Phil Goldfeder

The Rockaway Beach Rail Line was operated by the Long Island Rail Road until a track fire, route truncation, and decreasing ridership lead to its shuttering in 1962.

To show his support for this initiative, Goldfeder gathered more than 2,500 signatures in favor of reactivation and submitted them to the MTA, and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Phil Goldfeder (born April 15, 1981) is an American politician and former Democratic New York State Assembly member from the 23rd district in Queens representing the communities of Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Hamilton Beach, Broad Channel and Rockaway.

Prior to elected office, Goldfeder served as a senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Goldfeder has most recently served as Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at the financial institution Cross River.

In February 2023, it was announced that Goldfeder would leave Cross River to become C.E.O. of the American Fintech Council.

Goldfeder was born and raised in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens.

His dedication to public service is often attributed to the influence of his father, a local volunteer EMT, as well as a visit by then-Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer to Goldfeder's class when he was in middle school.

The residency rebate, which was instituted in 1997 by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, credited residents' E-ZPass statements for round-trip tolls.

In 2004, he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brooklyn College.

During his undergraduate studies, Goldfeder served as President of the college Law Society and was active in the political science club.

In his senior year, he was awarded the CUNY Edward T. Rogowsky Internship in Government and Public Affairs.

After college, Goldfeder was hired as a constituent liaison in the New York City Council.

In 2005, he worked on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's re-election campaign, later joining the Bloomberg administration as the Queens liaison for the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit.

Following his time in City Hall, Goldfeder was hired by Senator Schumer in 2009 as his Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

In the days following the storm, Goldfeder lived out of the NYPD 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway while helping to coordinate recovery efforts and assist in delivering aid supplies to affected neighborhoods.

As the initial emergency response transitioned into long-term recovery efforts, area residents began to express frustrations over the pace of rebuilding.

In response, Goldfeder held multiple town hall meetings to provide residents and business owners with the opportunity to discuss their concerns with a broad range of agencies helping with relief efforts following Sandy.

However, the MTA partially rescinded the program in 2010 due to budget constraints.

Under the plan secured by Goldfeder, residents of Rockaway and Broad Channel are reimbursed for all trips taken over the bridge from funds allocated in the state budget.

Each year since assuming office, Goldfeder has reintroduced this legislation to maintain the residency rebate in the Executive Budget.

In May 2011, Audrey Pheffer announced that she would be stepping down after more than two decades as Assemblywoman to become Queens County Clerk.

Goldfeder, a favorite to replace Pheffer, announced his candidacy, receiving the support of the Queens Democratic establishment to run in a special election against Republican candidate Jane Deacy, a former NYPD officer from Breezy Point.

During the campaign, Goldfeder ran on a platform focusing on improving transportation in the district, ending the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge, and bringing full casino gaming to Aqueduct Racetrack.

He also touted his years of public service working in city government and for Sen. Schumer.

On September 13, 2011, Goldfeder was elected with 53% of the votes cast.

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy struck New York City, causing damage to 85% of households in Goldfeder's district, including his own family home.

Goldfeder fulfilled one of his main campaign promises when, in 2012, he succeeded in having the Cross Bay Bridge rebate for Broad Channel and Rockaway re-inserted into Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive budget.

Most recently, at Goldfeder's request, Queens College's Department of Urban Studies initiated a study in November 2013 to poll the opinions of local residents on the best use of the abandoned rail line.

When the survey was completed, it showed residents' preference for expanded transportation over a proposed plan to convert the elevated train trestle into a park similar to the High Line.

It also showed that the proposed transportation link would serve up to 500,000 trips per day.

One of Goldfeder's principal reasons for supporting the project is its economic impact.

According to Goldfeder, reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line would create jobs, decrease commute times to typically higher paying jobs in Manhattan, and bring new discretionary spending from other boroughs into Queens' businesses.

The route would also fill a gap in the city's transportation system, providing the only direct rail link between northern and southern Queens.

Goldfeder has frequently referenced a NYU Wagner Rudin Center study on the relationship between mass transit and economic opportunity which revealed that neighborhoods with limited public transit options such as Belle Harbor, Howard Beach, and South Ozone Park, also limit their residents' access to jobs with social mobility.

Through 2014, he successfully kept the rebate in the state budget.

As a member of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, which oversees the MTA, transportation has been principle policy issue for Goldfeder.

One of his major initiatives is the reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line.

When the MTA convened a Transportation Reinvention Commission in 2014, Goldfeder testified before the MTA commission advocating for the reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line during a public hearing.

When the commission's report was released, it highlighted the need to use existing rights of way, including the Rockaway Beach Rail Line, to expand subway and light rail service across the New York City metropolitan area.