Helen Sears (born December 22, 1929) is a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

who represented the 25th district of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

in the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

from 2002 until 2009.

Personal career and early life

Before becoming involved in politics, Sears was a health-care professional. She worked as a Director of Government and Community Affairs for the

Health and Hospitals Corporation NYC Health + Hospitals, officially the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), operates the public hospitals and clinics in New York City as a public benefit corporation. , HHC is the largest municipal healthcare system in the Uni ...

at Elmhurst Medical Center. She went on to serve as a board member of the NYC Health Systems Agency. She further worked as a government employee, working as a Senior Specialist for the

New York City Department for the Aging The New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) is the department of the government of New York City that provides support and information for older people (those over 60). Its regulations are compiled in title 69 of the ''New York City Rules''. ...

. She then founded the Catherine Sheridan Senior Center and the Marjorie Riley Center. Sears has two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren.

Political career

Her political career started when she was elected to serve as the Queens County Budget Negotiator. Later on, she was actually elected to the New York City Council, representing the 25th district, which encompassed parts of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst,

East Elmhurst East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars ...

Rego Park Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queens ...

, Woodside and

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

. The party bosses in the Democratic Party backed her against district leader

Daniel Dromm Daniel Dromm (born November 27, 1955) is an American politician who served in the New York City Council from the 25th district from 2010 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens. L ...

. The election contained a vigorous undercurrent of challenge against New York City term limits imposed against incumbents seeking reelection. Her main committee assignments included Finance, Health, Juvenile Justice, Land Use, Standards & Ethics, and Zoning & Franchises. She was the first chairwoman of the Women's Issues committee, as well as the standing committee on Standards and Ethics. She has been praised for her work in securing $600,000 in federal funds that went towards preventing congestion. On September 15, 2009, in her bid for election to a third term, Sears was defeated 49% to 39% by

- a Community Organizer and teacher and Democratic District Leader.

Criticisms

Vendor's Controversy

Sears was sharply criticized for sponsoring a bill that would ban

vending A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...

from some busier streets. One concerned resident said: "This would ruin my business," said Maria Piedad, 65, of Jackson Heights, through a translator. "I would lose most of my clients." Councilwoman Sears's position was stated by her as: "I called for a vendor-free zone because the area has become overly dense with vending carts that impeded traffic and threaten public safety," Sears said. "Many of the carts are operated illegally, and residents and small businesses have long taken issue with them." The businesses claim that it is merely a small business concern but some vendors have alleged that the bill may unfairly impact immigrants inadvertently, invoking racial tensions in a trade dispute between business concerns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, Helen New York City Council members Living people New York (state) Democrats Women New York City Council members 1929 births 21st-century American women