Alina Bonsell
Alina Bonsell is the Republican and Block Mamdani Party nominee challenging incumbent Liz Krueger. A 20-year East Side resident and a Jewish refugee from the former Soviet Union who came to the U.S. as a child, she works in the pharmaceutical/biotech and private sectors and previously ran unsuccessfully for New York City Council District 5 in 2025.[7]
Positions on the issues
- SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing
Campaign platform calls for repealing bail reform, enforcing quality-of-life laws, and giving law enforcement more tools and support.[8]
“Public safety isn't a political issue, it's the foundation of every thriving community.”
- OpposesKeep congestion pricing in Manhattan
Campaign platform calls for repealing Manhattan's congestion pricing toll.[8]
“Repeal the congestion tax.”
- SupportsPublic funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)
Campaign platform calls for expanding charter schools so parents zoned for lower-performing schools have another option.[8]
“Expand charter schools so every parent has a choice, not just those zoned for failing schools.”
- OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporations
Platform frames New York's fiscal problems as a spending problem rather than a revenue problem and calls for tax relief rather than new taxes.[8]
“New York has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The answer isn't to tax more, it's to govern better.”
- OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuels
Platform calls for lifting the state's fracking ban and investing in nuclear power rather than continued expansion of solar.[8]
“real energy policy, lifting the fracking ban and investing in zero-emission nuclear power, not doubling down on solar that can't meet our needs”
In their words — priorities
- Restore public safety by repealing bail reform, enforcing quality-of-life laws, and giving law enforcement more tools and support.[8]
- Cut government waste and fraud and return savings as targeted tax relief, including exempting young professionals and single working parents from certain state taxes and protecting 401(k) withdrawals from state taxation up to cost-of-living thresholds.[8]
- Promote economic growth and innovation, including lifting the fracking ban, opposing shutdowns of data centers, repealing congestion pricing, and expanding charter schools.[8]
- Reform family court and address neighborhood overdevelopment and shelter-placement policy.[8]
Background
- Earned a bachelor's degree from Hofstra University.[7]
- Has approximately 20 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare private sectors.[8]
- Ran for New York City Council District 5 in 2025 on the Republican line and lost to incumbent Julie Menin, 73.7% to 26.0%.[7]
- Came to the United States as a child when her family fled the Soviet Union as Jewish refugees.[8]