Kingsbridge, Norwood, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, and Woodlawn

Jeffrey Dinowitz ★ Preferred Candidate
Age: 65
Occupation: New York State Assembly Member
Education: Herbert H. Lehman College, B.A.; Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
Candidate Website: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Jeffrey-Dinowitz/

Jeffrey Dinowitz is the current Assembly Member for District 81, where he serves as Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and, among others, sits on the Committees on Ways and Means, Election Law, and Rules. A senior legislator who has held his seat since 1994, Dinowitz has had many legislative victories, including sponsoring legislation on MTA administration, tenant and landlord rights, and consumer protections. In this legislative session, he was the lead sponsor on two important voting rights bills – the “registration portability” bill, which allows New Yorkers who move to vote at their new address without having to re-register, and the SUNY/CUNY voter empowerment bill, which requires the universities to provide voter registration forms and absentee ballots to students. Both bills have since been signed into law. He opposes several Citizens Union reforms, including special election reform, reducing the party vote threshold, simplifying campaign finance matching, restructuring the BOE, and court consolidation. However during his interview, Citizens Union was impressed by his knowledge of the issues and the clarity of thought put into his objections, which often included support for broader reform issues even when the details did not align with Citizens Union’s proposals. Given his record on passing reform legislation, his effectiveness as a legislator, and his knowledge of and thoughtfulness about the issues of his district and the government, Citizens Union prefers Jeffrey Dinowitz in this race.

George Diaz
The candidate did not respond to Citizens Union’s questionnaire.