Election Q&A: Meet Upper East Side Candidate Virginia Maloney

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Democratic candidate Virginia Maloney is running for City Council in District 4 in New York City's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

In November, Maloney, the Democratic nominee, will face off against Kyle Athade, an independent candidate, and Debra Schwartzben, a Republican candidate.

District 4 includes NoMad, Times Square, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Turtle Bay, United Nations, and Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Maloney about her platform, priorities, experience, 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 election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Maloney said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

MALONEY: I was born and raised on the East Side of Manhattan, and still live here to this day.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

MALONEY: English, and some social Spanish!

PATCH: Educational background?

MALONEY: I graduated from Princeton University, where I majored in Public Policy and minored in Environmental Studies. I went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and a Master’s in Business Administration from MIT Sloan.

PATCH: Age?

38

PATCH: Renter or owner?

MALONEY: I currently rent in Lenox Hill.

PATCH: Why are you running for City Council?

MALONEY: Because I love this City and care deeply about its future! I am a lifelong East Sider, raised in this community by my late father, a Navy veteran, and my mother, former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who served this district in City Hall and in Congress for 40 years. I was raised to care, to show up, and to be useful to others. Public service is more than a family value to me. It’s a responsibility to the community that shaped me and a commitment I carry every day.

I am running for City Council to deliver a safer, more affordable New York. Too many people in our district are being pushed out by rising rents, local businesses are struggling with shuttered storefronts, and families are navigating unsafe streets and unreliable city services. It often doesn’t feel like the East Side I grew up in, nor the City we want to hand off to the next generation. We need leadership that will act immediately and get results.

I am also running as a proud Democrat who will stand up to Donald Trump and his allies. We have watched Republicans in Washington play politics with people’s lives, from threatening government shutdowns to blocking aid for cities. That chaos hurts working families who rely on stable services, accurate economic data, and federal resources. New Yorkers need elected officials at every level who will defend our values, protect reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, and push back against Republican extremism at every turn.

PATCH: What makes you qualified to represent your district? Share the work and life experiences that prepared you for this role.

MALONEY: I’m honored to be the Democratic Nominee for City Council in District 4. More than 13,000 New Yorkers cast their ballots for me in June’s Primary. These were voters from every corner of this district who want a city government that delivers on the basics and listens to its residents. They believe in my vision for a safer, more affordable city.

I have built my career around solving complex problems across government, infrastructure, and technology, and I am ready to put that experience to work for the East Side on Day One.

I’m the candidate who can hit the ground running, as I’ve worked for the City before. I helped expand free public Wi-Fi across the five boroughs and create good-paying jobs for New Yorkers under Mayor Bloomberg at the NYC Economic Development Corporation. I worked on high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor during the Obama Administration, helping modernize infrastructure that millions of people rely on.

I also have deep experience in the private sector. Today, I serve as an executive in the technology sector at Meta, leading teams that build accessibility tools like the Meta x Ray-Ban Be My Eyes smart glasses that help blind and vision-impaired individuals navigate the world. That experience gives me a clear understanding of how government can regulate technology responsibly and also use it to improve services, cut red tape, and make city government more transparent and effective.

I’m on the Board of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, where I advocate for affordable housing and healthcare for older New Yorkers. I serve on the Executive Committee of the Lexington Democratic Club, where I worked to pass Proposition 1 to secure equal rights in our state constitution.

My campaign is backed by the people who make this city run — New York’s Bravest through the Uniformed Fire Officers and Firefighters, New York’s Strongest through the Sanitation Workers, and New York’s teachers through the United Federation of Teachers. I’m honored to have the endorsement of current District 4 Council Member Keith Powers, who is encouraging his constituents to vote for me in the general. I’m also supported by Congress Members Jerry Nadler and Ritchie Torres, Assemblymembers Alex Bores and Jordan Wright, and as well as former Council Speakers Christine Quinn and Gifford Miller. Trailblazers like Gloria Steinem, along with grassroots Democratic clubs including Lexington Democratic Club, Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats, 504 Democrats, and Stonewall Democrats, have also joined this campaign.

PATCH: What do you see as the three biggest issues in your district?

MALONEY: The first is affordability. The East Side has always been a place where working families, seniors, and young people could build a life, but today too many are being priced out. Rents are skyrocketing, basic costs keep climbing, and people feel like the City is slipping out of reach. If we do not get affordability under control, we will lose the very people who make our neighborhoods strong.

