Election Q&A: Meet Upper East Side Candidate Liz Krueger

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Democratic candidate Liz Krueger is running for State Senate in District 28, which includes the Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island, and a central swath of Manhattan from Midtown down to Union Square, in New York City's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

In November, Krueger will face off against Alina Bonsell, the Republican candidate.

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Early voting runs Oct. 24–Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Krueger about her platform, priorities, experience, and district. See her replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Krueger said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

KRUEGER: I have lived on the Upper East Side for decades and have represented this district since 2002.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

KRUEGER: English.

PATCH: What's your professional and educational background?

KRUEGER: I have served in the Senate since 2002 and Chair the Finance Committee. Prior to that I was founding Director of the NYC Food Bank & Associate Director of the Community Food Resource Center. I attended Northwestern and UChicago.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

KRUEGER: I own an apartment on the Upper East Side.

PATCH: The cost of living in NYC is going up. What's your plan to make New York City more affordable?

KRUEGER: To make New York more affordable, we have to lower the biggest costs families face: housing, utilities and health care. This year's budget raised the Rent Freeze income cap to $75K for older adults and people with disabilities, put $250M toward affordable housing, and required utilities to return excess revenue to ratepayers and stop passing lobbying costs onto bills. I'll keep fighting to build affordable housing without subsidizing luxury development, to regulate new data centers so ratepayers don't absorb their energy costs, and to protect New Yorkers from federal health care cuts.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York City safer.

KRUEGER: First, we need to keep investing in what's working. Shootings & murders are at record lows this year, driven by record investments in gun violence prevention, problem solving courts, and mental health services. Everyone deserves to be safe & to feel safe which is why NY has also expanded the list of offenses that can be charged as hate crimes. Second, we need to make sure people with severe mental illness are getting real treatment, not just enforcement that at best can only ever be a band-aid. I'll keep pushing for the treatment beds and discharge planning that should be part of these wraparound services.

PATCH: New homeless shelters have divided Upper East Siders this past year. What role should a state senator play in shelter siting, and what specific actions would you take when a shelter is proposed in your district?

KRUEGER: Given rising homelessness and the fact that NYC is governed by a right-to-shelter mandate, well-run shelters are a necessity in all communities. Although State Senators do not have any jurisdiction over the locations where NYC Department of Homeless Services chooses to site new shelters, I've welcomed shelters in the district – but always made clear that shelter operators must minimize their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods, hire well trained security and social services staff, actively participate in community advisory boards, and address any concerns that arise quickly and effectively. Shelters only work if there's permanent housing for people to move into, so at the state level I'm focused on building affordable and supportive housing.

PATCH: What type of relationship will you have with the Trump administration?

KRUEGER: I don't have one, nor do I want one. His administration has already caused 450,000 New Yorkers to lose their Essential Plan coverage, cost billions of dollars in funding to our state, driven up inflation, especially energy prices, moved us backward on protecting our climate and environment, and done irreparable harm to our immigrant neighbors. I'll work with anyone on policies to help New Yorkers, but so far, Washington has mostly made life harder.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidate(s)?

KRUEGER: A lifetime commitment to public service and experience working for regular New Yorkers, an unblemished reputation for integrity after decades in Albany, and the respect of my colleagues in both parties for my reputation as hardworking, honest, fair, and able to get things done. As Finance Chair, I have a seat at the table where the state budget is written. After Roe was overturned, I led the push to protect abortion rights in New York, including the Equal Rights Amendment which I sponsored in the Senate and which voters passed overwhelmingly in 2024. This year's budget also expanded child care and finally raised the Rent Freeze income cap, the first increase in over a decade.

I consider it the greatest honor and privilege to be supported by the people of this district since I was first elected in 2002. I have lost none of my passion for the importance of this job, and I commit to continuing to do the best job I can if reelected.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.