Stefani Zinerman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stefani Zinerman
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| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 56th district |
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| Assumed office January 6, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Tremaine Wright |
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| Born | October 30, 1964 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residences | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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Stefani Zinerman is an American politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She currently represents District 56 in the New York State Assembly. This district includes parts of Brooklyn, New York, such as Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights.
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Stefani Zinerman's Early Life and School
Growing Up in Brooklyn
Stefani Zinerman grew up in Downtown Brooklyn. She lived in Gowanus in a type of housing called public housing. Her parents were from Bedford-Stuyvesant. They moved to Gowanus with help from the New York City Housing Authority. She says her parents helped her become interested in politics.
Her Education and Work
Zinerman studied business management at the Rochester Institute of Technology. After college, she worked in banking. She also worked in beverage distribution. Later, she became a senior manager for a program in New York City. This program helped adults learn to read and write.
Zinerman also served as a pastor. She was involved in many community groups. These included the Brooklyn NAACP. She also chaired a program called Age-Friendly. This program helps local leaders make their communities better for older people.
Her Political Journey
How She Started in Politics
Zinerman became involved in local politics after a program was stopped. This program was called Begin Education/Employment Gain Independence Now (BEGIN). She then volunteered for the Obama For America campaign. She became a volunteer leader in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
Zinerman worked for Robert E. Cornegy. She helped manage his campaigns starting in 2012. When he was elected, she became his chief of staff. As a staff member, she focused on helping the African American community. This included people in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. She was part of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus with Cornegy. This group worked on important issues. For example, they worked on making changes to the juvenile criminal justice system.
Becoming an Assembly Member
Tremaine Wright announced she would not run for reelection in the 56th Assembly District. She decided to run for the New York State Senate instead. Zinerman then announced she would run for the Assembly seat. She made her announcement at the Weeksville Heritage Center. Tremaine Wright supported her.
Zinerman won the Democratic primary election. In November 2020, she ran without anyone opposing her. This is how she won the seat in the Assembly. She is also a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus.
What She Works On
When Zinerman ran for the Assembly, she focused on local issues. She also wanted to involve the community. Her main goals included community health and fair education for everyone. She supports several health programs for the community. These include programs for healthy aging and community-supported agriculture. She also wants to improve access to healthy food. She supports doula care and more school-based health centers. She also wants safe staffing levels for nurses.
From the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, she wants state money for basic school funding. She also supports less police contact. She wants a community policing model. This model would involve investing in education and social service programs. She mentioned events like the murder of George Floyd and the shooting of Breonna Taylor as reasons for these changes.
The 2024 Primary Election
In 2024, Zinerman had a primary election challenge. She ran against Eon Tyrell Huntley, a candidate from the Democratic Socialists of America. This election was called "one of the most closely contested state races" in that primary season. It was also seen as a very important fight for the political future of Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.
Housing was a key issue in this election. Zinerman's supporters said Huntley represented younger people who were new to the area. They also pointed out that he lived outside the district. Zinerman's campaign spokesperson said that Huntley "doesn’t have his hands in the sand with the rest of us. His hands aren’t in the mud because he doesn’t live in this district." Huntley said that Zinerman represented "the real estate, charter school and Israel lobbies." He promised to fight for voters to "stay in their homes." Also, Zinerman was against "good-cause eviction" laws, while Huntley supported them.
Zinerman received support from Hakeem Jeffries and Tish James. New York Focus reported that Zinerman also got support from Solidarity PAC. This is a group that supports Israel. Other groups, called Super PACs, also spent money to support her campaign. These groups were funded by Michael Bloomberg and real estate developers. They spent about half a million dollars.
In May 2024, Huntley's campaign filed a complaint. They sent it to the New York State Board of Elections. The complaint said Zinerman's campaign had problems with its finances.
Zinerman won the primary election. She received 479 more votes than Huntley.
