NEW ROCHELLE, NY, December 6 — City Councilman Noam Bramson will be appointed New Rochelle’s twenty-third Mayor. Bramson is the choice of the City Council to replace Tim Idoni, who was elected Westchester County Clerk last month.
The announcement of Bramson’s selection was made at an afternoon press conference at New Rochelle City Hall attended by Idoni and five Council Members. Bramson’s Mayoral appointment will become official in January, after Idoni vacates the office.
In a statement following the announcement, Bramson pledged that he would “work my hardest, to the best of my ability, to make our community an even better place.” Bramson cited downtown and waterfront planning, investment in environmental and neighborhood priorities, and relief for taxpayers as some of his major objectives.
“It will be my goal — indeed my responsibility — to build a relationship of trust and openness with the people in every part of our city,” continued Bramson.
Bramson noted that New Rochelle faced big challenges, but concluded that he was “filled with optimism about the future.”
Bramson, 35, is a life-long resident of New Rochelle. A Democrat, he was first elected to represent the City’s Fifth District in 1995. Bramson won his reelection bids in 1999 and 2003 with more than seventy percent of the vote. Bramson is currently both the longest-serving and the youngest member of the City Council.
In his ten years of public service, Bramson has acquired a reputation for hard work, creativity, and responsiveness. Together with his colleagues, he has been at the forefront of efforts to attract more than $1 billion in private investment to New Rochelle’s central business district and to expand public access to New Rochelle’s shoreline. Bramson has also spear-headed several Council initiatives, including, among many others: development of an affordable housing policy, a ban on pollution-generating incinerators, adoption of a tree protection ordinance, and implementation of North Avenue corridor improvements.
A product of the New Rochelle public schools, Bramson went on to Harvard University, where he received a Bachelors Degree in Government and a Masters Degree in Public Policy.
Since 1992, Bramson has maintained a professional relationship with Congresswoman Nita Lowey. As an aide and consultant, he has addressed critical priorities such as health care, school modernization, and international relations. Lowey called Bramson “an exceptionally talented public servant. Noam is smart, hard-working, and principled.”
Bramson has served on the Boards of numerous civic organizations, including the New Rochelle Campership Fund, the Castle Gallery, the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence, the New Rochelle Council of Community Services, the Westchester Jewish Conference, and the United Way of New Rochelle.
Bramson is married to Catherine (“Catie”) Stern, Ph.D., a clinical pediatric neuropsychologist, affiliated with Family Health Associates. Their son, Jeremy, is almost two years old. They are expecting their second child this month.
Under the New Rochelle City Charter, Bramson’s appointment by the City Council will run through the end of 2006, with a special election occurring in November for the final year of Idoni’s unexpired term. The regularly scheduled Mayoral election for a full four-year term will occur in November 2007.
Bramson’s appointment as Mayor will create a vacancy in the Fifth Council District, which will be filled by the City Council early next year.
