Maud Maron

Last updated

Maud Maron is a former public defender and is a member of the New York City Community Education Council District 2. She was formerly its president.

Contents

In 2019, Maron co-founded Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education NYC (PLACE NYC) to oppose Bill De Blasio's plans to widen access to selective middle and high schools. [1] She co-founded the New York City Chapter of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism and served as its interim executive director in 2023. [2] [3]

She has run unsuccessfully for the District 1 City Council election [2] and the 10th [4] [1] and New York's 12th congressional districts. [5] Her comments have been criticized as racist and transphobic. [6] [7]

Activism

PLACE NYC

In 2019, Maron and Yitin Chu formed Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education NYC (PLACE NYC) to oppose Bill de Blasio's attempts to shift away from screened middle and high schools. Maron served as co-president. [8] [1] [2] PLACE argues that the city's schools are failing their students, that the city should redouble its focus on academics, and that racism does not contribute to the city's underperforming schools. [2] Other parental groups have described it as shifting rightward. [1]

In October 2023, Maron stepped down as co-president of PLACE. [9]

Maron worked as a Senior Staff Attorney for the Legal Aid Society. [10] In July 2020, Maron wrote an opinion piece critical of a NYC DOE anti-bias training session. [11] [6] The Black Attorneys of Legal Aid caucus released a tweet criticizing the piece and stating "It is obvious to anyone with any sense of racial justice that Maud is racist and openly so". The Legal Aid Society's official Twitter account retweeted it. [11] Maron sued the LAS, stating her colleagues had unfairly labeled her a racist, but lost the lawsuit. [11] [12]

Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism

In 2021, Maron and Yiatin Chu co-founded the New York City Chapter of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, which advocates against Critical Race Theory and advocates a "human first" mindset critics have likened to "All Lives Matter". [2] [1] In 2023 Maron served as interim executive director of FAIR following internal power struggles in the organization. [6] [3] [13]

Moms for Liberty

Members of PLACE leadership have promoted local chapters of Moms for Liberty in their private discussion forums [1] and Moms for Liberty has praised PLACE. [14] In January 2024, Maron spoke at a panel organized by Moms for Liberty, [15] whom she has described as "one of the more dynamic and genuinely diverse parents groups to emerge from the school closure era." [16] Maron told the New York Daily News she was not a member of Moms for Liberty, and in a statement the organization confirmed Maron was not a member. [16] When speaking to Gay City News, Maron stated "I am, at this point, a member of Moms for Liberty, yes I am". [17] The flyer for the event listed her affiliation with the educational council but did not issue a disclaimer that the views expressed were her own. [15] Maron was criticized at a District 2 CEC meeting for her participation in the Thursday panel. [15] At the meeting, she described a protester identifying herself as a "proud queer woman" as "a straight girl without a boyfriend", drawing criticism. [18] [9]

Political Campaigns

Community Education Council District 2

From 2019 to 2020, Maron was president of the Community Education Council (CEC) for District 2. [19] [20] [11] In 2019, the student organization Teens Take Charge rallied against NYC's segregated school system. The group called on Maron to resign from the CEC following her criticism of the city's proposals for a more culturally diverse curriculum and implicit bias training. [21] At the October 2020 meeting of CEC 2, Maron was removed as President of the council by a vote of 6 - 5. In 2023 Maron was elected to CEC 2 again by a margin of 1/2 vote. [22]

2021 District 1 City Council election

In 2021 she ran in the Democratic primary for the New York City's 1st City Council district with endorsements from the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association and Police Benevolent Association, stating her priorities would be to get schools fully reopened and prevent the opening of a new jail in Chinatown. She stated she favors Kathryn Garcia and Eric Adams for Mayor. [10] The campaign was unsuccessful and she continued to run as an independent. [2] In November, she won 14% of the vote and lost to Christopher Marte. [23]

2021 New York City Council election
PartyCandidateMaximum
round
Maximum
votes
Share in
maximum
round
Maximum votes
First round votesTransfer votes
Democratic Christopher Marte810,78560.5%
Democratic Jenny Low87,05439.5%
Democratic Gigi Li64,66223.9%
Democratic Maud Maron52,49512.1%
Democratic Susan Lee42,0209.6%
Democratic Sean Hayes39284.3%
Democratic Tiffany Johnson-Winbush38093.7%
Democratic Susan Damplo23441.6%
Democratic Denny Salas22921.3%
2021 New York City Council election, District 1 general election [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Christopher Marte 16,733 72.1
Independent NYMaud Maron3,26514.0
Republican Jacqueline Toboroff3,16613.6
Total votes23,212 100

