OUR PLATFORM
District 45 deserves a City Council member who fights to make the city affordable for working families, not the elites and the developers.
Fight for Tenants
In 2023, Farah Louis, the current City Council Member in District 45, voted to give a $191 million tax break to a wealthy developer with 3,000 housing code violations. Meanwhile, working families in District 45 are being priced out while Farah Louis rewards the worst landlords in the city. Our neighbors deserve better.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Vote NO on any tax breaks for developers and landlords with housing violations
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Hold abusive landlords accountable and prevent them from neglecting tenants
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Support rent freeze initiatives and push for truly affordable housing
Do you want a council member who works for developers or one who works for you?”
Farah Louis: Gave $191 million to a slumlord with 3,000 violations
Hatem El-Gamasy: Will vote against any giveaway to corrupt developers
Support Small Businesses
As a former bodega owner, Hatem knows what it's like to open before dawn, navigate endless city paperwork, and hope you can make payroll. Small businesses are the backbone of our community, but the city drowns them in fees and fines while giving tax breaks to corporations.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Vote to cut unnecessary fees and fines that burden local shops
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Simplify the permit process so businesses can actually open without drowning in bureaucracy
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Fight for equal treatment. No more special deals for big corporations
Keep our Children safe
When Hatem asked for a crossing guard at Nostrand and Avenue K outside Andries Hudde Junior High, he was told resources were "too limited." Meanwhile, the NYC budget approved $175,000 for tree guard installations in District 45 alone. Our priorities are backwards.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Fight to ensure every school in District 45 has crossing guards and proper safety measures
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Invest in public schools and not in vanity projects for the wealthy
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Expand after-school programs and safe spaces for young people
End Food Insecurity
In October 2024, four-year-old Jahmeik Modlin starved to death in Harlem. This should never happen in New York City. In the richest city in the history of the world, no one should ever go to bed hungry. Not our children. Not our elders. Not anyone.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Expand school meal programs to ensure every child has access to nutritious food
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Support community food initiatives and local food banks
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Advocate to make food security a fundamental right, not a privilege
Address the Overdose Crisis
East New York has the sixth-highest overdose rate in NYC. In 2023, more than 700 people in Brooklyn lost their lives to drug overdoses. This is a public health emergency, yet our city hasn't treated it like one.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Support harm reduction programs and overdose prevention sites
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Push for increased funding for addiction treatment and mental health services
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Fight for evidence-based public health approaches that save lives
CUT UNNECESSARY RED TAPE
Our city government has tried to solve every problem with tickets and fines. When that doesn't work, they double down with more penalties. Hardworking New Yorkers are drowning in red tape while city officials make it harder to just live your life.
What Hatem Will Do:
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Simplify city laws and cut unnecessary regulations
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Reform the fine system to stop punishing working class New Yorkers
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Make government work for us, not against us
