Antonio Reynoso
Borough President - Booklyn
Antonio Reynoso represents Brooklyn's 34th Council District, including Bushwick, Ridgewood, and Williamsburg. Born and raised on Williamsburg’s South side to Dominican immigrants, Antonio was elected to the Council in 2013 by defeating former political boss Vito Lopez. He is serving in his second term in office, where he has focused on improving the quality of life for his constituents while advancing bold, progressive legislation citywide.
Growing up in a community that processed 40% of the City’s trash, Antonio experienced firsthand the impacts of environmental racism and pollution on our neighborhoods. Turning this experience into action, Antonio has used his position as Chair of the Council’s Sanitation Committee to correct environmental injustices across the city, passing the Waste Equity bill to cap the amount of trash handled by overburdened districts across the city. He took on New York’s private sanitation industry and its deeply inefficient practices that pollute our environment and abuse workers, building a labor/environmental coalition to pass the Commercial Waste Zones bill. This law will eliminate millions of truck miles traveled each year and raise labor and environmental standards for private carting companies.
Experiencing the racism of our criminal justice system as a young man when he was subject to an unwarranted stop and frisk, Antonio is a leader in efforts to address socio-economic and racial disparities citywide. In his first term, Antonio supported multiple bills to reform the NYPD, including passing the Right-to-Know Act, which requires that police officers explain a person’s right to refuse a search when stopped.
Living in Williamsburg’s Southside, Antonio is also no stranger to the devastating impacts of irresponsible real estate development, gentrification and displacement. He advocated for stronger tenants’ rights and anti-eviction laws, and as a staunch advocate for fair and equitable urban planning, he co-sponsored legislation to require the City to ensure all communities are receiving the resources they need and deserve, regardless of their political connections.
In a City as complex as New York, Antonio consistently tackles both local and Citywide issues. His first bill required the Department of Education to disclose how many guidance counselors were employed by the City, which ultimately showed our students were being shortchanged on this important resource. He is a prime sponsor of the Stand for Tenant Safety Act, which strengthens regulations around providing apartment repairs and provides protections from tenant harassment. During his tenure in the Council, he saved one of Williamsburg’s most beloved senior centers from an unscrupulous developer, preserving this critical resource for the next generation. Antonio is a dependable ally for safe streets, transit equity, and alternative transportation.
Now, Antonio is running for Brooklyn Borough President to make Brooklyn the progressive capital of the world by building on his extensive record in the City Council. He has lived our challenges, taken on tough battles from the real estate industry to the NYPD to mob-influenced private sanitation companies, and never backed down. Antonio’s twin guiding principles have always been justice and equity, and he will fight each and every day to give all Brooklynites the opportunity to thrive and succeed.