Assemblymember Deborah Glick says she will finish her term and presses bills on packaging, PFAS and 'beauty justice'

Assemblymember Deborah Glick addressed Manhattan Community Board 2 and told members she will not seek reelection but will remain in office through Dec. 31, 2026, and continue to live in the neighborhood.

"I am really grateful to each and every one of you that donate your time, your energy, your wisdom," Glick said, thanking the board for its work. She then summarized her legislative priorities for the coming year, with a heavy emphasis on environmental health and chemical-safety measures. Glick said one of her top bills would expand eligibility for the state’s senior benefit program (to peg eligibility to cost-of-living increases) to help keep older residents in place.

Her largest environmental priority is a packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure bill that would remove certain toxic chemicals from packaging. "We came very close," she said, describing opposition from industry lobbyists and citing health concerns about lead, cadmium, formaldehyde and PFAS, which she called "the forever chemicals." Glick said the bill aims to reduce exposure from packaging that comes into contact with food.

She also described companion measures: one to limit PFAS in household products such as nonstick cookware and another on cosmetics and personal-care products—an initiative she called the "beauty justice" bill. Glick noted previous vetoes elsewhere and ongoing industry resistance but said alternatives exist and the bills would protect community health.

Glick closed by thanking CB2 members for their service and noting she would remain active on these and other bills through the remainder of her term.