5 Questions With Upper East Side Councilmember Candidate Faith Bondy

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Faith Bondy, a 51-year-old Democratic candidate, is running for City Council in District 4, which includes NoMad, Times Square, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Turtle Bay, United Nations, and Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, in New York City's primary election on Tuesday, June 24.

The district seat is left open by the Councilmember Keith Powers, who is now running for Manhattan Borough President.

Bondy, who is from Sutton Place, worked as a litigator prior to running for office.

Patch recently asked Bondy five questions about her campaign and district. See her replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for Upper East Side offices in the 2025 primary election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received.

PATCH: Why are you running for City Council?

BONDY: I am running to uplift our community and ensure we have the quality of life and standard of living we expect and deserve. I want New Yorkers to have quality local schools from 3K to 12th grade to which they can proudly and without reservation send their children, and understand the process to get them admitted. I want homes that allow young people to build their lives in our City, families to continue to grow, municipal and union workers to live in the City and communities they serve, businesses to attract top talent, and seniors to age in place. I want more parents in the workforce secure that they have trusted and affordable childcare and afterschool options. I want more green spaces and parks for our children to play, seniors to socialize, and New Yorkers to exercise and improve their mental well-being. Nobody should feel unsafe in our community or traveling around our City.

I want our local police precincts to have the resources necessary to protect our District, prevent retail theft, tackle the scourge of out-of-control ebikes, foster mutual respect and appreciation with the community and their elected representatives, fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate, and prevent all forms of crime. I am running because I have worked in and advocated for this community for decades, helping our schools, parks, and neighborhoods. As a City Council member, I will proudly continue that work, and fight for all the families of our community.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidates?

BONDY: I’ve been working for this community, representing this District for decades. I have served on the Sutton Place Parks Conservancy as a member and Officer of the Board of Directors of the East Sixties Neighborhood Association, and I am a former member of Community Board 8’s Street Life Committee. As a public school parent, I have unparalleled experience with education issues affecting our community. For a decade, I served as a member and officer of the P.S. 59 PTA Executive Board. I also served on the PA of the Salk School of Science PA, including as its President. And, I served on the School Leadership Teams of both schools. In addition, I have volunteered with and supported numerous other neighborhood organizations throughout District 4, as well as Central Synagogue. I didn’t do this work because I thought I would be running for office; I did it because I care about my community and its residents.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make the neighborhood more affordable.

BONDY:

1. We must build more and develop incentives to create truly affordable housing for NYC. Those who work here should be able to afford to live, stay, raise a family and age in place here. Affordable housing starts with an increase in housing supply, but it does not end there. We must protect existing affordable housing stock. We need to work with stakeholders to provide more low interest funding and grants without conditions that become obstacles as well as more effective programs that incentivize the development of affordable housing buildings or units, including housing for middle-income families. We must also work with our state and federal legislative partners toward the same goal. A commitment to building substantially more housing – both affordable and market-rate – can help drive down costs for all New Yorkers. Further, we need to create more programs that provide for access to low cost capital in order to foster more home ownership opportunities. Finally, we must support more commercial to residential conversions within the District, and the use of public land for affordable developments.

2. The lack of affordable childcare and educational opportunities keeps countless parents from returning to the workforce. Childcare centers are essential service providers that must be adequately funded, paid on time, and staffed with employees who earn fair pay. We must commit to providing more affordable childcare and afterschool opportunities for NYC residents in areas where the need is greatest. As a council member, I will work with my colleagues to allocate funding to such centers, ensure seats are located in areas where there is need, that the hours make sense for working families, and hold the City responsible for timely payments.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make the neighborhood safer.

BONDY:

1. As the law enforcement endorsed candidate, I will work tirelessly to ensure our law enforcement and local police precincts are fully funded so that they have the resources necessary to keep us safe, that the NYPD can recruit and retain personnel, that we return to community policing, and that there is a mutual respect between law enforcement and their government partners.

2. I will also invest in mental health services to ensure short term and long term care teams have the resources they require to treat those in distress, stabilize them, and develop and implement a plan for long term success. To this end, I want to interdisciplinary rapid response mental health and substance abuse teams in every precinct to accompany law enforcement officers on all appropriate calls.

PATCH: What’s one place in the neighborhood you frequent the most?

BONDY: Sutton Place Park.

Early voting begins on June 14. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.