About Lynne Serpe

Lynne first moved to Astoria over fifteen years ago, drawn by its community feel, proximity to the East River and amazing restaurants. She has seen the neighborhood grow and change (and rents and property taxes skyrocket) while the political power structure remains stuck in the past.

Lynne co-founded Triple R Events: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to respond to growing interest in environmental issues. Triple R partners with city agencies, local artists and small businesses to promote the green resources in LIC/Astoria. Their annual Queens is Green Fashion Show brings citywide media attention to local designers who use organic, sustainable or recycled materials to create quality merchandise. They have hosted several clothing swaps to encourage reuse, which saves money and the environment.

An urban gardener, Lynne serves on the Steering Committee of Two Coves Community Garden, near Astoria Houses. Two Coves provides a safe green space to grow fresh produce for its 200 diverse members - many of whom live in an area without a supermarket - and programs free workshops and open hours for the community and local children to connect with nature.

Lynne is active with Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee, Long Island City-Astoria Alliance (LICA) and the West Queens Greens.  Lynne is also a licensed Street Tree volunteer with the Department of Parks & Recreation because she cares about not just planting a million trees, but also about maintaining them.

No wonder the Queens Ledger called Lynne Serpe “a leading environmental activist in Queens and Brooklyn.”

Lynne works for a Queens nonprofit that provides weatherization services for low to moderate-income households, particularly the elderly, the disabled and families with children. She understands first-hand that a new green economy focused on energy-efficiency will not only lower utility bills and reduce energy consumption (and our reliance on foreign oil), but will maintain affordable housing, improve public health and create good, green jobs that can never be shipped overseas.

Lynne knows how government operates. She worked for the New Zealand Parliament on issues including food safety, transportation and energy efficiency and is an international expert in voting system reform. She is the former Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program of the New America Foundation, was a Senior Analyst for FairVote and managed the 2004 Ohio Recount to ensure that every vote was counted. Whether working with the NAACP, National Latino Congreso or the League of Women Voters, Lynne has been a champion of fair elections and removing barriers to participation in our democratic processes.

Lynne is a regular face at Community Board 1 meetings and has given frequent testimony at City Hall and MTA Board hearings. Her advocacy on behalf of the Queens Library and community gardens, and in opposition to the City Council’s undemocratic extension of term limits, MTA fare hikes (especially for Access-A-Ride) and service cuts on the W and G trains has been covered in the New York Times, Daily News, Metro, amNY and several Queens publications.

Lynne believes we must use our finite financial and natural resources wisely. She was taught these lessons growing up on Long Island, by Depression-era parents who practiced conservation as an economic reality. Lynne played on the tennis and softball teams at Bellport High School, belonged to Students for Environmental Quality, was a cashier at the local supermarket and participated in student government – learning early the importance of community involvement and a strong work ethic.

A scholarship student at Dartmouth College, Lynne balanced a full time course load with shifts in the dining hall and at the local bookstore. She graduated with student loans, a degree in Government and a dislike of the two-party system. She joined the Green Party in 1994 as the political expression of her commitment to environmental stewardship, social justice and community-based economics.

Lynne is running for City Council in District 22 to offer voters a vision and a plan for a just, healthy and vibrant city. She asks for your vote on November 3rd.

Green Party Ten Key Values