NYC social workers set sights on city council seats
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Ingrid Gomez, a candidate for city council in Queens, is one of at least five social workers running for city office. Photo via Gomez/Facebook
By David Brand
Ingrid Gomez has spent the last seven years as a therapist at a Corona pre-K, supporting immigrant families and their 3- and 4-year-old children.
Gomez, a licensed social worker, was “in the field” — to use the professional parlance — for nearly two decades before deciding to enter another tough forum: New York City politics.
“It’s not such a big leap,” said Gomez, one of five candidates vying to unseat incumbent Councilmember Francisco Moya in Council District 21. “We are dealing with people and systems and we want to make a greater impact. In my career, this is a natural next step.”
She said her professional life has given her an on-the-ground understanding of policy impacts and the needs of everyday New Yorkers when it comes to issues like affordable housing and mental health services.
“I understand the systems that affect the conditions that affect communities and children and people in poverty,” Gomez said.
She is one of at least six social workers who have set their sights on city office this election cycle.
Like Gomez, social workers Linda Lee in Queens, Tricia Shimamura in Manhattan and Shanequa Moore and Abigail Martin in the Bronx are running for seats in the city council. Mayoral candidate Dianne Morales earned her master’s of social work degree in 1993 and went on to run large nonprofit agencies before kicking off her bid for the city’s top job.
Tricia Shimamura, a social worker who has served as deputy chief of staff for Rep, Carolyn Maloney, is running for city council in Manhattan. Photo via Shimamura campaign
Each social worker-turned-politician can bring a crucial perspective to a landscape dominated by attorneys and insiders, said Brian Romero, the former chair of the National Association of Social Workers’ New York City Political Action Committee.
“We’re trained to understand that people are complex beings, with complex, nuanced needs and that alone equips social workers to have a kind of empathy and an ability to actually listen,” said Romero, now the chief of staff for Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas.
Social workers seek to understand the experiences and perspectives of everyday New Yorkers, as well as their colleagues and rivals, he said: “We listen to understand and not just listen to respond, which is what often happens when people try to one up someone in a debate or in a conference.”
Social workers and others with social service experience but not the official “MSW” credentials, already serve in every level of government and in every agency in New York, he added.
Darma Diaz, for example, worked as a case manager and job specialist at a homeless services provider for 13 years before winning a special election for a Brooklyn council seat last year. Diaz also served as Democratic district leader with close ties to the county Democratic Party.
She said her career in social service enabled her to interact with various systems and individuals in a way few others do.
“I worked with an array of New Yorkers — unemployed, young mothers, single dads, people with drug addiction, NYPD, FDNY firefighters,” she said. “Those are real people with real issues.”
The social work field is broad and the training and experiences can prepare people for a wide range of opportunities, from grassroots justice reform activism to community organizing to positions in large nonprofits, corporations and government, she said.
Direct practice social workers and others in the field, like case managers and counselors, deal with routine trauma, challenging mental health crises and substance use issues. They interact with various agencies, from the Human Resources Administration to the NYPD, and gain a deep understanding of how schools, housing initiatives and benefit programs function — or don’t. Social workers who pursue administrative positions handle budgets, grants, financial reporting and management issues.
“My background in social work informs every part of my job,” said Lee, a Queens council candidate and the CEO of Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York. “Especially in immigrant and low-income communities, there are obstacles to people getting the care they need, and if individuals are struggling, their communities are too.”
“It’s not enough to look at whether a budget is increasing or decreasing — you need to examine whether you’re meeting the need of the community, and doing it efficiently,” she added.
Yet there can be perception, even in the field itself, that social workers aren’t qualified for political office, said Shimamura, a candidate in Manhattan’s Council District 5.
Part of the issue comes down to gender, she said. Women make up the vast majority of the social work profession — more than 85 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics — but a disproportionately low number of elected officials. Women account for just 25 percent of the city council.
Shimamura worked at a Brooklyn high school before moving to the office of Rep. Carolyn Maloney. She said she often encounters women who see law as the clearest path to a career in politics. She encourages them to consider social work instead.
“I think women too often see themselves as under-qualified or lacking and have this perception that if you want to be an elected official you have to go to law school,” she said. “Nothing against lawyers — I’m married to one — but too often people assume that’s the only acceptable background.”
“I have worked in the public school sector. I do know social services and supportive services and that’s a real strength,” she added.
