Sylvia Friedman

Sylvia Friedman is a former New York State Assemblywoman. She was elected to fill an unexpired term on February 28 2006. Assemblywoman Friedman has been a long time community activist and a member of her local community board. Her main focus has been on housing and homeless issues.

Career

She served as Co-Director of the ( [http://www.cidny.org] ) Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York, as Program Director of Concepts of Independence, New York's pioneer Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, and as liaison to the disabled community in the office of Public Advocate Mark Green. She had previously lost two races for the New York City Council.

Following the resignation of former Assemblyman Steven Sanders, Friedman was a surprise choice of the Democratic Party to run to succeed him in the special election. Assemblywoman Friedman won the ten month unexpired term and is competing in a primary for the ability to serve a full two year term. She represents the East Village and Lower East Side of Manhattan.

In her first week in the Assembly, she voted for Timothy's Law,which provides parity in medical insurance for mental illness.

Before her election to the Assembly, Sylvia Friedman served as District Leader and then as Democratic State Committee Member. On the State Committee, she was a member of the Reform Caucus and last year was elected its Chair. She served on Community Board 6 in Manhattan, at various times chairing the Housing Committee, the Homeless Committee and the Parks, Recreation and Landmarks Committee. For the last twenty years, she has Chaired a shelter for twelve homeless men and women. Using a gift given to the shelther as seed money, she helped start and served on the Board of Friends House in Rosehill, a residence for fifty formerly homeless people with AIDS ( [http://www.the504democraticclub.org/annual.html 504 Democratic Club: Annual Event 2006] ).

During her tenure in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Friedman was a member of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, the Election Law Committee, the Housing Committee and the Social Services Committee.

A longtime member of the ( [http://www.the504democraticclub.org] ) 504 Democratic Club Executive Board, she is the Club's first member to be elected to public office. On May 21 2006, she was awarded the Joan Kinzer award by the 504 Democratic Club during their annual event.

2006 Primary defeat

Friedman was defeated in the Democratic primary in September 2006 by political novice Brian Kavanagh, who took over the seat in 2007.