Elected & PARTY
Officials
Eric Dinowitz
Council Member
Council Member Eric Dinowitz, a lifelong Northwest Bronx resident, is a former special education teacher, union leader, and community board chair. He has championed education, senior services, and transit accessibility, including securing an elevator at the Mosholu Avenue subway stop. As a Democratic District Leader, he worked to expand voting access and continues to serve the community he grew up in with a focus on equity and opportunity.
Jeffrey Dinowitz
Assemblyman
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has represented the Bronx’s 81st Assembly District since 1994, championing public education, tenant protections, mass transit, and climate action. He chairs the Assembly Committee on Codes and has authored landmark laws, including the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, the MTA Lockbox, and COVID-19 eviction protections. A lifelong Bronx resident, Dinowitz has been a strong advocate for neighborhood issues, helping create schools, improve transit, and support local businesses while assisting thousands of constituents with government services.
Ben Jackson
District Leader
Ben Jackson is a lawyer who fights corporate fraud and abuse on behalf of unions, pension funds, and retirement systems. A lifelong Democrat and experienced organizer, he has led national voter protection efforts for the Democratic Party, running the 2016 national voter assistance hotline and helping more than 70,000 voters protect their rights. Since being elected in June 2024, he has worked to get Democratic candidates get on the ballot and win, organized field work to take on MAGA Mike Lawler in Congressional District 17, supported Kamala Harris through phone banks and a bus trip to Pennsylvania, and worked to register voters in the North Bronx. He lives in Riverdale with his wife and their two young children.
Johanna Edmondson
State Committee Member
Johanna Edmondson is a Bronx community leader and founder of Female Fight Club NYC, a fitness studio in Riverdale that promotes health, empowerment, and support for women, including survivors of domestic violence. She also serves as a Democratic State Committee Member for the 81st Assembly District, where she advocates for civic engagement and more inclusive participation in local politics.
Michael Heller
State Committee Member
Michael Heller is a Democratic State Committee member for New York’s 81st Assembly District in the Northwest Bronx. He is a long‐time member and former president of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club in Kingsbridge, and has served as District Manager of Bronx Community Board 8. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in public administration from Columbia University, and has been active in public affairs, government relations, and community service in his district.
Helen Morik
State Committee Member
Helen Morik has been a leader in the BFRDC for more than 40 years, serving for most of that time as President, Vice President, and a member of the Executive Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the New York State Democratic Committee. Now retired, Helen spent 26 years at New York-Presbyterian Hospital as Vice President of Government and Community Affairs. Earlier in her career, she was District Administrator for Congressman Ted Weiss, representing the Upper West Side, Riverdale, and other parts of the Bronx. Helen currently serves as President of the Board of Riverdale Senior Services. She holds an MPH from Columbia University’s School of Public Health and a BA from Lehman College. Above all, she is the proud mother of three sons and a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother.