Council seat running on the Democratic platform, but on election day, November 4, Geoffrey Davis lost by a large margin to James as the Working Families Party nominee. During her 2003 race, James officially became a member of the Working Families Party, and was the first citywide office-holder who ran solely on the WFP line.

City Council tenure

James speaking at City Hall, 2008

James is the first member of the Working Families Party to win office in New York State, and the first third-party member to be elected to the city council since 1977.[10] (She has since changed back to the Democratic party.) In 2005, James became involved in advocating against the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena in her district, this was a case that put her against her Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Borough President Marty Markowitz and developer Bruce Ratner. James opposed the use of eminent domain to evict her constituents, selling the MTA's Atlantic Yards property below its market value, and keeping the planning of the project away from the New York City Council. Bertha Lewis, a founder of the Working Families Party and the New York City affiliate of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), on the other hand, endorsed the stadium development once Ratner accepted her plan for affordable housing.

James again won the Working Families and the Democratic parties' nominations by a large margin over Samuel Eric Blackwell, an urban planner at Long Island University and pro-stadium advocate. She was re-elected on the Democratic line on November 8, 2005, with 88.11% of the vote, compared to 6.80% for Republican Anthony Herbert, and 5.08% for Independence Party candidate Charles B. Billups.[11]

On October 10, 2006, there was a devastating fire at the Broken Angel House, an architectural icon in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The fire attracted attention from the New York City Department of Buildings, which resulted in the citation of numerous building code violations. James represented Broken Angel's owner, Arthur Wood, pro bono in his negotiations to keep his home. The agency decided to allow Wood to re-occupy Broken Angel provided the upper levels were taken down and the central stairwell reconstructed.[12]

James was the sponsor of New York law 2007/29, which addressed the Alternative Enforcement Program by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and violations of the housing maintenance code and multiple dwelling law; and 2008/004, which addressed the availability of Child Health Plus laws in day cares.

She was the first to question cost overruns and irregularities in the subcontracting work of the new CityTime payroll system much touted by Bloomberg which eventually led to several indictments, Bloomberg asking a tech giant for $600 million back, and two consultants fleeing the country in 2011.[13][14]

James originally advocated for the demolition of the Second Empire houses on Admiral's Row in order to build a parking lot for a proposed supermarket to serve residents in nearby housing developments, but later supported preserving some of the historic housing.[15] In 2008, James, with Bill de Blasio, advocated against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempts to seek a third term without a voter referendum.[16]

James won the Democratic primary in September 2009 against her opponents, community organizer Delia Hunley-Adossa,[17] who received more than $200,000 from Forest City Ratner[18] and Medhanie Estiphanos, a financial consultant.[18] James went on to win re-election for a second term.

With New York State Senator Eric Adams, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, and NY city councilman Jumaane Williams, James called upon Mayor Bloomberg to investigate systemic corruption in the NYPD in November 2011.[19] She was also one of four councilmembers to sue the NYPD over its treatment of protesters at Occupy Wall Street.

In May 2013, with a group that included construction unions, community groups and other elected officials, she was a part of an Article 78 lawsuit against the Bloomberg administration and Acadia Realty Trust seeking the shut-down of the City Point real estate project and a reassessment of its environmental impact.[20]

In June 2016, James attempted to pressure six financial institutions, including BB&T, Berkshire Bank, Citizens Financial Group, People's United Bank, Regions Financial Corporation and TD Bank, into ending its practice of providing financial services to gun manufacturers.[21] BB&T was specifically requested to drop the accounts of SIG Sauer of New Hampshire, but denied the request.[22]

Committee assignments

  • Committee on Economic Development (chair)
  • Committee on Sanitation (chair)
  • Committee on Parks & Recreation
  • Committee on Small Business
  • Committee on Technology in Government
  • Committee on Veteran Affairs
  • Committee on Women's Issues[4][23]

Public Advocate

Letitia James at the 2018 NYC March For Our Lives rally.

