Jessica Lappin is a lifelong Democrat and New Yorker representing the 5th District of Manhattan, which includes the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. Praised by the New York Times for her "steely resolve, dedication and energy,” she is recognized as a strong advocate for women’s rights, education reform, environmental protections, and public safety.
Education and Personal Life
Jessica Lappin received a Regents Diploma from Stuyvesant High School. She earned her B.A. in Government from Georgetown University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. She is married to Andrew Wuertele and lives with her husband and two sons in East Midtown.
City Council Committees
Jessica Lappin chairs the City Council Committee on Aging. Over the next twenty years, there will be about 50% more seniors living in New York City. Lappin is working to ensure New York remains a diverse and dynamic place full of active and engaged seniors. She has also successfully fought to protect funding for the social safety net that many older New Yorkers depend on, including Meals on Wheels, case management, senior centers, and NORCs.
In addition to serving on the Aging Committee, Council Member Lappin is co-chair of the City Council Women’s Caucus. She is also a member of the Education, Transportation, Cultural Affairs, and Land Use committees.
Issues and Advocacy
Affordable Housing
Lappin is working to preserve affordable housing so that middle class families can still afford to live in New York City. She sponsors a free, monthly legal clinic for tenants who face harassment and eviction. She’s advocated for stronger rent stabilization and rent control laws, more supportive housing for seniors, and permenant affordable housing on Roosevelt Island.
Job Creation
To position New York City for the 21st Century economy, Lappin authored a biotech tax credit that has proven to be successful in encouraging small biotech companies to create and retain jobs. She led a successful campaign to bring a world-class applied sciences and engineering school to Manhattan and her district on Roosevelt Island. Now she is working closely with Cornell and Technion Universities on the approval and development of this game-changing project, which is expected to generate approximately 30,000 hi-tech jobs over the next three decades.
Reproductive Rights
Lappin is one of the City Council’s leading pro-choice voices. She authored a landmark law to regulate pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in New York City, which the New York Times said “would aid women here in New York City, and perhaps inspire other cities.” She also co-sponsored the Clinic Access Law to protect patients entering reproductive health facilities.
Education
As chair of an important land use subcommittee, Lappin personally oversaw the approval of 20,000 new school seats across New York City. She was a driving force in the opening of three new elementary schools and two gifted and talented programs, and a larger more modern middle school on the Upper East Side.
Environment
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) has called Lappin “one of the leading environmental lights on the City Council." She has secured funding for three new waterfront parks in Manhattan and worked with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to start public space and textile recycling programs.
Public Safety
Lappin authored a law requiring the New York City Police Department to post detailed traffic-accident statistics on its website on a street-by-street basis, and has advocated for more pedestrian countdown clocks throughout the city. Following two tragic crane accidents in her district, she authored a package of legislation to reform construction and crane operations in New York City, which was signed by Mayor Bloomberg.
Awards and Honors
In 2011, Jessica Lappin was selected to be a Rodel Fellow by the Aspen Institute, a renowned international think tank. The program is focused on transcending political partisanship to address over-arching questions of leadership and governance. Alumni include Congresswomen Gabby Giffords and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Lappin is an alumna of the American Council of Young Political Leaders. She is the receipt of numerous awards and honors including:
- The Historical Districts Council 2008 Grassroots Preservation Award
- Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts 2008 Advocacy Award
- Neighborhood Preservation Alliance 2006 Leadership Award
- Center for Arts Education 2010 Champion of the Arts Award
- FDNY 2006 Support and Loyalty to Engine 44 Award
- Archcare (The Continuing Carchdiocese of NY) 2011 Community Service Award
- Friends of Stuyvesant Baseball, 2007 Appreciation Award
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House 2007 Elizabeth Rohatyn Award for Community Service