Rep. Maloney started her career as an ESL *English as a Second Language) teacher in East Harlem. When her program was cut, her colleagues elected her as their advocate to restore funding - and she succeeded, setting an example that has extended throughout her career, first working with the NYC Department of Education and then as a legislative staffer in Albany. After gaining that experience, in 1982 she ran a long-shot challenge to an incumbent City Council Member in a district that spanned East Harlem, South Bronx, Manhattan Valley, and Carnegie Hill - and she won an improbably upset.
Nothing is more important to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney than the quality of life in her district. She is proud of the work she has done to improve infrastructure, preserve historic neighborhoods, fight for better zoning and create schools in her district. Whether working to create an academically rigorous public high school on the Upper East Side, seeking to restore the crumbling Queens seawall or fighting for a full build Second Avenue Subway, her first priority has always been to make her district a better place to live.