+ − Contact Information
Email Address: felder@nysenate.gov
Phone: (518) 455-2754
Fax: (518) 426-6931
Office Address:
944 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
+ − Biography
State Senator Simcha Felder was elected in a decisive victory in November 2012 to represent the 17th Senatorial District which encompasses the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison and Bensonhurst. A lifelong New Yorker, Simcha lives with his wife and children just blocks from the house in which he was born and raised. Simcha is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Management from the renowned Zicklin School of Business at CUNY's Baruch College. Felder also served as a professor of Management at Touro College and CUNY's Brooklyn College. Felder has also served as Deputy Comptroller for Budget, Accounting, Administration and Information Technology in the New York City Comptroller’s Office. Simcha previously worked for the New York State Assembly and as a tax auditor for the New York City Department of Finance. Before entering politics, Felder was a tireless community leader and volunteer for local civic organizations, working to register voters across Brooklyn. With two and a half decades of experience in public service, Simcha Felder was elected to the City Council in 2002. As a Council Member, Simcha built a reputation as a dedicated and committed advocate who brought concrete results home to his constituents. He served as the Chair of the Council’s Government Operations and Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committees where he worked to bring a more rational approach to government. Simcha also chaired the Landmarks Committee. An outspoken advocate for responsible neighborhood development, Simcha worked to transform empty city-owned lots for community uses such as new housing and a Hatzolah Volunteer Ambulance garage and headquarters. Simcha fought to secure City funding to add new playgrounds, open up and renovate schoolyards for public use, and plant thousands of new trees on city streets. While serving on the Council's Education Committee, Simcha supported efforts to improve New York City schools through direct control and equitable funding. Simcha is a staunch advocate of school choice and maintains that the State must do more to ensure that all New York City students are treated equitably. Simcha has a proven record as a champion of common-sense policies that streamline government and increase accountability to taxpayers. He passed laws to reduce unfair parking and sanitation tickets, sponsored the five-minute grace period legislation for motorists, and put a stop to the distribution of unwanted circulars and menus. Felder seeks to continue his record as a legislator to make government more responsive to the needs of its citizens and break down needless and frustrating bureaucratic red-tape. Senator Felder currently chairs the newly-created New York City Education Sub-Committee and the Children and Families Committee. He is also a member of the Aging; Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business; Health; and Mental Health Committees.