District Leaders
Yvette Powell
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part A
Robert Gottheim
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part A
A born-and-bred New Yorker, Robert has served in various positions for Rep. Jerrold Nadler and the House Judiciary Committee over the past 27 years. As the Congressman's current Chief of Staff, he has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of life for residents of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Mr. Gottheim has been a member of West Side Democrats and its predecessor, CFD, since 1998. In addition to serving as District Leader, he also serves as Treasurer of West Side Democrats. He received his B.A. from Binghamton University, and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife. They have one son, who also lives on the Upper West Side.
Patricia Still
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part B
Patricia Still is a born-and-bred New York Democrat, who still has an "All the Way with Adlai" button and who had met three Kennedy brothers by the time she was twenty years old.
Pat's husband had a debilitating stroke, after which Pat became a full-time caregiver for him and their young son. She started support groups for spousal caregivers, which she led for twenty-one years. After her husband's death, she became Executive Director of the Well Spouse Foundation, a national nonprofit membership organization for husbands, wives, and partners of the chronically ill.
As a rent-controlled tenant, Pat joined Tenants and Neighbors to fight for changes in the rent laws. She was fortunate to work with the wonderful Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. After years of hard work, Linda was able to make the laws governing rent control more equitable.
As a member of CFD and West Side Democrats, Pat has served on the board, as judicial delegate, and on the County Committee. Pat has been proud to work on the election campaigns of Rep. Jerry Nadler, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Council Member Gale Brewer, and other progressive Democrats. She has been District Leader for a year.
John Wahlmeier
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part B
A longtime political activist, John has worked for the Democratic Party on the Upper West Side, Astoria, and throughout New Jersey. After living in Astoria, Queens for several years, John moved to Manhattan with his husband, Christopher, in 2020. He is an active member of the 71st Street Block Association and serves on the board of the Stonewall Democratic Club.
As a member of West Side Democrats, John has worked to support the campaigns of Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Council Member Gale Brewer. Professionally, John has worked for multiple local and statewide agencies administering federal grants related to climate resiliency and housing security.
A native of Trenton, New Jersey, John earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and Economics (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa), from Rutgers University-Newark and his MPA from the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration. John and his husband reside in Lincoln Square with their cat, Elaine Benes.
Janice Oppenheimer
District Leader 67th Assembly District Part C
As a longtime political activist, Janice has worked for the Democratic party both in Queens for 30 years, and again on the Upper West Side with Community Free Democrats (CFD) for the past 5 years. She joined CFD in the early 1980s where she met her husband, Richard. After living and working in Queens and raising their daughter, Suzanne, they returned to Manhattan where they were both proud to be members of CFD again, as well as involved residents of Lincoln Towers.
As part of CFD she has worked in the campaigns of Assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal, Congressman Jerrold Nadler as well as Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. As the Vice President for CFD programming, she planned general meeting programs including one on immigration and New York City as a sanctuary city. She also works on the fundraising committee.
Janice worked in public broadcasting and as a paralegal in the Queens District Attorney’s office. As a graduate of Antioch College, she is a progressive and an activist.
Richard Oppenheimer
District Leader 67th Assembly District Part C
Richard is a longtime social and political activist who, during his Hunter College days, organized a successful campaign to establish a Black and Latino Studies Department and helped organize the first Earth Day in NYC in 1970.
He served as Vice President of the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) for 25 years, and has led the effort to organize publicly-funded early childhood directors to join the CSA union. He helped organize both city-wide and state-wide early childhood coalitions. He was Director of Family Day Care at Nuestros Niños Child Care Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn .
As a political activist and longtime CFD member, he has worked on the early campaigns of Rep. Jerry Nadler, Former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. He served on the national board of Americans for Democratic Action.
It was at CFD that he met his wife, Janice, who is also a District Leader in the 67th Assembly District.
Pablo Zevallos
69th Assembly District, Part B
Pablo Zevallos is an attorney and Democratic activist with longtime roots on the Upper West Side. He is currently a tenants’ rights lawyer representing tenants in Manhattan Housing Court. Previously, he was a legal fellow with New York State Homes and Community Renewal, where he helped craft housing law and policy for New York State. Locally, Pablo is a longtime member of WSD (previously Community Free Democrats) and served as a board member and officer of CFD. He has served as the Male Democratic District Leader for the 69th Assembly District, Part B since 2022. He is also an active member and volunteer with his local parish community as well as with community groups supporting housing rights and homeless neighbors.
Pablo’s writing has been featured in the New York Daily News, POLITICO Magazine, City & State, and City Limits. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College. Pablo is a lifelong Yankees, Knicks, & Jets fan.
Carmen Romero Lee
District Leader 69th Assembly District, Part B
A dedicated political activist and lifelong educator, Carmen channels her passion for civics directly into her role as a middle school social studies teacher in NYC public schools. Daily, she provides a supportive learning environment that empowers students to develop the essential civic skills necessary to become engaged and responsible members of their local communities. Beyond the classroom, Carmen is a highly active chapter leader in the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), having coordinated local political action initiatives and represented her local union as a state and national delegate. Carmen previously held the position of WSD’s Vice President of Membership, where she was instrumental in growing and managing the club’s membership, outreach, and engagement with the local West Side community. She has also served as an Alternate Judicial Delegate in the 69th AD.
She holds an M.S.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education and a B.A. in Sociology from Barnard College, her beloved women's college, where she first fell in love with the UWS community. Carmen lives in Manhattan Valley with her husband, Seung, and their three wonderful children, and remains deeply rooted in the community she serves.