Asher Freeman Email & Phone Number

New York, United States

Brooklyn, New York, Us

As the Chief of Staff to BP Reynoso, I oversaw the day-to-day management of an office with a staff of 50+, many of whom I hired at the start of the administration – and a budget of nearly $8M. I directly supervised the BP's executive team, in addition to the personnel, legal, and compliance work of the office. In my role as a supervisor, I served as the primary conduit between the BP and staff, provided final sign-off on budgetary decisions, communications strategies, and political decisions, and facilitated the office’s external relations. In addition, I formulated and oversaw implementation of the BP's long-term vision, priorities, and initiatives. I also initiated implementation of several of the office's policy priorities that developed on the campaign trail, including delivering a historic amount of capital funding to public hospitals’ birthing facilities to combat the maternal mortality crisis, crafting a comprehensive plan for Brooklyn, and developing a more rigorous process for Community Board appointments.

As Council Member Reynoso's Legislative and Land Use Director, I oversaw legislative, planning, and budget priorities for the office. This included managing the Bushwick community planning process, which involved coordination and negotiation between the Department of City Planning, Brooklyn CB4, local community leaders, and other elected officials. I also managed policy development and negotiations for the North Brooklyn Industrial and Innovation Study. On the legislative side, I negotiated the Waste Equity bill and the Commercial Waste Zones bill, landmark legislation to transform the sanitation industry. I also advised the Council Member’s work on various committees including transportation, zoning, and general welfare and supported his role on the Budget Negotiating Team. Additionally, I oversaw the office’s Communications Director and communications strategy.

In my role as Campaign Manager, I oversaw the day-to-day operations, fundraising, hiring, and political strategy of a successful, high-profile campaign to bring new leadership to North Brooklyn’s representation in the Democratic Party for the first time in nearly 40 years. While managing the candidate and all aspects of the campaign, I also led the campaign’s transition to digital organizing in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During my time at HPD I was involved in a wide range of land use issues and processes relating to the creation of affordable housing. This included preparation of ULURP applications and project management of the ULURP process post-certification. Facilitating the successful passage of a ULURP application required my familiarity with both the administrative requirements of the process, as well as interfacing with communities, elected officials, and local stakeholders to ensure the project was meeting local needs and priorities. My responsibilities also included conducting due diligence on potential project sites, facilitating community workshops, and reviewing RFP submissions.

Aided the Council Member with his position as Chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management (Implementing the SWMP, meeting with industry stakeholders, and developing policies to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of our sanitation system). Developed policy related to housing, land use, education, transportation, and public safety.

Assisted the District Manager with updating the district needs statement and developed a policy position for the Health and Human Services Committee on the siting of homeless shelters within the district.

Assisted the Lower East Side's Long Term Recovery Group, LES Ready, with disaster planning. Developed a policy plan for the group that addressed both short and long-term goals.

Conducted policy research related to education, zoning, economic development and housing development; drafted letters on behalf of the Public Advocate; prepared meeting briefs on a variety of topics.

Internship with Professor Douglas Boyer, Anthropology Department, Brooklyn College: catalogued fossil specimens; cutting casts for pre-primate fossil teeth; utilizing CT scans for creating 3-D digital models of fossil teeth; general office tasks.

M.S., City And Regional Planning

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Anthropology