About Elizabeth

Council Member Elizabeth S. Crowley is the first Democrat and first female to represent the communities of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven in the 30th Council District.  Elected in November 2008, by an overwhelming majority of the vote, Elizabeth serves on the committees of Cultural Affairs, Environmental Protection, Housing & Buildings, Parks & Recreation, Rules, Privileges & Elections, State & Federal Legislation and serves as Chair of the Fire & Criminal Justice Services Committee.  As Chair, Elizabeth works closely with both City agencies and the uniform unions to provide oversight and to improve our city’s Department of Fire, Department of Corrections, Department of Probation and the Office of Criminal Justice.

Elizabeth has proven to be a strong and effective advocate who delivers real results to the people of the City of New York.  Elizabeth has been hailed by the media as one of “the hardest-working members of the City Council.” Over the past year, Elizabeth Crowley has led the fight on many important issues from “taking on [the] MTA for proposed cuts” to “calling for medical malpractice reform” and an “expansion of cancer screening programs” to “introducing legislation to protect small businesses.”

Elizabeth Crowley has an M.S. in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute’s Graduate School of Architecture and a B.A. in Restoration and Preservation from SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology where she was a Presidential Scholar and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Elizabeth is the fourteenth of fifteen children of Mary and the late Walter Crowley, and most of all, enjoys the time she gets to spend with her two sons, Dennis and Owen.

Crowley has received numerous awards for her service with nonprofits as well as her work in the City Council.  Notable recent awards include, but are not limited to: The 2011 Uniformed Firefighter’s Public Safety Award, The UFT district 24 Support of Public Schools Award, The Irish Echo’s 2011 Community Service Award, The Queens Courier’s 2011 Rising Star Award, The Italian-American Labor Council’s Geraldine Ferraro Legislative Award 2010; The Greater Woodhaven Corporation’s 2010 Woman of the Year Award; appointed Grand Marshall of the 2009 Federation of Italian-Americans of Brooklyn and Queens Fresh Pond Road Festival; Ridgewood Democratic Club’s 2009 Women of the Year Award; Center for the Women of New York’s 2009 Leadership Award.

Leader for the Working Class

Council Member Elizabeth S. Crowley deeply understands the importance of having a strong voice in government for our working families.  Elizabeth’s background in organized labor is what drives many of her decisions today in City government.  Elizabeth has been outspoken about the needs of working families by advocating for good public education, access to quality health care, strengthening public safety and improving transportation infrastructure.

A strong background in organized labor is what trained Elizabeth to understand the importance of having a strong voice in government for our working families. After college, with a degree in art restoration, Elizabeth followed a passion for the arts and joined D.C. 9 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.  With D.C. 9, Elizabeth worked to restore and preserve some of New York City’s most historic landmarks such as Radio City Music Hall, Central Synagogue and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It was D.C. 9 that shaped Elizabeth as an advocate for the needs of our working families.

After working on preservation project, her own D.C.9 nominated Elizabeth for a position with the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) to provide job training services to thousands of New Yorkers with a concentration on the building trades and the local manufacturing sector.  After the attacks on 9/11, she worked with CWE and helped administer the $32 million New York City Emergency Employment Grant to businesses negatively impacted by the attack.  As part of a small team, Elizabeth helped over 300 businesses stay open.

Click here for a high resolution photo of Council Member Elizabeth Crowley.