\u201cAfter hearing some of the stories \u2026 that tell you how much these programs matter \u2026 do you believe small clubhouses have a role to play in our mental health system, yes or no?\u201d Lee, then the committee\u2019s chair, asked Vasan.<\/p>\n
The commissioner replied, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m not going to answer your questions as yes or no \u2013\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you could answer just yes or no that\u2019d be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are not yes or no \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are very simple questions, that are yes or no: (Do) you believe smaller clubhouses have a role to play in our mental health system?\u201d<\/p>\n
When Vasan\u2019s answer was longer than one word, Lee quipped, \u201cOK, I\u2019m assuming that\u2019s a yes,\u201d and launched into her next point. The rest of the line of questioning continued in a similar fashion.<\/p>\n
Even in recounting the incident almost two years later, Lee\u2019s frustration is palpable. \u201cThat got me pissed a lot \u2013 like, for sure,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so angry. And I was like, \u2018What the hell?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
If all you heard of the incident was Lee\u2019s description, you might imagine a testy hearing with a fiery lawmaker. But watching the footage back, that\u2019s not what you see. At best, Lee comes off as mildly losing her composure out of passion. At worst, she comes off as frustrated and short. Yet this is the example Lee points to. In other words: This is Lee\u2019s ceiling.<\/p>\n
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\nBut that\u2019s who Linda Lee is. The member representing eastern Queens since 2022 is widely described as warm and personable, and she\u2019s generally nonconfrontational. She is mild-mannered, easy-breezy, go-with-the-flow. She is not one who looks to get into political fights, and has largely stayed out of the press. Much like her politics, the moderate Democrat takes a measured approach. It\u2019s the kind she expects to take in her new role as chair of the powerful City Council Finance Committee. \u201cI\u2019m not really the type to go in there with guns blazing,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
Even if that\u2019s not Lee\u2019s style, it was certainly for some of the finance chairs who came before her \u2013 former Council Members Justin Brannan and Danny Dromm to name a few. It\u2019s not just that Lee\u2019s predecessors are bombastic and outspoken \u2013 it\u2019s that the role has become defined by politicking, horsetrading and backroom dealings. That has never been the new finance chair\u2019s MO. \u201cShe\u2019s not, like, a politico,\u201d said Democratic political consultant Evan Stavisky. \u201cShe\u2019s just a very diligent, hard-working, thoughtful advocate who had the opportunity to run for City Council.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lesser-known figure compared to many of her peers, Lee is coming into the role at a crucial moment in New York City: The city faces a $5.4 billion budget gap this year, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. That new mayor has fewer than three months of executive experience under his belt and is under as big a microscope<\/a> as they come. The council is also not as far left as the democratic socialist mayor, particularly the council\u2019s new leadership team under Speaker Julie Menin. As finance chair, Lee will be Menin\u2019s lieutenant in budget negotiations and overseeing hearings. In a room of big personalities like Mamdani and Menin, how will Lee\u2019s approach stack up?<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be that calm, steady, collected, thoughtful sort of hand when it comes to looking at the budget from our side on the council,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n Those qualities are not to be underestimated. As Rep. Grace Meng put it, \u201cAs big of a smile and a heart she has, don\u2019t mistake that smile for weakness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the good ones\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Lee arrived for our interview at the Blue Bay Diner in Fresh Meadows at exactly 10:30 a.m. \u2013 right on time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite her best efforts to hide it with makeup, from the moment Lee walked in, it was impossible to ignore the giant bruise on her chin. She\u2019s glad when I ask her about it. Lee explained she\u2019d taken a rough fall when she slipped on ice about a week earlier, painfully slamming her chin on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cMy husband was like, \u2018Take it as a sign from God to, like, slow down,\u2019\u201d she said. (Within 24 hours, she was in Albany for Caucus Weekend. Not exactly slowing down.)<\/p>\n Linda Lee is a workhorse. And much like the bruise on her chin, it\u2019s hard to miss.<\/p>\n Kwang Suk Kim, the longtime former president and CEO of Korean Community Services, saw Lee\u2019s potential early. She joined the nonprofit organization focused on helping Korean and immigrant communities, particularly seniors, in 2009 and stayed until she took office in January 2022. Not long into her tenure, she took on a monumental task: launching the center\u2019s mental health clinic. The process, which required getting various state approvals, proved complicated, Kim said, but it opened after about four years.<\/p>\n Kim started giving Lee the chance to work more closely with KCS\u2019s board of directors, and that inspired more confidence. \u201cShe can handle this organization,\u201d he recalled thinking. He began grooming her to succeed him as president and CEO. \u201cHe really took a chance with me,\u201d Lee said, noting she was only 30 when she joined KCS and didn\u2019t speak Korean fluently. \u201cI give him a lot of credit as a first-generation Korean male, that he was willing to elevate a second-generation Korean American woman.