April 2, 2011
By Linda Gomez
On Sunday March 27, 2011, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez addressed his constituents on his accomplishments since being elected in 2009. His district includes: Marble Hill, Inwood, and Washington Heights.
“It has now been little over one year since you elected me to represent you in the City Council and what a privilege! I have had the great pleasure of working closely with many of you, hearing your stories, learning from your experiences, tackling together many serious problems,” said NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez
Most Notably, Council Member Rodriguez recounted the stories of so many hard working individuals who found their way to his office in need of assistance. He spoke about the issues that face the community daily and what he has done legislatively to address many of those concerns. “When a constituent walked into our office and shared her story regarding her terminally ill brother whose medical expenses she could not cover because she had lost her job over two years ago my office worked with the NYC Department of Human Resources to secure a home attendant, a nurse, and coverage of over $2,000 in medical expenses,” said NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez
The Council Member also shared his priorities and vision for the neighborhood going forward. He emphasized the importance of early childhood education, access to affordable and quality higher education, and the need for additional job training opportunities in the district. “As a former educator, the issue of education is one that I have been committed to for many years and so I can not emphasize enough how important our children’s education is, specifically education for children ages 0-5. Scientific research has proven time and again that the biggest investment we can make is to invest in our children’s education from the start,” said NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
Council Member Rodriguez concluded his address with a message of hope. Looking ahead to the future of his community Council Member Rodriguez said, “We need to continue to work together to ensure that our community is the best that it can be. We need to help one another to find more solutions to the problems that exist. We owe it to our children to leave them with a safe and thriving community.”
