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My Story

It is time for a new generation of leaders who are ready and know how to win tough fights.

Erik Bottcher is a public servant and activist guided by a simple belief: that government should make people’s lives better.

Representing New York City Council District 3—which includes the West Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Times Square, Hudson Square, Flatiron, and the Garment District—Erik has spent his career fighting for equality, serving his community, and ensuring that government works for the people it serves.

Raised in a small Adirondack town as the only gay person he knew, Erik’s struggles with depression gave him a deep understanding of the challenges facing marginalized people. His commitment to public service began in 2009 as the City Council’s LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS Liaison, where he organized grassroots campaigns for equal rights, supportive housing, and protections for LGBTQ youth. He later served as the statewide LGBTQ Community Liaison in the Governor’s Office and helped lead New York’s successful fight to legalize marriage equality. From 2015 to 2021, Erik served as Chief of Staff to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. In this role, he gained an encyclopedic knowledge of every block of Council District 3 while providing constituent services to tens of thousands of residents.

In the City Council, Erik has established a strong reputation for results. He has authored landmark mental health legislation, delivered thousands of units of affordable housing, reformed our city’s sidewalk scaffolding system, passed first-in-the-nation gun safety legislation, advanced major sanitation reforms including the city’s move toward garbage containerization, and championed sustainability initiatives such as universal composting, and the expansion of the city’s tree canopy.

Erik currently serves as Co-Chair of both the Manhattan Delegation and the LGBTQIA+ Caucus. His leadership reflects a steadfast belief that policy must both meet people’s needs and affirm their dignity.

Erik’s work demonstrates a central conviction. New Yorkers deserve a government that solves problems, lifts up every community, and protects the values that make this city a beacon of possibility.

"I believe New Yorkers deserve a government that solves problems, lifts up every community, and protects the values that make this city a beacon of possibility."

"In New York, we stand up to bullies. We can stand up to Trump and rebuild a country that works for everyone."

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