Layla Law-Gisiko
Layla Law-Gisiko (Affordable NYC) is running in a special election to the New York City Council to represent District 3. She is on the ballot in the special general election on April 28, 2026.[source]
Biography
Layla Law-Gisiko's professional experience includes working as a journalist. She earned a graduate degree from Sorbonne University in 1991 and a graduate degree from Assas University in 1993.[1]Law-Gisko has been affiliated with Community Board Five.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: City elections in New York, New York (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on April 28, 2026.
Special general election for New York City Council District 3
Layla Law-Gisiko (Affordable NYC), Leslie Boghosian Murphy (CommunityStrong), Carl Wilson (For All of Us), and Lindsey Boylan (People Power) are running in the special general election for New York City Council District 3 on April 28, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Layla Law-Gisiko (Affordable NYC) | |
| Leslie Boghosian Murphy (CommunityStrong) | ||
| Carl Wilson (For All of Us) | ||
 | Lindsey Boylan (People Power) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Law-Gisiko received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Chelsea, N.Y., Reform Democratic Club
- Downtown Independent Democrats
- Downtown Women for Change
2022
See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2022
General election
General election for New York State Assembly District 75
Tony Simone defeated Joseph A. Maffia in the general election for New York State Assembly District 75 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tony Simone (D) | 84.7 | 36,039 |
 | Joseph A. Maffia (R / Arts and Culture Party) | 15.2 | 6,453 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 78 | ||
| Total votes: 42,570 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 75
Tony Simone defeated Layla Law-Gisiko, Harrison Marks, Christopher LeBron, and Lowell Kern (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 75 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Simone | 38.8 | 4,072 |
| Layla Law-Gisiko | 27.0 | 2,832 | |
 | Harrison Marks | 18.6 | 1,946 | |
 | Christopher LeBron | 13.3 | 1,390 | |
| Lowell Kern (Unofficially withdrew) | 2.1 | 223 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 26 | ||
| Total votes: 10,489 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Joseph A. Maffia advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Assembly District 75.
Endorsements
To view Law-Gisiko's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Layla Law-Gisiko has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Layla Law-Gisiko asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Layla Law-Gisiko, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Layla Law-Gisiko to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing layla@laylaforNY.com.
Campaign website
Law-Gisiko's campaign website stated the following:
WHAT I’M FIGHTING FOR
Houses we can actually afford.
Repair public housing instead of razing it. Tie any new growth to enforceable deep affordability, not marketing slogans. Use public land for public good, with real community benefits negotiated in public, not behind closed doors.
Neighborhood planning with teeth.
No more power grabs that bypass community voices. Land-use decisions must be transparent, data-driven, and accountable to the people who live here. If a project doesn’t pencil out for residents, schools, transit, open space, small-business vitality, it shouldn’t get a rubber stamp.
LGBT Rights.
The district is the birthplace of the LGBTQA+ rights. I started my career as a producer on a show focused on fighting the AIDS epidemic, at a time when public awareness and public policy decisions directly affected who lived, who got care, and who was protected. That experience made something clear: government action matters. Today, as LGBT rights are being challenged again, I will be a consistent vote and a consistent voice for full equality, access to healthcare, and stable, affordable housing for LGBT New Yorkers, because civil rights are enforced through laws, budgets, and oversight, not speeches.
Transit that unlocks the city.
Fix Penn Station the right way and modernize commuter rail with through-running so trains move people, not just into a terminal, but through it. Protect and improve subways and buses with stable funding and rider-first metrics.
A climate-ready West Side.
Stormwater, heat, and waterfront resilience are not abstractions here. It is critical to fund infrastructure that keeps our streets dry, our air cleaner, and our parks vibrant, without handing over public assets to the highest bidder.
Small businesses as community anchors.
Cut red tape that strangles mom-and-pop shops, curb predatory practices, and align commercial policy with neighborhood vitality. Ensure public safety and adequate sanitation. When storefronts thrive, streets feel safe and communities stay strong.
Disability rights and accessibility.
People with disabilities deserve full access to city life. I’ll fight for accessible housing, real pathways into the workforce, and city services that work online as well as in person, so disabled New Yorkers aren’t locked out by bad design (digital and physical). That means more subway elevators and reliable maintenance, stronger enforcement of accessibility rules, and digital accessibility across every city platform. It also means protecting healthcare access, including fighting any effort to close the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and expanding the support people need to live independently. Disability representation is critical: I will recommend disabled New Yorkers for appointment to Community Boards and advisory bodies, so decisions are made with lived expertise at the table
— Layla Law-Gisiko's campaign website (March 17, 2026)
2022
Layla Law-Gisiko completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Law-Gisiko's responses.
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I have been a community organizer for 17 years, and I currently chair the Land Use, Housing and Zoning Committee as well as the Landmarks Committee of Manhattan Community Board Five. I’ve been involved in numerous issues in the district, including education, hospital closings, overdevelopment along Central Park, affordable housing, homelessness. I was deeply involved in the schools siting and programming and has been an advocate for class size caps for more than a decade. I have been a tireless advocate for sensible housing and land use policies that put New Yorkers at the center of policy decisions. More recently, I’ve been leading the charge against ex-governor Cuomo’s ill-conceived plan to bulldoze six city blocks around Penn Station to erect supertall office towers. I have spoken against the rampant conflicts of interest that plague our government. I hold a Master’s degree in French Literature from La Sorbonne University in Paris and a Master’s degree in journalism from Assas University in Paris.
- Anti-corruption, Transparency, Open Government
- Affordable Housing
- Transportation & Infrastructure
Simone Weil
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Committee Health
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
