2025 City Council Election: Eric Yu's Candidate Statement
Today's statement is from Eric Yu, who is running for the District 1 City Council seat currently held by Council Member Christopher Marte.
This op-ed is part of East of the Bowery's 2025 City Council Democratic primary coverage, where candidates answer: "What specific policy goals will your office achieve within 4 years to improve the Lower East Side?"
Today's statement is from Eric Yu, who is running to be District 1 City Council member. District 1 covers most of Manhattan south of Houston Street, including the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Soho, Tribeca, Fidi, Battery Park City, and Governor’s Island.
Eric Yu: A Well-Run City: My Vision for New York City
As your next City Councilman, my overarching goal is simple yet essential: to make New York City a well-run city. That begins with ensuring our public agencies—especially those providing core services—function effectively, efficiently, and consistently. Our city government must return to basics: delivering reliable services, maintaining public infrastructure, and ensuring public safety, while moving away from a reactive, complaint-driven model. Too often, we depend on 311 calls to highlight problems that government agencies should be proactively addressing.
Before City Council members speak out on national or global issues, we must first make sure our own streets, parks, subways and buses are clean, safe and functional. The most compelling statement we can make is not a press release—it’s a well-managed city.
A Back-to-Basics Approach
The foundation of a well-run city is effective oversight of government operations. That includes regular review and monitoring of city agencies to ensure services are delivered as expected—and in some cases, as required by law. Public safety and quality of life are top priorities. The NYPD must enforce the law within the bounds of the law to keep our streets, subways, buses, and parks safe at all times.
As a member of the City Council, I will use the tools at our disposal: oversight through standing committees, collaboration with fellow council members and the City Council Speaker, negotiation with the Mayor’s office and agency commissioners, coordination with state officials (especially on MTA issues), and, when necessary, new legislation or funding approvals to ensure District 1’s needs are met.
Specific Needs in District 1
The challenges in District 1 are tangible and fixable—if the right attention and accountability are applied. Among the most urgent needs are:
Immediate repairs to broken street lamps to improve safety and visibility.
Daily cleaning and maintenance of public parks to ensure they remain welcoming community spaces.
Full renovation of the Pike Street Mall, from Madison Street to Division Street, including new walking paths, benches, trees, and greenery.
Improved signage on southbound M15 buses to clearly indicate whether the destination is South Ferry or Madison Street. Eventually, this truncated service should be extended—perhaps under a new designation such as the M15A to South Street.
Extension of the M101 and M102 bus routes to Park Row to increase transit access to Lower Manhattan.
Conversion of the derelict Allen Street bathhouse into much-needed public restrooms.
These are not lofty goals; they are basic, everyday services that any functioning city government should provide. When agencies receive routine feedback, proper funding, and clear direction, they will be better equipped to meet these expectations consistently—not just in moments of crisis or after public complaints.
Breaking the Cycle of Neglect
New York City has a long-standing issue with deferred maintenance. Far too often, basic upkeep of public infrastructure—parks, subway stations, courthouses, bridges, and more—is ignored. What begins as manageable wear and tear becomes deep deterioration. The public endures these conditions for years until a massive capital project, often costing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, is finally approved. And even then, once the renovation is complete, there’s rarely a plan for routine maintenance. The cycle begins again.
This approach is wasteful, inefficient, and deeply unfair to residents. It signals a lack of pride in our public spaces and invites further neglect and vandalism. It also drains our capital budget, redirecting funds that could be better used for smaller, more frequent upgrades and ongoing care. We must shift toward a culture of consistent maintenance, not crisis-driven overhauls.
By prioritizing regular upkeep and basic services, we can improve quality of life, boost economic activity, and ensure public infrastructure serves both today’s residents and future generations.
Policy Priorities for a Stronger, Safer City
Beyond essential services and oversight, my platform includes three key policy priorities designed to create a more resilient, transparent, and livable New York City.
1. Improve Transportation Infrastructure
Our city’s prosperity depends on the efficient, affordable, and reliable movement of people and goods. That means investing in and optimizing surface, subterranean, marine, and aviation infrastructure. Whether it’s ensuring timely subway and bus service, improving freight delivery routes, or upgrading ferry terminals and airport connections, the goal is to increase transportation capacity, support business, and make daily life easier for residents.
2. Transparency and Accountability in Homeless and Support Services
We must uphold our duty to “help thy neighbor,” particularly when it comes to services for homeless individuals and those struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. But compassion must be paired with accountability. Taxpayers deserve transparency on:
The demographics of those receiving services, including the causes of homelessness;
Whether recipients are existing NYC residents;
Cost per person of provided services; and
The percentage of clients who ultimately transition to stable, independent living.
Only with these data can we assess whether our social safety net is working—and make the necessary changes for taxpayer value.
3. A Realistic Approach to Corrections: Keep Rikers Island Operational
While reforms, especially external monitoring, of our criminal justice system are necessary, replacing Rikers Island with borough-based jails (BBJs) is not the solution. BBJs lack the capacity to meet future needs, and their proximity to densely populated neighborhoods raises public safety concerns, especially in the event of escapes or disturbances.
More importantly, new buildings do not solve the real problem: mismanagement within the Department of Corrections. What’s needed is not a new location—but leadership, transparency, and operational reform. Rikers Island offers the space and separation needed to house inmates securely while addressing long-standing issues in correctional policy and oversight.
A City Worth Staying In
Ultimately, my goal is for New York City to be a place where people want to live—and stay. That requires livable neighborhoods, safe streets, functional transportation, and clean, well-maintained public spaces. This requires holding agencies accountable, investing in routine maintenance, and choosing thoughtful, data-driven policies over flashy announcements or symbolic legislation.
District 1 deserves better. New York City deserves better. And I believe that by focusing on the basics—delivering reliable services, maintaining infrastructure, and ensuring public safety—we will build a stronger, more vibrant, and more livable city for all.
Let’s get back to basics, and have a well-run city.
If you like what you see, you can follow Eric Yu’s work and advocacy on Instagram and his website. Thank you Eric for participating!
