Ydanis Rodríguez is a New York Dominican politician. In 2022, he is the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.
He was formerly a New York City Council member for District 10 representing Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill. He was first elected in 2009.
Ydanis Rodriguez Understands the American Dream
Ydanis is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who made himself in New York City. He understands and fights for issues that are important to us because he lived our lives.
Ydanis was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic on June 18, 1965. He came to the States when he was 18. Ydanis worked as a taxi driver to put himself through college.
After graduating with a degree in Political Science from City College of New York, Ydanis worked as a high school teacher. He co-founded Gregorio Luperon High School in Washington Heights, a school focused on supporting newly-arrived immigrants from Latin America.
Ydanis was elected to the New York City Council in 2009. He has been working to close the wage gap, enhance workers’ rights, fight for protections for immigrants and build safer communities.
15 Minutes of Fame found Ydanis when he was profiled in Time Magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year article for his efforts in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
We regularly see Ydanis walking the neighborhood and at Dominican community events. He helped Albania Rosario start Uptown Fashion Week which grew into Fashion Designers of Latin America.
