As a former public school teacher and American history professor — with time spent on the faculties of Vanderbilt, University of Virginia and CUNY, City Councilmember Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan, District 4) knows a little something more about the importance of fostering a better school system for New York’s public school children. In fact, as the City Council’s current Chair of the Education Committee, it’s her number one priority. The two-term city official has maintained nothing short of a bustling schedule — jam-packed with over 20 public hearings since securing her second term, focusing her energy on such weighty educational topics as Literacy, Teacher Recruitment and Retention, No Child Left Behind and, most recently, school safety plans. Moskowitz has been an instrumental force in spearheading the Council’s effort to obtain $112.9 billion over the next five years to improve school facilities and address overcrowding, releasing a report with Council Speaker Gifford Miller entitled, Capital Punishment: The Decay of New York City’s Public School Buildings. Honored in 2000 and 2003 by the Democratic Leadership Council as one of the party’s top 10 rising stars, Moskowitz has penned such city laws as the Healthcare Mobilization Act, which ensures all city residents have access to information about public health insurance programs; and two significant pieces of gun control legislation — one requiring the NYPD to trace all guns used to commit crimes within city limits, and another holding gun dealers, manufacturers and importers liable for damage caused by their products. Moskowitz, 40, holds a Ph.D. in American history from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. The longtime leader in making the city a healthier, safer, and cleaner place to live grew up in a rent-regulated apartment and attended P.S. 6 and Stuyvesant High School, where she met her husband, Eric Grannis. They now live on the East Side with their two sons, Culver, 5, and Dillon, 1.