2022 Congressional District elections

In 2022, Maron ran against Carolyn Maloney in the Democratic Primary for New York's 12th Congressional District raising concerns about the inclusion of transgender women in college athletics, stating "Now, any dude who feels like a woman is supposed to be treated like a woman. That’s absurd". [5]

Maron also ran in the Democratic Primary for the 10th Congressional district, calling for revisions to the Biden administration's proposed updates to Title IX and exclusion of transgender people from women's athletics and "single sex spaces". Maron stated the policies would one of her top issues if she were elected, arguing that the inclusion of protections for gender identity will do "real damage to girls and women". [25] Maron finished last at 2% of the vote. [4] [1]

2022 New York's 10th congressional district Democratic primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Dan Goldman 16,686 25.8
Democratic Yuh-Line Niou 15,38023.7
Democratic Mondaire Jones (incumbent) [lower-alpha 1] 11,77718.2
Democratic Carlina Rivera10,98517.0
Democratic Jo Anne Simon 3,9916.2
Democratic Elizabeth Holtzman 2,8454.4
Democratic Jimmy Li7771.2
Democratic Yan Xiong 6861.1
Democratic Maud Maron5780.9
Democratic Bill de Blasio (withdrawn)4770.7
Democratic Brian Robinson3220.5
Democratic Peter Gleason1470.2
Democratic Quanda Francis1210.2
Total votes64,772 100.0

Stuyvesant School Leadership Team

Since December 2023, a petition to remove Maron to remove Maron from the School Leadership Team of Stuyvesant High School has gained over 700 signatures. It was circulated after she was quoted in a NY post article calling an anonymous student author a "coward" guilty of "Jew hatred" and calling for their name to be public for their op-ed. [26] [27]

Views

Maron argues that Critical Race Theory has influenced how teachers educate their students, though CRT is not taught in the city's public schools, and that extended classroom discussions on race are unnecessary. [2]

Maron has opposed mask mandates in public schools. [28] [29]

Maron has described city schools as an "oppressor woke environment where DOE employees make them pledge allegiance to their LGBTQI+ religion." [1] Parents and teachers called for her removal from the CEC District 2 board following a story published by The 74 which revealed private texts in which Maron stated "there is no such thing as trans kids" and "the social contagion is undeniable" when replying to a parent's concerns about the number of LGBTQ+ youth in their child's school. [18] [7] A DOE spokesperson called the comments "despicable and not in line with our values". [18] In February, Maron led a resolution urging Eric Adam's education officials to restrict transgender girls’ athletic participation. [7] [30]

Personal life

Maron was born in Manhattan and lived in Pennsylvania before returning to Manhattan in the 1980s to attend Barnard College. [31] She taught at the Cardozo School of Law from 2003 to 2005. [32]

Maron is a mother of four. She is married to Juan Pablo and has lived in District 1 for the last 20 years. [10] [1] [31] She is a convert to Judaism. [33]

See also

Notes

  1. Due to redistricting, Mondaire Jones decided to move to NY-10, which is not connected by territory to his home district of NY-17.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Department of Education</span> Department of the government of New York City

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,800 separate schools. The department covers all five boroughs of New York City, and has an annual budget of around $38 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Menin</span> American lawyer and businesswoman

Julie Menin is a member of the New York City Council from District 5. Before she was elected to this position, she served as an American attorney, civil servant, non-profit executive, professor and small business owner. In January 2019, she was appointed Director of the Census for NYC and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for Strategic Advocacy. Previously, she had worked as the Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and Commissioner of New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gale Brewer</span> American politician

Gale Arnot Brewer is an American Democratic politician from the state of New York who has represented the 6th New York City Council district since January 2022, a position she previously held from 2002 to 2013. From January 2014 to December 2021, she served as the 27th Borough President of the New York City borough of Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inez Dickens</span> American politician

Inez E. Dickens is the Assemblymember for the 70th district of the New York State Assembly. She is a Democrat. The district includes portions of El Barrio, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, and Morningside Heights in Manhattan. She formerly served on the New York City Council from 2006 to 2016, representing the 9th district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie Méndez</span> American politician

