Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley launched her campaign for the state Senate Tuesday in an email message to her supporters. The candidate made it official after recently filing to run for the newly created 17th Senate District, which encompasses large parts of western Queens and part of Brooklyn.
The Glendale resident said she was running to ensure that “New York comes back stronger” from the pandemic.
“As a single mom who is raising her children in the district and one with the experience and proven track record, we need a fighter who will address affordability and build opportunity,” Crowley wrote.
During her two terms on the City Council, Crowley represented the 30th District which is largely contained in the newly drawn Senate seat.
“This district unites Brooklyn and Queens,” she wrote. “As senator of the newly formed district, which covers the neighborhoods of Greenpoint, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Woodside, Maspeth, Glendale, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill, I will focus on jobs, expanded transit, housing and improving our schools.”
Crowley told QNS Wednesday that she always championed policies that benefit families and workers, and that her record speaks for itself.
“In the Council, I addressed the challenge of being in the most overcrowded school district in the city by partnering to build the most robust local school capacity plan,” Crowley said. “Together we created over 6,000 new classroom seats in nine years, which was the first school built in Ridgewood in 100 years.”
Among her other accomplishments while on the Council, Crowley points to two significant victories in the Ridgewood area.
“I secured a NYC Landmarks designation of 1100 buildings in Ridgewood, creating three contiguous historic districts and the largest in Queens,” Crowley said. “I partnered with NYC Parks and NYS Environmental Conservation to restore and preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir, now a 50-plus-acre destination.”
Crowley lost her bid for a third term when she went against current Councilman Robert Holden in 2017. She came in second in the 2020 special election to replace Queens Borough President Melinda Katz when she stepped down to become Queens district attorney. Current Queens Borough President Donovan Richards won that special election and then held off Crowley last year to win a full term at Borough Hall.
“This Senate seat is an opportunity to bring much-needed resources to a district that unites Brooklyn and Queens, and as senator, I will focus on jobs, expanded transit, housing and improving our schools,” Crowley said.
Democratic Socialists of America member Kristen Gonzalez was the first to announce a run for the newly drawn Senate District 17.
The Democratic Primary is scheduled for June 28, 2022.
