DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Susan Lee ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 1st
Age: 44
Occupation: Grant Writer
Education: Barnard College (B.A.), NYU (M.P.A.)
To read this candidate’s responses to Citizen Union’s questionnaire, click here.
Susan Lee has extensive experience in the nonprofit industry. She is the founder of the Alliance for Community Preservation and Betterment, an organization aimed at improving the quality of life in Chinatown. Prior to that she worked as a Program Manager of Development for Asian Americans for Equality and served on the board of several other nonprofits. She first ran for this council district seat in 2021 and came in 5th out of 9 candidates.
Her top priorities in this race include improving public safety, expanding educational opportunities for gifted & talented students, and constructing more affordable housing. She has campaigned on a platform that aims to “re-conceptualize” policing from a community perspective, improving transparency and accountability, and increasing funding for social service professionals.
Lee supports all of CU’s reform priorities in the candidate questionnaire and signaled she would focus on improving ethics oversight. If elected, she intends to seek a seat on the Committee on Oversight and Investigations and make a log of her meetings publicly available.
Citizens Union believes Lee would be a champion of the reform agenda on the Council and was impressed by her understanding of her community’s issues and plans to address them in office. We prefer her in this race.
Ursila Jung • Ranked 2nd
Age: 46
Occupation: Private Investor
Education: St. Stephens College (B.A.), SOAS University of London (M.A.), Columbia University (M.P.A.)
To read this candidate’s responses to Citizen Union’s questionnaire, click here.
Ursila Jung is a private investor and longtime resident of downtown Manhattan. She serves on the Community Education Council and was an active member of the PTA for her kids’ schools. This is her first foray into electoral politics, and she is running as a candidate inspired by the core American values of “grit, perseverance, and determination” willing to build partnerships across political divides.
If elected, her top priorities include fully funding the NYPD to improve neighborhood safety, improving sanitation, and supporting small businesses. Jung supported most of CU’s reform priorities in the questionnaire, except for a ban on bundled donations by lobbyists, claiming that the Campaign Finance Board’s system is already difficult for political outsiders to navigate.
Citizens Union was impressed by her knowledge of and concern with local issues.
Christopher Marte • Ranked 3rd
Age: 34
Occupation: City Council Member (District 1)
Education: Long Island University (B.A.)
To read this candidate’s responses to Citizen Union’s questionnaire, click here.
Christopher Marte has represented lower Manhattan since being elected to the City Council in 2021. Previously, Marte worked as a legal researcher at an immigration law firm and as a State Director for Arena, which provides training for people seeking to run for office.
As a Council Member, he has sponsored 16 bills, including legislation requiring simultaneous translation for Council meetings, although none of his bills have passed and he does not chair a committee. In this campaign, his top priorities include ending the 24-hour workday for home care workers, opposing luxury development and gentrification in Chinatown, and securing more funding for education.
Marte supports most of CU’s reform priorities in the candidate questionnaire, disagreeing over open primaries but conceding that changes to party affiliation should be easier for voters. He differs from CU in his support of an elected Civilian Complaint Review Board. He believes the Council should make more use of its subpoena power to compel testimony, given how often City agencies fail to provide requested information, and wants members to have more background information on officials they are asked to appoint.
Citizens Union values Marte’s commitment to political reform and accountability but is concerned about his ability to advance these goals given his legislative effectiveness in office over the past two years. Therefore, we ranked him third in this race.
Pooi Stewart
This candidate did not respond to Citizens Union’s questionnaire.