The second is public safety and quality of life. Residents tell me every day about unsafe streets, unregulated e-bike use, and a rise in organized retail theft. At the same time, we are dealing with broken sidewalks, neglected public spaces, and unreliable city services that make daily life harder. Safety is not just about crime, it is about whether people feel secure walking to the store, sending their kids to school, or opening a small business in this district.

The third is government accountability and modernization. City agencies are not delivering on the basics, and too often New Yorkers feel they are paying more while getting less. As more services move online, the gap between how fast technology evolves and how slowly government adapts is only widening. We need leaders who understand technology, both to regulate it responsibly and to harness it to make city government more transparent, more efficient, and more fair.

PATCH: How would you address these issues through policy?

MALONEY:

• Affordability

New York is in an affordability crisis. Too many of my friends and neighbors have already left because they can’t keep up with rising rents. Workers, teachers, and artists, the very people who make this city run, are being priced out. I will fight to close loopholes in rent stabilization, expand Right to Counsel, and make sure tenants know their rights before they are at risk of eviction. But that’s not enough, we need to grow the housing supply. The City of Yes and Midtown Mixed-Use Plan are amazing accomplishments, and the next City Council needs to do even more to address this crisis. That means updating outdated zoning laws, supporting efforts to convert empty office buildings into housing, all while protecting the midblock character of our neighborhoods. And of course, housing needs to be accessible to seniors and people with disabilities.

Affordability also means child care. District 4 does not have enough full-day 3-K and Pre-K seats, and families are left on waitlists or offered placements far from home. I'll fight to expand access in our district, prioritize local availability, and ensure every family who qualifies actually has a seat.

• Public Safety & Quality of Life

Everyone deserves to feel safe on our streets, and unfortunately that is not the case today. Whether it is taking the subway, practicing your religion, or even just dodging e-bikes while walking to the store.

First, we need to fully fund our law enforcement, and get cops out of their cars and walking the beat. I will ensure the 13th, 17th, 19th, Midtown North, and Midtown South Precincts are fully staffed and resourced to maintain consistent foot patrols, especially around schools, retail-theft hotspots, and high-traffic corridors.

Second, we need to address the street homelessness and mental health crisis in this city–not just with bandaid solutions, but through supportive housing with wraparound services so people living on the streets not only have a place to sleep, but also can benefit from services like mental health care, and job training. Accessibility must guide all of this: from fixing broken sidewalks and crosswalks to improving lighting, so seniors and people with disabilities can move through our neighborhoods safely and confidently.

• Government Accountability and Modernization

Lastly, city government is failing at the basics, and New Yorkers feel it every day. Services are slow, agencies don’t communicate, and too often people are left navigating a broken system on their own. I will push for public-facing performance dashboards, so residents can see how tax dollars are spent and whether agencies are delivering results. I will also streamline permitting and licensing through reforms to a one-stop portal, cutting down the months-long delays that keep local businesses from opening.

Technology must be part of the solution. As more New Yorkers access services online, we need leaders who understand how to modernize government responsibly. I will press the City to use technology, including AI, to shorten wait times, eliminate duplicative paperwork, and make services more transparent and accessible. And I will fight to pass a citywide digital accessibility law to ensure every website, app, and service meets ADA standards so seniors and people with disabilities are never left behind.

PATCH: Who did you rank in the 2025 mayoral primary election this June?

MALONEY: One of the best parts of our democracy is that everyone gets to make their own choice, and they don’t have to share it. What matters most is that people participate and stay engaged in shaping the future of our city. I will work with whoever the next mayor is to make sure New York City moves forward with leadership that’s serious about affordability, safety, and making government actually work for people.

PATCH: What’s something that always makes you smile about your district?

MALONEY: District 4 is the best district in the city (in my unbiased opinion). I love our cultural institutions – from Museum Mile to the main branch of the New York Public Library – and have always believed art and culture is what keeps the City’s spirit alive.

I always smile when I’m outdoors. The district borders Central Park, and has great parks and public spaces, including St. Vartan’s Park, Peter Detmold and the East River Esplanade near Stuyvesant Town. These spaces bring people together and remind us why investing in green space matters for every neighborhood.

Recently much of my time is spent on the 4, 5, 6 train. This is a big district, from 93rd Street down to 14th, and you’ll often find me riding up and down the East Side, campaigning until Nov 4th to earn every single vote!

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.