Climate Activist Runs for Congress
By Arthur Schwartz
Photo courtesy of Bruno Grandsard
Back in 2022 a new Congressional District was created which now includes all of Greenwich Village. Voters in Soho, Fidi, the Lower East Side, Battery Park City, Brooklyn Heights, and Park Slope, which had four different Congress Members before 2022, got to elect one. It was a 10-candidate race, punctuated by a number of scurrilous fliers labeling then Assembly member Yuh Line Niou as an anti-semite, anti-tenant candidate. It was published by the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). In the end, Dan Goldman, the heir to the Levi-Strauss fortune, beat Yuh Lin by 1,679 votes out of 50,000 cast in the Democratic Primary. Goldman got 25.9% and Niou got 23.6%. Not exactly a smashing victory. Goldman spent $7 million, Niou spent $325,000. But as things have it, Goldman expects to have this seat for life. And he took his seat as the richest member of Congress.
Bruno Grandsard (whose mother’s name is Herskovitz) says to just call him Bruno. Bruno decided that it was just plain undemocratic for no one to challenge Goldman in this year’s Democratic Primary. So, this unlikely politician is taking on a man who can outspend him 30 or 40 times. And what is Bruno’s first pledge- to walk every residential block in his district. He has already walked 115 miles and has one hundred more to go. Has Goldman walked down your block recently?
Bruno’s mother, a New Yorker, met his father in Paris, where Bruno lived until he was 16, when he came to the U.S. to finish high school. He went to Tufts and graduated with a double major in economics and international relations. His first job took him to Japan. He finally settled down in the U.S. at age 33, married his wife, a nutritionist who works for the Robin Hood Foundation, and raised two kids in Park Slope, the youngest of whom goes to Brooklyn Tech. (Bruno serves as an elected member of the School Leadership Team). He is on the Board of the Park Slope Food Co-Op and is an avid bike rider (but not a fan of the electric bikes now dominating our bike paths).
He is the Managing Director of Midori Sustainable Capital and Services, which helps Climate Change tech start-ups set up their companies and get investments. His favorite, right now, is Viridiff Terra which works to restore rain forests all over the world, using local species and biotechnology. They work with farmers to restore land, get investments, and grow non-invasive crops.
What does he believe in? His big issue is climate change and he is a fan of what President Biden has started under the Inflation Reduction Act. His platform says “more is needed, however, particularly in industry, buildings, and agriculture, which collectively generate 50% of greenhouse gas emissions.” His climate priorities include “wonky” stuff (for a New Yorker) like:
1. Tying subsidies in the five-year Farm Bill to improved environmental practices, such as reducing fertilizer and pesticide overuse.
2. Doubling school lunch subsidies for serving balanced meals, including organic produce where feasible.
3. Mandating sustainable agricultural practices for the corn used in ethanol production.
4. Supporting a federal plan to phase out single-use plastics.
5. Advocating for a federal plan to achieve higher recycling rates.
6. Proposing a plan to replace all lead water pipes, prioritizing the health of children.
7. Supporting a phase-out approach, coupled with incentives, to non-automotive gasoline engines starting with school buses, garden-tools, vans, and scooters.
I could go on and will next month. And if you see a guy with a yellow helmet and a yellow reflective vest petitioning to get on the ballot, near your park or supermarket, or ringing doorbells, figure its Bruno. Your conversation will not be disappointing.
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