UPPER WEST SIDE — The Upper West Side attorney who represented a group of parents in their fight to stop a charter school from moving into the Brandeis Educational Campus has joined the list of candidates vying to replace longtime City Councilwoman Gale Brewer.
Marc A. Landis, 49, recently filed paperwork to enter the race for Brewer's seat, which is up for grabs in 2013 when Brewer can no longer run because of term limits. Brewer recently told DNAinfo she's considering a run for Borough President when she leaves office.
The contest to replace the beloved Brewer is expected to be hard fought. Community Board 7 members Helen Rosenthal and Mel Wymore, who would be the city's first transgender City Council member, are already actively campaigning and have both raised more than $60,000.
Landis, a Democratic District Leader, is an attorney at Phillips Nizer LLP. He represented a group of Upper West Side parents who filed a lawsuit attempting to block a charter school from moving into a public school building. The parents lost their legal challenge.
Landis is chair of the real estate department at Phillips Nizer, where his practice includes the development of affordable housing, a representative for the Landis campaign said. He has served on Community Board 7 and as chair of the New York City chapter of Citizen Action of New York, a grassroots group that advocates for affordable healthcare, quality education and campaign finance reform.
Landis ran for the New York State Assembly in 2006 when Scott Stringer vacated the 67th District seat to run for Borough President.
Landis was not available for comment Monday.
