Erik Bottcher is a dedicated public servant and activist who has devoted his life to progressive causes and the betterment of the community he loves. In 2026, he was elected to represent New York State Senate District 47, which includes the Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, and parts of Greenwich Village. His mission is simple yet vital: making New York a better place to live for everyone.
Growing up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains as the only gay person he knew, Erik’s personal struggles with depression sparked in him a lifelong dedication to helping the most marginalized members of society. His career in public service began in 2009 as the LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS Community Liaison in the New York City Council’s community outreach unit, where he organized grassroots campaigns on issues including hate crimes, transgender rights, housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, and marriage equality.
Erik then served as the statewide LGBTQ Community Liaison in the Governor’s Office, where he helped organize the successful fight for marriage equality in New York State. Working with activists from Buffalo to Montauk, he helped lead an unprecedented grassroots campaign to build public support for the Marriage Equality Act. In 2011, New York made history as the largest state in the nation to legalize same sex marriage at the time.
From 2015 to 2021, Erik served as Chief of Staff to New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. In that role he developed a deep knowledge of every block of Manhattan’s West Side while providing constituent services to tens of thousands of residents and working alongside tenant associations, block associations, community boards, PTAs, parks groups, and local organizations — all in an effort to improve his neighbors' quality of life.
In 2021, Erik was elected to represent Council District 3 in the New York City Council, serving neighborhoods including the West Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Times Square, Hudson Square, Flatiron, and the Garment District. During his time on the Council he built a reputation as one of the body’s most active and effective members, leading on issues such as mental health services, housing affordability, sanitation reform, and environmental sustainability.
Erik authored and passed landmark legislation expanding mental health services in family homeless shelters and strengthening suicide prevention resources for students. He also championed major sanitation reforms, including efforts to containerize trash, reduce single-use plastics, and improve neighborhood cleanliness. Recognizing the urgency of the housing crisis, Erik worked to create a pipeline of thousands of new homes in Council District 3, including permanently affordable housing.
Environmental sustainability has also been a major focus of Erik’s work. He secured funding to plant hundreds of new street trees in his district and authored legislation establishing New York City’s Urban Forest Master Plan, which set a goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy coverage to 30 percent. He has also supported universal curbside composting, improvements to parks and playgrounds, and the expansion of protected bike lanes.
As a State Senator, Erik is continuing his work to advance public safety and public health. He has introduced first-in-the-nation legislation requiring graphic warning imagery in gun stores to illustrate the lethal risks of firearms in the home, modeled on public health warnings used on cigarette packaging in other countries.
Today, Senator Bottcher serves as Chair of the New York State Senate Cities 1 Committee, which focuses on issues affecting New York City. He also serves on the Senate Committees on Corporations, Authorities & Commissions; Environmental Conservation; Intergovernmental Affairs; Judiciary; Libraries; Civil Service & Pensions; and Alcoholism & Drug Abuse.
Senator Bottcher lives in Manhattan and remains deeply committed to building a more affordable, sustainable, and inclusive New York for all.