Brad Lander

Council Member Brad Lander, chair of the City Council’s Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses Subcommittee, draws from his experience as a public policy advocate when executing his duties.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Lander in 1991 earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Chicago. He then earned a master’s degree in Social Anthropology at the University College London in the United Kingdom, where he worked with community groups to research how a controversial plan to redevelop the London Docklands would impact local maritime communities.

Lander in 1993 returned to the United States and joined the Fifth Avenue Committee, a Brooklyn community group that advances economic and social justice. During his tenure Lander earned a second master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Pratt Institute. In 2003 he was named director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. He was also involved in advocating for the use of inclusionary zoning, which allows developers to construct larger buildings in exchange for allocating a portion to affordable housing. The campaign helped spearhead the City’s use of inclusionary zoning in neighborhoods outside of Manhattan. (read more…)

Leroy Comrie

Council Member Leroy Comrie, Chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee and representative of Queens’ 27th District, is not afraid to raise his voice or make his opinion known. For the most part, however, Comrie is known as a quiet, thoughtful, and fair-minded civic leader.

Comrie was born in Jersey City, but he was raised in the same southeast Queens community he now represents. His parents, Jamaican immigrants, helped spark Comrie’s interests in politics and government. After studying political science at the University of Bridgeport, Comrie returned to Queens and became active in local government. He served simultaneously as district manager for former Council Member Archie Spigner and as president of his local school board. When term limits forced Spigner to yield his seat in Council, Comrie was elected to replace his mentor in 2001. (read more…)

Mark Weprin

Council Member Mark Weprin, the newly elected representative for the 23rd District and son of the late State Assembly Member Saul Weprin, admits that he is no expert in land use law. When Weprin first learned that he would inherit the position of chair of the Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee from fellow Queens Council Member Tony Avella, he pulled out the same land use hornbook he used in law school and started reviewing major land use decisions.

Born, bred, and still living in eastern Queens, Weprin grew up in a political family. His father, Saul Weprin, was a State Assembly Member for 23 years and rose to the position of Speaker. Though Mark Weprin himself had no ambition to run for public office, he was elected to replace his father in the Assembly following Saul Weprin’s sudden death in 1994. In the Assembly, he passed 62 laws involving mainly consumer affairs, education, and criminal justice issues. In January, Weprin replaced his brother, David Weprin, as representative for the 23rd District in the City Council, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Bellerose, Fresh Meadows, Floral Park, and Oakland Gardens.Weprin views the position as an opportunity to deliver for his constituents on a more local level. (read more…)