Interview with Kalman Yeger, candidate for City Council

Q: What is your pitch to voters?

“I know what it’s like to live, work and raise a family in our community, because I’ve done that my entire life. I rent an apartment, I pay s’char limud, I balance my household budget, like so many in our community. I know the challenges, because I live those challenges. And I would want voters to choose the same way I always choose who to vote for: by asking, which candidate understands me because they live the same life I do? Which candidate has the best experience to provide for our community? Which candidate faces the same challenges I do?

“I’ve spent my life in public service, beginning from when I was 19 years old. For the last 17 years, I’ve served as a volunteer member of our local Community Board, addressing quality of life issues facing our community. I know how to fight for our community, because I’ve spent my life doing exactly that.”

Q: What is the most pressing issue among voters in our community you have encountered when engaging with voters?

“Voters come from all different backgrounds and have many different challenges, but the common theme is that people want it to be just a bit easier to make a life in our city. That runs from skyrocketing property taxes, to aggressive sanitation ticketing and ‘gotcha’ camera summonses, to the challenges of providing for their children’s education, to a failing mass transit system, to horrendous traffic conditions in our community. People want a Council Member who understands the challenges they face. I understand these challenges, I live these challenges, and I’ll fight every day as Council Member to make things easier for people in our community, to improve their ability to live, work and raise a family in our community.”

Q: What would you like to accomplish in your first term and what would you call a success?

“I want to increase the number of children currently receiving free security services in non-public schools, a bill I worked on for years with Councilman Greenfield. Currently, some — but not all — yeshivas qualify for this important program. I want to expand access, and I know we can get it done, because the program has already proven a success. I want to increase our community’s access to safe and enjoyable parks, continuing Councilman Greenfield’s work to rebuild all 14 parks in our district by finding new underutilized property for new parks. I want to address our traffic and transportation issues by exploring changes to traffic patterns and parking relief to make it easier to get around our neighborhood.”

Q: How do you feel about the support you have received in the community since launching your campaign?

“I’m grateful and honored by the incredible support I’ve received from our community’s leading askonim — the people who do the day-to-day work of leading our mosdos and chesed organizations. These are the people I’ve worked with in the past to make our community better, and they understand the experience it takes to get the job done. And I’m grateful for the support of elected officials like Borough President Eric Adams, Councilmen David Greenfield, Mark Levine, Alan Maisel, and Assemblymen Steven Cymbrowitz and Peter Abbate — leaders who know and understand our community and who know what it takes to serve. I’m proud to have my name on the ballot directly under Borough President Eric Adams and District Attorney Eric Gonzalez — these partners in government will help me provide strong and energetic service to our community.”