Manhattan Borough President Race: Michael Lewyn Candidate Profile

NEW YORK, NY — Voters in Manhattan will see three names on their ballot for borough president when they vote in this week's general election.

One of those names will be Michael Lewyn, a law professor who lives in Midtown. His opponents will be Democrat Mark Levine and Republican Louis Puliafito.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Lewyn's responses are below.

Age (as of Election Day)

58

Position Sought

Manhattan Borough President

Party Affiliation

Libertarian

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

Midtown

Family

wife (55)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

B.A., Wesleyan University; J.D., University of Pennsylvania, L.L.M., University of Toronto

Occupation

Associate Professor, Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none.

Campaign website

lewynformanhattan.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

To raise public consciousness about the need for less restrictive zoning in order to increase housing supply and thus lower housing costs. Only 3.7 percent of Manhattan's housing has been built since 2010. By contrast, in the county that includes Charlotte, North Carolina, 14 percent of the housing has been built since 2010. Not surprisingly, Charlotte is much less expensive. If we made our zoning laws less cumbersome, we, like Charlotte, would have more housing and lower rents.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

housing. The Borough President's primary functions are a) to make recommendations on land use and transportation decisions and b) to appoint community board members. I would recommend less restrictive zoning in order to increase housing supply, and appoint community board members who are conscious of the need for new housing.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Other candidates are more willing than I am to bend to neighborhood resistance to new housing. But this leads to inadequate housing supply for two reasons. First, it leads to a "individual rationality, collective irrationality" problem: it might be rational for each neighborhood to resist housing, but when many neighborhoods are able to do this, the city's housing supply does not grow, and rents continue to rise. Second, because affluent people tend to have the most time to go to meetings, the "neighborhood veto" means that the richest neighborhoods get to exclude new housing, while poorer areas get stuck with upzonings.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

It seems to me that the city and state have performed reasonably well in recent months, compared to some other states. Having said that, I do not think this issue is part of the Borough President's job. Mayors and council people are generalists; the Borough President should be more of a specialist in land use and transportation.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

In addition to housing, I generally favor making the city more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. But because the Democratic candidate has an excellent record in this area, it is less of an issue for me than it would be if a different candidate was running. One respect where I might go further than him: because 3/4 of borough households don't own a car, I'd like community boards to reflect this fact so that they reflect the community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My record of scholarship on zoning issues, much of which addresses the housing shortage in New York and similar cities. My scholarship can be found at http://works.bepress.com/lewyn

The best advice ever shared with me was:

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I stand for more abundant housing and lower rents.