Jonathan Bing

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Jonathan L. Bing is a machine politician and member of the United States Democratic Party representing the 73rd Assembly District of the New York State Assembly. Bing's district comprises Manhattan's Upper East Side, East Midtown, Sutton Place and Turtle Bay.

1 Political career
2 Personal life
3 External links
4 See also

[edit] Political career

A resident of Manhattan's East Side for two decades, Jonathan Bing was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2002 from the 73rd Assembly District in Manhattan. The 73rd A.D. includes the Upper East Side, East Midtown, Sutton Place and Turtle Bay communities. Jonathan was re-elected in 2006, receiving 76 percent of the vote in a district that had been represented by a Republican Assembly member for twelve years prior to 2002.

During his four years in the Assembly, Jonathan has authored 24 pieces of legislation that have passed the Assembly (with the consent of party-boss Sheldon Silver), 13 of which have also passed the Senate and 10 of which have been signed into law. In fact, Jonathan authored more laws in his first six months in office than his predecessor did in 12 years. In 2006, Jonathan authored the landmark bill signed into law in August that expanded the statute of limitations for workers' compensation claims made by 9/11 rescue, recovery and clean-up workers, allowing hundreds of heroes who helped rebuild our City get the benefits that they deserve. Jonathan's legislation to update the State library funding formula to use the most current census figures was adopted in the 2006-07 budget, providing New York City with an additional $1.5 million and its fair share of state funding for the first time in a decade. Other laws authored by Jonathan include the first significant arts funding bill to become law in recent memory, legislation that requires State agencies to make application forms available on the Internet; and measures that increased the State Housing Finance Agency's bonding authority to allow for the issuance of more Liberty Bonds for Downtown Manhattan development. Other legislation that Jonathan has authored include a bill supported by the United Way and UJA Federation that would require State agencies to notify non-profit organizations promptly concerning contract renewals (passed the Assembly and Senate in 2005 and 2006); legislation that would exempt social security income from the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) calculation (passed Assembly in 2004 and 2006); and a bill that would prevent employers from locking workers in overnight without a means of escape in case of emergency (passed Assembly and Senate in 2006). Jonathan has also been on the front lines of reform in Albany, sponsoring the Assembly rules reform resolution based on the New York University (NYU) Brennan Center's report adopted in 2005 that led to the State's first on-time budget in 20 years and a pending measure to create an independent redistricting panel.

In the community, Jonathan and his staff have responded to hundreds of constituent concerns and thousands of pieces of correspondence during his tenure. He has held two health fairs which each provided free flu shots and health screenings for over 300 neighborhood seniors, organized forums to address the concerns of women in business and the effect of the smoking ban on restaurants and nightlife, and brought dozens of free dental screenings for children and mammograms for women to the East Side. Jonathan has also secured $12.5 million in capital funding for East Side organizations including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hunter College, the Guggenheim Museum, Marymount Manhattan College, the 92nd Street Y, the Jewish Museum and Primary Stages. He has received recognition from the 17th Precinct Community Council for his efforts to keep the Turtle Bay, Sutton Place, and Beekman communities safe, the Vanderbilt YMCA's "Champion of the Year Award" for his community work, and awards from the New York University School of Law, Hunter College Golden Key Society, and the Public Employees Federation for his accomplishments in office.

[edit] Personal life

Prior to his 2002 election, Jonathan was a practicing attorney in Manhattan. After serving as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Bruce M. Van Sickle, Jonathan joined the law firm of Torys LLP in 1996 as an attorney in its labor and employment practice group. He also authored the award-winning legal article "Protecting the Mentally Retarded from Capital Punishment: State Efforts Since Penry and Recommendations for the Future." After the tragic events of September 11th, Jonathan was chosen to organize over 250 attorneys as the New York Coordinator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency/American Bar Association's Disaster Legal Services program which provided free, comprehensive legal assistance to nearly 1,000 New Yorkers affected by the terrorist attacks. He is a former member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Jonathan is a third-generation East Sider whose family has lived in what is now the 73rd A.D. since 1960. He is a graduate of the New York University School of Law, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Horace Mann School, and is a member of Central Synagogue. He lives in Turtle Bay with his wife, Meredith Ballew, the executive director of Wall Street Rising.