Erica Vladimer is an attorney who has dedicated her life to public service. As a co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, she’s helped secure stronger workplace protections against harassment and discrimination. She also sits on the steering committee for Invest in Our New York, a statewide coalition that advocates for economic justice. As policy director for the Manhattan Young Democrats, Erica helps young folks learn more about the policies they can support. Erica has also served as a board member of the Four Freedoms Democratic Club. She works on campaigns for her day job, and when she’s not engaged in activism, you can find her spending time with her niece and nephew.
Jeremy Berman is the President of the Manhattan Young Democrats, an organization dedicated to introducing young people to the often confusing world of New York politics and creating opportunities for members to engage in activism. Jeremy has also served as a board member of both the Four Freedoms Democratic Club and the Upper East Side Progressives. He is an intellectual property attorney for his day job, and when he is not working or engaged in activism, he is a crochet doll designer!
What is State Committee?
The Democratic Party is divided into three levels, or committees, with representatives at the National, State, and County Committees. Erica and Jeremy are running to be the New York State Democratic Committee Members for the 76th Assembly District, which includes Yorkville in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. Every Assembly District elects two State Committee Members of different genders to a two-year term.
The Democratic State Committee has the potential to meaningfully shape the political landscape here in New York for the better, but has served mostly as a rubber stamp for incumbent bosses in Albany seeking to maintain control.
It is responsible for:
- Overseeing campaign spending
- Writing the Party’s platform
- Selecting Democratic National Committee Members
- Endorsing Statewide Candidates
- Setting and Enforcing the Ethics Code
- Encouraging Political Activism
This all affects how the Party operates and the candidates we see on the ballot that are supposed to represent our community. Unfortunately, too much of this happens behind closed doors, which can end up biasing our elections.
How will Erica and Jeremy reform State Committee?
- Increasing access to voting
- Building the bench
- Training Democratic candidates for office across New York
- Professionalizing the New York Democratic Party and reducing bureaucracy
- Walking the “ethics” walk
- Building a Party platform for all New Yorkers
For more details on how we plan to accomplish these goals, see our full Policy Platform.
Endorsements
Elected Officials
State Senator Liz Krueger
Council Member Keith Powers
State Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou
Organizations
Four Freedoms Democratic Club
East River Democratic Club
Upper East Side Progressives
76th Assembly District Elected Party Officers
District Leader Kim Moscaritolo
District Leader Ben Wetzler
District Leader Rebecca Weintraub
District Leader Alex Bores
State Committee Member Lauren Trapanotto
State Committee Member Adam Roberts