The seven new members of the City Council’s LGBT Caucus have received their committee assignments under City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and several of them have been tapped to serve as committee chairs.
Crystal Hudson will chair the Aging Committee; Chi Ossé will lead the Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations Committee; Lynn Schulman will be chair of the Health Committee; and Tiffany Cabán will chair the Committee on Women and Gender Equity.
In addition to her job as committee chair, Hudson, who represents District 35 in Brooklyn, will join the Committees on General Welfare; Health; Housing and Buildings; Cultural Affairs; and Finance. Schulman, representing Queens’ District 29, is also joining the Committees on Aging; Criminal Justice; Education; Fire and Emergency Management; and Governmental Operations, as well as the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises. Cabán, who serves in Queens’ District 22, was named to the Committees on Public Safety; Civil Service and Labor; General Welfare; Housing and Buildings; Small Business; and Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions.
In a tweet, Erik Bottcher of Manhattan’s District Three, who long served as former Speaker Corey Johnson’s chief of staff, announced he was named co-chair of the City Council’s Manhattan delegation alongside District 1 Councilmember Chris Marte of Manhattan. Bottcher is also on the Committees on Civil Service and Labor; Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing; Public Safety; Land Use; Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions; and Sanitation and Solid Waste Management.
Other LGBT Caucus members also landed multiple committee posts, but not leadership roles. Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents Manhattan’s District Nine, will serve on the Committees on Aging; Civil and Human Rights; Veterans; Youth Services; Sanitation and Solid Waste Management; and Women and Gender Equity. Republican David Carr of Staten Island will serve on the Committees on Criminal Justice; Parks and Recreation; Finance; Fire and Emergency Management; Transportation and Infrastructure; and the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises.
Hudson’s appointment to lead the Aging Committee comes after she publicly documented the experiences of her late mother during her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. In a 2020 interview with Gay City News, Hudson explained that she was motivated to play a larger role in politics after her mother struggled to gain access to necessary services.
“As caregivers like myself know all too well, older adults are at the mercy of deeply deficient systems — from housing to long term care to food insecurity to nursing home care,” Hudson said in a written statement on January 20. “My goal as chair is to focus not only on issues directly impacting older adults, but also on the realities facing the ever-growing care economy that is in deep need of transformation.”
Ossé turned to Twitter to react to his appointment as chair of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations Committee. The 23-year-old previously worked in the nightlife industry and elaborated on his background growing up with a father who worked as an attorney in the music industry and a mother who “combines art and culture every day at her bakery.”
“It’s an honor to serve in the Council in any capacity, but I’m especially excited to take on this new role,” said Ossé, who is also joining the Committees on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing; Finance; General Welfare; Youth Services; Sanitation and Solid Waste Management; and Public Housing.
Schulman will carry plenty of experience to her new role as chair of the Health Committee. She previously worked at the Woodhull Medical Center and Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and most recently she worked as a senior community and emergency service liaison under former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. In the ‘90s, Schulman was associate executive director for Emergency Medical Services.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be elected by my colleagues to serve as the Chair of the Health Committee,” Schulman said in a written statement. “I have dedicated my personal and professional life to health care advocacy and look forward to helping my constituents and all New Yorkers accessible, affordable and equitable healthcare.”
Caban issued a written statement vowing to use her role as chair of the Women and Gender Equity Committee to look out for the needs of survivors of gender-based violence; queer, trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary New Yorkers; sex workers; BIPOC individuals, and women.
“Each of these committees will deliberate legislation and oversee agencies that are vital to building the safe, healthy city our constituents need and deserve,” Caban said. “On each of them, I will work hard to move us away from ineffective, violent systems of surveillance and punishment, and toward the sort of supportive, compassionate programs with a demonstrated track record of ensuring safety and health.”
