New York City’s 504 democratic Club endorses Comptroller brad lander for mayor
In an announcement made on Thursday, New York City’s 504 Democratic Club issued a press release wherein the organization officially signaled its endorsement of the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, to be the next mayor of New York City. The 504 Democrats, as the group is colloquially known, boasts it’s “the first political club in the country focusing on the issues of concern to the community of people with disabilities.”
The 504 Democrats’ support for Lander bolsters that from fellow local organizations such as the New York Progressive Action Network and the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, as well as public officials in the city’s public advocate Jumaane Williams and Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso. The announcement makes note that Lander’s total campaign fund nearing $7 million, sitting at over $6.71 million.
“From his office’s MTA bus audits to their regular disability justice roundtables, Brad
Lander has been the fiercest advocate for New Yorkers with disabilities, which is why
we’re proud to endorse him as the next Mayor of this City,” Mike Schweinsburg, president of 504 Democrats, said in a statement included in the organization’s press release. “We need a mayor not only with strong management experience and the brains for the job, but also one with integrity and decency that New Yorkers can feel proud to get behind. Brad Lander is that candidate—for New Yorkers of all abilities.”
For his part, Lander said in his own statement he’s “deeply honored” for the backing.
“I’m deeply honored to have earned the endorsement of 504 Democrats, who have long
championed the inclusion of people with disabilities in the political and social fabric of
New York,” he said. “My entire career in non-profits and public service has been driven by a central mission to make our City work for every New Yorker. When I’m mayor, I’ll build on the amazing work that I’ve done as City Councilmember and Comptroller with 504 Democrats and deliver a safer, more affordable, better run New York City for all.”
Readers of my Forbes column may recognize Lander’s name. I interviewed him last July about New York City’s then-new disability employment report. In my story, I described the report, which Lander said was driven by an advisory board comprising 25 to 30 people, as a skunkworks project of sorts; the report was put together with “neither assistance nor feedback from mayor Eric Adams’ office or anyone else in City Hall.” At a high level, the report—which, incidentally, was released during Disability Pride Month—showed 1 in 6 New Yorkers identify with some sort of disability. The number is described as “[comprising] a significant proportion of New York City’s population and labor force,” with 1 in 13 New Yorkers ages 25 to 55 who identify with coping with some disability.
Lander explained to me his office’s employment report was enlightening to him and his team because “it’ll lay the groundwork for us to move forward to do additional work to look at the city’s programs and think about the impact they’re having and how they could be more effective.” Moreover, he shared sentiments which are echoed by today’s news, telling me in part he’s hopeful accessibility and disability justice will be viewed with same lens as language access and racial disparities. He expressed his desire that equality and inclusivity vis-a-vis accessibility will, with time, eventually become "one of the important accountability lenses we bring to New York City’s budget and agencies.”
“That’s how I’ll feel good about what we did for people,” Lander said.
The 504 Democrats describes itself on its website as believers in the notion that “the full integration can only be accomplished by demanding ADA compliance and work with our colleagues and representatives in public office to effect positive change,” adding “all must come to understand that anything less than an equal place at the table for disabled people is unacceptable” in politics and in society writ large. The organization, founded in 1983 and taking its name from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, further notes it’s "the first political club in the country focusing on the issues of concern to the community of people with disabilities [and remains] the only citywide political club dedicated to the civil rights of people with disabilities.” Furthermore, the 504 Democrats plainly states its mission as “[educating and informing] political representatives about disability rights and identifies candidates who align with the issues of concern to the community of people with disabilities; all disabilities.”
As the 504 Democrats note, the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the forebearer of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I interviewed the ADA’s pioneer, retired congressman Tony Coelho (D-CA), for my Forbes column back in 2020.
