Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz 81st Assembly District
Jeffrey Dinowitz was elected to the New York State Assembly to represent the 81st Assembly District on February 15, 1994 in a special election to replay Oliver Koppell. He served as Democratic District Leader from 1986 to 1994, leading a team of reform Democrats which swept into office in 1986 and built a strong and vibrant Democratic party in what is now the 81st A.D. The district includes Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Van Cortlandt Village, Marble Hill, Norwood, Woodlawn and Wakefield.
Mr. Dinowtiz serves on five committees in the Assembly: Aging, Mental Health, Consumer Affairs, Election Law and Oversight. In Albany he has focused on legislation dealing with senior issues, educating reform, housing, and the environment. He has supported the Assembly Democratic tough anti-crime package, fought for more education aid to New York City, has been a staunch supporter of human rights and has been 100% pro-choice.
Jeffrey Dinowitz has spent much of his time dealing with neighborhood issues and individual constituent problems. His district office has helped hundreds of people with cutting through government red tape dealing with city, state and federal agencies. H e is an outspoken opponent of the proposed Jerome Park Reservoir water filteration plant. He is a leading force behind the creation of a Business Improvement District for the 231st and Broadway shopping district, having helped to secure a major state grant to start in up.
Over the years, Mr. Dinowitz has served in a myriad of community organizations. He was Vice President of the Riverdale Community Council, an umbrella organization of community groups in the Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Van Cortlandt Villa ge and Marble Hill Communities. He served for seven years on the Bronx Area Policy Board #7, which allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to community groups such as the Mosholu-Montefiore Community Center, the Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improv ement Association and the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center. He was an officer of New York Teachers Housing Corp. (Tibbett Towers), the Mitchell-Lama Co-op in which he and his family reside. He also served as it delegate to the Association of Riverda le Co-ops.
As an advocate for public education, Mr. Dinowitz served for over ten years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bronx High School of Science Foundation, which raised money to support important educational programs. As a committed environmentalis t, he served on the Board of Directors of the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality. He is a member of Riverdale Senior Services and the Riverdale Mental Health Association. He is a member of the Riverdale Temple, as well as a member of the National Jewish Democratic Council, the Executive Committee of the Riverdale-Hudson Chapter of B'nai B'rith and has been a member of the Association of Jewish Professionals. Mr. Dinowitz is also affiliated with the North Bronx Social Action Committee and the Bronx Historical Society. In addition he has been a member of District Council 37 and the Public Employees Federation and has always been a supporter of the causes of the labor movement.
Mr. Dinowitz has presented his community in a number of political capacities. He was elected as a Democratic State Committeeman in 1978 and as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1980. He served on many occasions as a Delegate to the Dem ocratic Judicial Convention. He has coordinated numerous political campaigns for independent Democratic candidates and has organized many voter registration drives. He was selected three times as President of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club , expanding the group's involvement in a more community-based and issue-oriented agenda. Throughout the years of his political activity he has always fought for a more open, diverse and honest Democratic Party, fighting those officials of the old-line re gular organization that disgraced the Bronx.
Born in 1954, Jeffrey Dinowitz has lived in the Bronx all of his life. He is a graduate of the Brooklyn Law School, City University, the Bronx High School of Science and Bronx public schools. He as been married to Sylvia Gottlieb since 1978. Their chil dren Kara and Eric, both attend public school in District 10. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Mr. Dinowitz served for ten years as an Administrative Law Judge for the State of New York.