\u201d Kim more than stands by his decision to have her carry on his work: \u201cShe\u2019s better than I am, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Queens was hit hard \u2013 that included those who relied on KCS. Lee had to get creative. Volunteers were required to deliver meals instead of KCS staff, who were older and more vulnerable to COVID-19. The nonprofit partnered with commissaries to make sure there were no delivery disruptions. KCS also had to change how they packaged meals. And KCS ultimately became the first permanent vaccination<\/a> site in northeast Queens.<\/p>\n Lee hopes to apply a similar innovative spirit when it comes to the city budget. \u201cOne thing I think that the nonprofit sector really taught me well is how to make a penny go as far as it can, and how do you make $1 last forever?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Her predecessor in her district, former Council Member Barry Grodenchik, announced he would not seek a second term in 2021 after admitting to sexually harassing an aide<\/a>. Lee had considered running after Grodenchik was term-limited out. But the perfect storm of the pandemic and the government\u2019s response to it \u2013 Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and overall social unrest \u2013 gave her another push. \u201cThere was someone close to me who was like, \u2018You know what? If you\u2019re going to do it, now\u2019s the time.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Lee didn\u2019t grow up imagining life as a politician, and the now-46-year-old wasn\u2019t even too interested in politics until she reached her early 30s. \u201cI try not to take up too much space in the room,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n Yet others had been encouraging her to run for years. In 2012, shortly before Meng left the Assembly for the House, both Lee and Meng were at an event at the Flushing library. \u201cAfter I spoke, (Meng) came up to me and whispered, \u2018You know, you really should think about running for something,\u2019\u201d Lee recalled. \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018No way, you\u2019re crazy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n It took years to convince her. \u201cIt was a combination of coaxing and cajoling,\u201d state Sen. John Liu said \u2013 claiming he\u2019d been doing so for \u201cclose to 20 years.\u201d Other wheedlers were the late former Council Member Paul Vallone and, at one point, former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, per Lee.<\/p>\n As extroverted as she can be, part of why it was so difficult to get Lee to run is she simply is not one who feels the need to broadcast her opinions at all times. It\u2019s a quality she says she shares with her mother. \u201cIn church meetings \u2026 people would always say, \u2018Wow, your mom doesn\u2019t speak often, but when she does, it\u2019s very impactful,\u2019\u201d Lee said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if what I\u2019m always saying is impactful, but \u2026 I want to reserve my moments to speak up in times when it will matter and have an impact more. I don\u2019t think I always need to be in the room talking \u2013 because there are plenty of other people that will probably say the same things that I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee is all too familiar with the stereotype of the reserved and soft-spoken East Asian woman \u2013 and by her own account, she can fit it at times. But it\u2019s an oversimplification of who she is and what she\u2019s capable of. \u201cI think the thing that East Asian women struggle with, for example, is, usually we\u2019re keeping our heads down and quiet. But if you\u2019ve seen the work that I\u2019ve done on the advocacy side, on the nonprofit side, I can be very loud when I need to be, and very planted and rooted in my stances when I definitely need to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you know, most other times, yeah, I could be a team player, go with the flow. But there are very distinct moments where, when I feel very, very strongly and principled about an issue, I will dig my heels in and say, \u2018You know what? This is something that we have to fight against,\u2019 or \u2018This is something that we need to stand up to,\u2019 which I\u2019m not afraid to do.\u201d<\/p>\n As big of a smile and a heart she has, don\u2019t mistake that smile for weakness.<\/p>\n Rep. Grace Meng<\/p>\n As big of a smile and a heart she has, don\u2019t mistake that smile for weakness.<\/p>\n Lee grew up as the daughter of Korean immigrants in Elmira, New York, in the largely rural Southern Tier. Her family moved to Nassau County when she was about 10, but for the past 18 years, she\u2019s lived in the Queens neighborhood of Oakland Gardens, now with her husband and two sons. District 23 \u2013 which includes Oakland Gardens, Bellerose, Glen Oaks, Fresh Meadows, Jamaica Estates, Hollis and parts of Queens Village \u2013 is about<\/a> 46% Asian (including about 15% Indian and 13% Chinese) and about 21% white. It\u2019s a politically engaged area,\u00a0home to two significant New York political dynasties: the Cuomos and the Weprins. Though with a growing South Asian population in the district, the district\u2019s political leanings are changing \u2013\u00a0in the Democratic mayoral primary last year, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo edged out Mamdani by 267 votes out of 18,000 in District 23. Issues related to education and to homeowners reign supreme. While the district leans more toward the left than other parts of eastern Queens, it is pretty moderate, and there is often a sense that one false move could flip the district red.<\/p>\n In 2021, Lee found herself in the middle of a seven-candidate Democratic primary<\/a> in that politically complex district. Her top opponents included Grodenchik\u2019s right-hand, Steven Behar, and Democratic Socialist of America-backed Jaslin Kaur. The challenge was clear: How do you distinguish yourself from the rest of the field?<\/p>\n While the campaign was \u201ca very shoestring kind of operation,\u201d her then-campaign manager and former chief of staff Asher Zlotnik said the strategy was to rely on Lee\u2019s personability and skills as a people person. \u201cWe would knock doors, and if someone came to the door, we\u2019d be like, \u2018Hey, do you want to meet Linda?