| State Senator Simcha Felder was elected in a decisive victory in November 2012 to represent the 17th Senate District which encompasses the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison and Bensonhurst.
A lifelong New Yorker, Simcha lives with his wife and children just blocks from the house in which he was born and raised. Simcha is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Management from the renowned Zicklin School of Business at CUNY's Baruch College. Felder also served as a professor of Management at Touro College and CUNY'S Brooklyn College.
Felder has also served as Deputy Comptroller for Budget, Accounting, Administration and Information Technology in the New York City Comptroller's Office. Simcha previously worked for the New York State Assembly and as a tax auditor for the New York City Department of Finance.
Before entering politics, Felder was a tireless community leader and volunteer for local civic organizations. With 17 years of experience in public service, Simcha Felder was elected to the City Council in 2002.
As a Council Member, Simcha built a reputation as a dedicated and committed advocate who brought concrete results home to his constituents. He served as the Chair of the Council's Government Operations and Sanitation and Solid Waste Management committees where he worked to bring a more rational approach to government. Simcha also chaired the Landmarks Committee.
An outspoken advocate for responsible neighborhood development, Simcha worked to transform empty city-owned lots for community uses such as new housing and a Hatzolah Volunteer Ambulance garage and headquarters. Simcha fought to secure City funding to add new playgrounds, open up and renovate schoolyards for public use, and plant thousands of new trees on city streets.
While serving on the Council's Education Committee, Simcha supported efforts to improve New York City schools through direct control and equitable funding. Simcha is a staunch advocate of school choice and maintains that the State must do more to ensure that all New York City students are treated equitably.
Simcha has a proven record as a champion of common-sense policies that streamline government and increase accountability to taxpayers. He passed laws to reduce unfair parking and sanitation tickets, sponsored the five-minute grace period legislation for motorists, and put a stop to the distribution of unwanted circulars and menus.
Felder seeks to continue his record as a legislator to make the government more responsive to the needs of its citizens and break down needless and frustrating bureaucratic red-tape.
As State Senator, in 2013, Felder successfully fought for and secured funding for school transportation, enabling parents to receive fully-funded, "safety first" door-to-door school bus services for their school children. That same year, Senator Felder again fought for parents with special education children, passing legislation to enable parents to more easily receive funding for their child's schooling. |