Rosie Méndez is an American Democratic politician who served in the New York City Council from the 2nd district from 2006 to 2017. Méndez's district included all or parts of Chelsea, the East Village, the Flatiron District, Gramercy, Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, Midtown, Murray Hill, NoHo, and Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Landing Ferry</span> Ferry service in New York City and New Jersey

The Liberty Landing Ferry, officially known as the Liberty Landing City Ferry, is a commuter ferry service based at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. It provides service between Liberty State Park and Liberty Harbor in Jersey City and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal at Brookfield Place in Battery Park City, Manhattan. It is one of several private operators of ferries, sightseeing boats, and water taxis in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuy Diep</span> American fashion designer

Thuy Diep is a Vietnamese-born American fashion designer. She founded the women's fashion label THUY NYC; and co-founded the children's clothing label Little Moony.

Michael Mulgrew is the fifth President of the United Federation of Teachers, the trade union of teachers in New York City, New York. The union's executive board elected Mulgrew in July 2009. Prior to his current position, Michael was elected Vice President for Career and Technical Education (CTE) High Schools in 2005 and became the union’s Chief Operating Officer in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Success Academy Charter Schools</span> Charter school operator

Success Academy Charter Schools, originally Harlem Success Academy, is a charter school operator in New York City. Eva Moskowitz, a former city council member for the Upper East Side, is its founder and CEO. It has 47 schools in the New York area and 17,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Rosenthal</span> Former American politician

Helen K. Rosenthal was formerly an American politician who served as a member of the New York City Council for the 6th district. The district includes the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuh-Line Niou</span> American politician (born 1983)

Yuh-Line Niou is an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 65th district. The Lower Manhattan district, which is heavily Democratic and over 40% Asian American, includes Chinatown, the Financial District, Battery Park City, and the Lower East Side. Niou is the first Asian American elected to the State Assembly for the district. She was a candidate for Congress in New York's newly redrawn 10th congressional district in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlina Rivera</span> New York politician

Carlina Rivera is an American politician who represents the 2nd district of the New York City Council since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, her district includes portions of the East Village, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, Lower East Side, Murray Hill and Rose Hill in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York City mayoral election</span> Election for Mayor of New York City

The 2021 New York City mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New York</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 26 U.S. representatives from the State of New York, one from each of the state's 26 congressional districts. The elections coincided with elections for governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general, comptroller, state senate, and assembly, and various other state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York City Council election</span> Election held in New York City

The 2021 New York City Council elections were held on November 2, 2021. The primary elections were held on June 22, 2021. There were several special elections for seats vacated in 2020 and early 2021; these special elections were the first to use ranked-choice voting in city council elections after it was approved by a ballot question in 2019 and the second to use ranked-choice voting since New York City repealed PR-STV in 1945. Due to redistricting after the 2020 Census, candidates also ran for two-year terms instead of four-year terms for the first time, stemming from the New York City Charter overhaul in 1989. Four-year terms will resume in the 2025 election after another two-year election in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York City borough president elections</span> Elections in New York City

The 2021 New York City borough president elections were held on November 2, 2021. Four of the five incumbent borough presidents were unable to run for reelection due to term limits. Only the Queens borough president was eligible to seek re-election after winning a special election in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York City Comptroller election</span>

The 2021 New York City Comptroller election consisted of Democratic and Republican primaries for New York City Comptroller on June 22, 2021, followed by a general election on November 2, 2021. The primaries were the first NYC Comptroller election primaries to use ranked-choice voting. The primary and general election were held alongside concurrent primaries and elections for mayor, Public Advocate, Borough Presidents, and City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York County District Attorney election</span>

The 2021 New York County District Attorney election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the New York County District Attorney. The incumbent, Cyrus Vance Jr., had announced in March 2021 that he would not seek a fourth term.