\u2019 And Linda would just like, talk to them for 20 minutes,\u201d Zlotnik said. \u201cThe whole thing was just like, if you get people to meet Linda \u2013 from all these different backgrounds \u2013 people will fall in love with her.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the thing about Lee. Among her peers, she has allies, but she doesn\u2019t really have enemies \u2013 it\u2019s just varying degrees of how much they like her. In the political arena, it sounds naive to think an elected official is genuinely down to earth, has nothing but good intentions and is nearly universally liked. Across more than 15 interviews with sources, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never did. As consultant and former Meng staffer Anthony Lemma III said of Lee: \u201cShe\u2019s one of the good ones.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing I think that the nonprofit sector really taught me well is how to make a penny go as far as it can, and how do you make $1 last forever?<\/p>\n City Council Member Linda Lee<\/p>\n One thing I think that the nonprofit sector really taught me well is how to make a penny go as far as it can, and how do you make $1 last forever?<\/p>\n A social worker in office<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI love knowing what makes people tick,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI love understanding what is important to you, and this is what\u2019s important to me. How can we sort of meet in the middle somewhere and do the negotiation that way?\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why she\u2019s able to build relationships with a wide array of her peers \u2013 be it Council Member Vickie Paladino or Mamdani himself. Multiple members of the council interviewed for this story \u2013 Paladino included \u2013\u00a0noted Lee has made a point of meeting with every one of her fellow council members heading into budget season (as of March 10, she\u2019d met with all but a handful, Lee said).<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a strategic approach, which she attributes in part to her background in social work. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to look at how to solve an issue, you should be talking to those people that have opposite views as you do to make the outcome that much stronger,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThat\u2019s my sort of philosophy in life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is not somebody who\u2019s going to make knee-jerk reactions, and pound on the table \u2013 that kind of thing,\u201d\u00a0Lemma said. \u201cShe thinks through everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Listening and asking questions is also how the council member decides what issues to spend her energy on. And they aren\u2019t always the sexiest issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Lee is best known for her work on mental health issues, spearheading the council\u2019s Mental Health Roadmap, she has also been at the forefront of pushing for reforms to Local Law 97, the city\u2019s climate law limiting emissions for large, nongovernment buildings. Co-op shareholders and condo owners are more vulnerable to the law\u2019s penalties given they are responsible for the costs of upgrades. District 23 being home to the largest number of co-op and condo owners in the entire city, Lee introduced legislation to ease potential penalties<\/a> by incorporating open and green space on their properties into building emissions calculations.<\/p>\n Her efforts were well-received in her district when she started taking on the issue in 2023. More widely, though, there was a sense she was walking a political tightrope: How could a New York City Democrat be pushing against pro-climate legislation?<\/p>\n But Lee was ahead of the curve: She presented it not as a climate issue, but an affordability one. Fast forward to the Oct. 22 mayoral debate<\/a> \u2013\u00a0Mamdani made a similar argument in favor of removing barriers to the J-51 tax credit, an incentive for building renovations.<\/p>\n A self-described \u201cNew York moderate,\u201d<\/a> Lee agrees with the median voter in her district on most issues. One apparent exception: affordable housing. She believes more is needed. \u201cPersonally, I believe that. Although if you looked at my vote strictly on paper, you wouldn’t know that,\u201d she said, pointing to her no vote<\/a> on the City of Yes Housing Opportunity plan as an example. But Lee knows at the end of the day, she represents the district. \u201cThe question I always ask is, \u2018Who put me in office? Who am I here to serve? And when does that voice of representing my community outweigh my personal things?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n That thinking sets Lee apart. \u201cIn the world of politicians, ego, it makes up so much of how people maneuver,\u201d said Council Member Nantasha Williams, an ally of Lee\u2019s. \u201cEverybody has egos. I\u2019m not gonna say (Lee) has none. On the spectrum of ego, hers is on the lower scale. \u2026 Because she doesn\u2019t lead with ego, and she leads more so with heart and with open ears, I think that is why she doesn\u2019t really have any quote, unquote enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n The big leagues<\/strong><\/p>\n Several rows of folding chairs sitting in the gym at the Cross Island YMCA were filled with a few dozen of Lee\u2019s local political allies, civic leaders and nonprofit partners on Feb. 18. It\u2019s like looking at Lee\u2019s memory lane, an illustration of all those who have helped her along the way. They\u2019re there to celebrate Lee\u2019s appointment as the council\u2019s finance chair. Lee mingled around the room, genuinely excited to see everyone.<\/p>\n Menin seemed to be there to talk about the budget. In a gaggle with reporters right after the press conference, the speaker answered every question; Lee stood dutifully at her side throughout. NY1<\/a> cut half of her out of the shot.<\/p>\n
\nLinda Lee \/ Stehanie Diani<\/p>\n