Ex-Bronx prosecutor, community activist vies for Western Queens council seat
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Julia Forman is running for City Council in Western Queens’ District 26. Photo courtesy of Forman
By David Brand
Community activist and former Bronx prosecutor Julia Forman has entered a crowded field to represent Western Queens’ Council District 26.
Forman, a reformer who recently won a position as a judicial delegate in the Queens County Democratic Party, said her experience in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office motivated her to run for the council seat now held by term-limited incumbent Jimmy Van Bramer.
“A lot of what I saw there led me to want to run,” said Forman, who has lived in Dutch Kills with her husband since 2014. “It’s a wholly reactive position. The thing already happened and seeing that led me to want to be more proactive, to work in a way that people are able to avoid entering the criminal justice system.”
Forman said she is “committed to ending over-policing” after seeing firsthand the impact of Broken Windows policing and disproportionate enforcement in Black and Latino communities across New York City.
“We need to be more focused on restorative justice and support a system that promotes those efforts,” she said.
That means prioritizing “affordable housing, our education system, resources outside of just teachers in our schools, expanding access to good quality jobs,” she added.
In January, Forman left the Bronx DA’s Office, where she worked in the general counsel division and focused on formalizing procedures for returning property seized by police. She worked on Councilmember Costa Constantinides’ campaign for Queens borough president and began to lay the foundation for her own run for office.
She said her main focus is development, an issue top of mind for many constituents in Western Queens, which has seen enormous growth and significant displacement over the past two decades. Council District 26 includes Long Island City, Sunnyside and parts of Woodside and Astoria.
“I see District 26 at an important crossroads right now and this election is going to decide which way we go,” said Forman, an advocate for the Western Queens Community Land Trust. “I want to make sure the community is kept in mind when it comes to all land use matters.”
“To add more density without addressing serious infrastructure needs would be irresponsible,” she added.
Forman said she opposed the deal that would have allowed Amazon to build a large corporate campus in Long Island City while bypassing the typical land use review process. She said she opposes other recent development proposals that introduce more market-rate and luxury housing in the area.
“Since this district is so densely populated everyone wants to see more green space in their neighborhoods, parents are worried about the quality of education available, and of course most folks are anxious about rent increases that might push them out of their homes, especially given the skyrocketing unemployment and financial insecurity we’re experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Forman also said she would advocate for more public transportation and bike routes in the district and focus on addressing climate change.
“Every facet of our society needs to be viewed through a greener lens,” she said. “For example, while we need to create more open, green space for people to enjoy, those spaces will also have a positive environmental impact.”
At least seven other candidates have filed to run for the open District 26 seat in 2021, including business consultant Tavo Bortoli, former Council staffer Lorenzo Brea, CUNY professor Heajin Kim, political adviser Sultan Maruf, community leader Brent O'Leary, Community Board 2 member Bianca Ozeri and digital strategist Julie Won.
Giselle Burgess, who founded a Girl Scout troop for homeless New Yorkers, announced her candidacy in December 2019. Van Bramer’s Chief of Staff Matthew Wallace is also expected to run in District 26.