Inna Vernikov is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the New York City Council for the 48th District. The Minority Whip of the City Council, her district includes the neighborhoods of Brighton Beach, West Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, and parts of Midwood and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. Formerly a Democrat, Vernikov is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita Joseph</span> American politician and educator

Rita C. Joseph is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the New York City Council for the 40th district. Elected in November 2021, she assumed office on January 1, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Riddle, Safiyah (2023-04-28). "City Education Council Elections Bring Polarizing National Issues to Local School Districts" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Salhotra, Pooja (2021-07-13). "Critical race theory debate hits New York City public schools". Chalkbeat . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  3. 1 2 Villarreal, Daniel (2023-06-07). "GOP donor gave lesbian transphobe Bari Weiss $500K to start an "anti-woke" non-profit". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  4. 1 2 Lahut, Jake; Kang, Hanna (July 18, 2022). "Bill de Blasio is finishing nearly last in Congressional polling" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  5. 1 2 Gartland, Michael (2022-04-25). "Rep. Carolyn Maloney vies for reelection amid crowded field and third credible challenge in a row". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  6. 1 2 3 Green, Emma (2023-06-05). "Is It Possible to Be Both Moderate and Anti-Woke?". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  7. 1 2 3 Touré, Madina (March 20, 2024). "National debate over transgender athletes comes to New York City". Politico.
  8. "New York City Schools Chancellor Calls On State To End Specialized High Schools Admissions Test - CBS New York". CBS News. 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  9. 1 2 Anderson, Gardiner (2024-01-18). "NYC elected officials, teachers protest at right wing Moms for Liberty event". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  10. 1 2 3 Seiwell, Emma (June 4, 2021). "Crowded City Council Race in Lower Manhattan District Devastated by Covid". Gotham Gazzette. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Stephen Rex (2021-07-13). "Public defender running for City Council sues Legal Aid for labeling her 'racist'". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  12. Dorrian, Patrick (June 6, 2022). "Legal Aid Society Lawyer Denounced as 'Racist' Loses Lawsuit". Bloomberg Law News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  13. Woolhouse, Meg; Martin, Phillip (2023-10-30). "Right-leaning groups opposed to diversity efforts find unlikely allies in Newton parents". WGBH. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  14. Bamberger, Cayla (2023-06-24). "Progressive backlash? A coalition pressing for more selectivity in schools notches key wins in NYC education council elections". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  15. 1 2 3 Elsen-Rooney, Michael; Zimmer, Amy (2024-01-18). "Moms for Liberty came to the Upper East Side. Many locals were less than thrilled". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  16. 1 2 Folk, Zachary (January 18, 2024). "Moms For Liberty Hold Manhattan Town Hall Amid Protests From NYC Elected Officials". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  17. Allen, Dashiell (2024-01-19). "'No hate! no fear!': LGBTQ activists and politicians protest Moms for Liberty event in NYC" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  18. 1 2 3 McShane, Julianne (January 19, 2024). "That time when Moms for Liberty came to deep-blue NYC" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  19. Veiga, Christina (2019-09-27). "Two coveted Manhattan high schools, Lab and Baruch, tweak their admissions". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  20. Veiga, Christina (2020-03-04). "Integration efforts kick off in Manhattan's District 2, home to some of NYC's most affluent and coveted schools". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  21. Vohra, Sweta (October 18, 2019). "The Weekly Episode 16: The Fight To Desegregate New York Schools". New York Times.
  22. Zimmer, Amy; Amin, Reema (2023-06-16). "Candidates endorsed by PLACE win seats on parent councils across NYC". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  23. "Christopher Marte wins City Council seat". Tribeca Citizen. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  24. "General Election 2021 - Member of the City Council, 1st Council District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  25. King, Joseph (July 5, 2022). "Democratic congressional candidate calls for restrictions on trans students". NY1. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  26. Elsen-Rooney, Michael (2024-03-13). "Misconduct complaints against NYC parent leaders surge as tensions flare in education councils". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  27. McMurdock, Marianna (2024-03-22). "NYC Parent Council Seeks Trans Sports Policy Change, Condemned by Chancellor". The 74 . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  28. Michel, Clifford (2022-02-14). "One seat possibly in play is the newly drawn State Senate district currently occupied by Democrat Diane Savino". The City. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  29. Bardolf, Deirdre (2022-02-28). "Indoor school mask mandate could end next week". Queens News Service. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  30. Bamberger, Cayla (2024-03-19). "Manhattan school board could advise trans girls ban from women's sports". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  31. 1 2 "The Candidates 2022: Maud Maron for the 10th Congressional District" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  32. "Maud Maron". The Federalist Society.
  33. Kornbluh, Jacob (2022-08-22). "In New York's primaries, tough choices for many Jewish voters" . Retrieved 2024-03-31.