In 2013, James ran for New York City Public Advocate and received 36% of the vote in the first Democratic primary, just under the 40% threshold that would have avoided a runoff election.[24] James won the runoff election on October 1, 2013, against Daniel Squadron, 59%–41%, becoming the party's nominee for the city's elected watchdog position in November. Without a Republican opponent, James subsequently won the general election with over 83% of the vote.[25]

In the 2013 election campaign for Public Advocate, James was endorsed by many of the city's important labor unions, NOW, Planned Parenthood, Democracy for NYC, League of Conservation Voters, Amsterdam News and El Diario. James accomplished her first-place finish in spite of her campaign trailing Daniel Squadron's and Reshma Saujani's, in fundraising.[26] on October 1, 2013, becoming the party's nominee for the city's elected watchdog position in November. She was endorsed by third-place finisher Saujani in September[27] James won the Democratic runoff election.[24] Without a Republican opponent, she won the general election with over 83% of the vote.[25]

In 2017, James won the Democratic primary for her position with 77% of the vote, over closest competitor David Eisenbach’s 23%.[28]

Attorney General

On September 13, 2018, she won the primary as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of New York with 40.6% of the vote against Zephyr Teachout's 31% although she stated a few months before "the only job I want is right here in New York City".[29][30]

References

  1. ↑ Kravitz, Derek (August 22, 2013). "Candidate's Age Often Listed Incorrectly - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ The Candidate: A letter from Letitia "Tish" James. Letitia James 2003 Campaign Website.
  3. ↑ "Distinguished CUNY Alumnae". The City University of New York. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "District 35". Laurie A. Cumbo. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ "NYS Attorney Registration".
  6. ↑ "About Tish". Letitia James 2013.
  7. 1 2 "2003 General Election Voter Guide: 35th City Council District". NYC Campaign Finance Board.
  8. ↑ "April 23 – Lunch with Legislators: Council Member Letitia James". Women's City Club of New York. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Candidates for Public Advocate: Democratic Primary". NYC Campaign Finance Board.
  10. ↑ Richardson, Lynda (November 19, 2003). "Public Lives; Only the Party Is Minor, Not Its Councilwoman". New York Times.
  11. ↑ "Election 2005". NY1.
  12. ↑ Rubinstein, Dana (January 6, 2007). "'Angel' on the market: Clinton Hill amalgam is yours for $1.5 mil". The Brooklyn Papers.
  13. ↑ "CityTime Payroll Manager Fired Over Pay Scandal". WNYC.
  14. ↑ "$450 million Fraud: CityTime husband and wife team flee country leaving 200 employees in the lurch". New York Daily News.
  15. ↑ McLaughlin, Mike (July 15, 2008). "James gets in middle of 'Row'". The Brooklyn Paper.
  16. ↑ Hicks, Jonathan P. (October 16, 2008). "Councilman Balks at Procedure to Change Term Limits". City Blogs. New York Times.
  17. ↑ "James, in a landslide". Newman, Andy (September 15, 2009) The Local
  18. 1 2 "The Day: Hunley-Adossa Group Got More than 200G from Ratner". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ "Senator Eric Adams, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Councilmember Letitia James and Councilmember Jumaane Williams call on Mayor Bloomberg to appoint Commission to Investigate Systemic Corruption in the NYPD". nysenate.gov.
  20. ↑ "Pols James, Mosley Lend Support To City Point Lawsuit". City & State.
  21. ↑ "PA James Calls on Six Banks to Terminate Financial Backing of Sig Sauer, Maker of Gun Used in Orlando Massacre". Public Advocate for the City of New York.
  22. ↑ "BB&T doesn't agree to drop Sig Sauer firearm accounts". Winston-Salem Journal.
  23. ↑ . Gross, Courtney. (January 22, 2010) "Stated Meeting: The Council's New Order"
  24. 1 2 "Election 2013: Other Races".
  25. 1 2 "Letitia James wins NYC Public Advocate Democratic runoff". WABC TV. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Shunning Squadron, the Brooklyn Democratic organization backs Letitia James". Capital.
  27. ↑ "Reshma Saujani endorses Letitia James". Letitia James campaign.
  28. ↑ Max, Ben. "2017 New York City Primary Election Results". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  29. ↑ "No Need to Flash-Forward to 2021: Mayoral Hopefuls Already Engaged". Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  30. ↑ "Letitia James Makes History by Winning Attorney General Primary in New York". Retrieved 2018-09-15.
Political offices
Preceded by
James E. Davis		 New York City Council, 35th District
2004–2013		 Succeeded by
Laurie Cumbo
Preceded by
Bill de Blasio		 Public Advocate of New York City
2014–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Eric Schneiderman		 Democratic nominee for Attorney General of New York
2018		 Most recent
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