Council Member Jessica Lappin, Chair of the Aging Committee, was elected to the City Council in 2005. She represents the 5th District of Manhattan, which includes the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. Praised by the New York Times for her "steely resolve, dedication and energy," Lappin is recognized as a strong advocate for education reform, protecting our environment, and public safety.

 

In January 2010, Council Member Lappin was elected by her colleagues to Chair the Aging Committee, where she leads the Council's efforts to make New York City more age-friendly by protecting core services while planning for the future of this rapidly growing age-group.

 

In her first term, Council Member Lappin worked to address overcrowding in our public schools. As Chair of a Land Use Subcommittee, she successfully approved the construction of over 20,000 new school seats in New York City. On the home front, she was a tireless advocate for two new elementary schools on the Upper East Side – both of which will be open by the fall of 2010. She also authored and passed legislation to make construction and crane operations safer in the city, protect food allergic New Yorkers, and to safeguard women’s reproductive rights. 

 

Lappin has been recognized by environmental advocates as “one of the leading environmental lights on the City Council”, due to her success in passing green bills and securing funding for three new waterfront parks on the East Side of Manhattan.

 

In addition to serving on the Aging Committee, Council Member Lappin is a member of the following Council Committees: Education, Transportation, Cultural Affairs, and Land Use.

 

Jessica Lappin is a lifelong New Yorker who received a Regents Diploma from Stuyvesant High School. She earned her B.A. in Government from Georgetown University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude.

 

Jessica Lappin is married to Andrew Wuertele and lives with her husband and son in East Midtown.