Helen Rosenthal

Helen Rosenthal represents the 6th District, encompassing Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Elected to the City Council in 2013, Helen’s vote total in the general election was the highest of any candidate running for City Council throughout New York City. She is recognized as a strong advocate for public schools, affordable housing, gender equality and economic empowerment. Helen previously served as Assistant Director of the New York City Office of Management and Budget, where she helped manage the City’s health care budgets under Mayors Ed Koch, David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani. In 2001, she was appointed to Manhattan’s Community Board 7 - serving as Strategy and Budget Committee Chair, Vice Chair and ultimately Board Chair from 2007-2009. During this time, she sought to secure additional public school space on the Upper West Side, using data collection to challenge the Board of Education’s assertion that the District had 1,500 empty school seats. The data-specific analysis along with parent advocacy and public official input, resulted in the creation of PS 452 in 2010. As Community 7 Board Chair, Helen laid the groundwork for the establishment of a new public school – PS/IS 342 – as part of the Riverside South development project. Helen has served on the Board of Directors of NARAL Pro-Choice America; and of the Participatory Budgeting Project – an organization that advocates having community members directly decide how to spend part of a publicly appropriated budget. She has also been Board Chair of ParentJobNet, an organization that arranges for ESL classes, job training, computer training and career counseling (provided free of charge) in local elementary schools for parents of school-age children. Helen received a B.A. from Michigan State University and a Masters in Public Health from Yale University. She lives with her husband and two daughters on the Upper West Side.