Leslie Boghosian Murphy and Erik Bottcher both make the grade, according to local public school principals.
The candidates were co-endorsed last week by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (Local 1 of theAmerican Federation of School Administrators, AFL-CIO) in the June 22 Democratic primary for City Council in District 3, which includes Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen.
“I am honored to accept an endorsement today from Council of School Supervisors and Administrators union, which represents over 16,000 of our city’s finest educators and administrators,” Boghosian Murphy said. “Our principals, assistant principals and administrators and early education directors and assistant directors are the school leaders who worked their tails off to get our kids the best possible education during these unprecedented times.
“We need representation that puts a priority on education,” she said. “I recognize the hurdles our educators are facing and I promise to fight to get them the tools they need to give every child a chance to succeed.”
This past summer Boghosian Murphy, who is a school parent and a member of Community Board 4, worked with local principals to help bring the Student Teachers Virtual Learning Initiative to the West Side Council district’s Title I schools. This allowed student teachers to aid educators with blending learning this year, easing the burden on teachers, parents and principals — while offering students live one-on-one virtual lessons. Title I schools receive funding meant to help students from low-income families who are at risk of falling behind academically.
“Leslie Boghosian Murphy has served her community for years, and her leadership was on full display during the pandemic as she helped implement creative solutions to address the needs of her neighborhood’s vulnerable populations,” C.S.A. President Mark Cannizzaro said. “C.S.A. is confident she will work closely with our union to prioritize education and lead District 3 into a brighter future as we navigate our city’s recovery. We are proud to endorse her.”
Cannizzaro also gave high marks to Bottcher, the former chief of staff to Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who currently represents District 3.
“For years, Erik has worked closely with school leaders and administrators in District 3, and he has the kind of experience we need in the City Council, especially during our recovery from the impacts of COVID-19,” the C.S.A. president said. “We know that Erik will fight alongside our union to ensure that every child in New York City has access to a world class public education.”
Correction: The original version of this article said that only Leslie Boghosian Murphy had been endorsed by C.S.A., but the union co-endorsed her and Erik Bottcher.
Mr. Marcus, could you be a little more specific? I have generally liked Johnson’s work (full disclosure, his office helpled on a problem I had with Verizon). I am trying to follow the race and the only thing I am sure of is NOT voting for Arthur Schwartz (I ride the 14A regularly and his efforts to delay and then claim it did NOT increase speed were revolting to me). Not particularly interested in who the Principals Union endorses.
Corey learned it from Quinn.
Erik Bottcher fights for popular things that are hard to oppose but turns tail and seeks cover when political winds mean he might need to stand alone in the fight, if need be. The experience he has was learned serving Council Speaker Johnson, who perfected the fine art of political opportunism; generally against the constituency that elected him in order to curry favor with those who he believed would support his future political aspirations.
My ultimate experience was that expressions of support for community wishes were never followed by meaningful action; particularly when it meant staying principled in the face of political risk.