District Leaders
Vacancy
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part A
Joshua Kinberg
District Leader 67th Assembly District, Part A
Joshua Kinberg was elected District Leader for 67th Assembly District in 2019. He previously served as the Digital Director for Ansonia Independent Democrats and was a Judicial Delegate and member of County Committee since 2017. He was a volunteer on the presidential campaigns for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Barack Obama in 2008, and Howard Dean in 2004. In his professional career, Joshua is a Director of Product Management creating websites, apps, and streaming video platforms for entertainment and news media organizations, including PBS, HBO, Marvel, and NBC Universal. He has an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design in NYC, and a BA from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
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 met all three Kennedy brothers by the time she was twenty years old.
Pat's husband had a debilitating stroke and she 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 non-profit 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 wonderful Linda Rosenthal. After years of work, Linda was able to make the laws governing rent control more equitable.
As a member of CFD and West Side Democrats, she has served on the board, as judicial delegate and on county committee. Pat has been proud to work for the election of Jerry Nadler, Linda Rosenthal, 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 of New York City.
As a member of West Side Democrats John has worked to support the campaigns of Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, Congressman 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, a Masters of Public Administration from the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
John and his husband, Christopher, 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 are 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 successful a campaign to establish a Black and Latino Studies Dept. 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. He led the effort to organize publicly funded early childhood directors to join the CSA (Council of School Supervisors and Administrators) union. He helped organize both city wide and state wide early childhood coalitions. He was Director of Family Day Care at Nuestros Ninos Child Care Center in Williamsburg Brooklyn .
As a political activist and longtime CFD member he has worked on the early campaigns of Jerry Nadler, Scott Stringer and 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 DL in the 67 AD.
Joan Paylo
69th Assembly District, Part B
Joan Paylo has contributed her creativity and versatile writing skills as Community Free Democrats (CFD) District Leader since 2003 and as a club officer and member for 37 years. Trained in the art of street campaigning by Jerry Nadler, as publicist for his historic 1976 Assembly campaign, she has supported CFD, its elected officials and the Upper West Side with her media, organizing and people skills ever since. An award-winning writer, public affairs executive and radio/video producer, Joan uses her experience as an issues-oriented communications strategist for government and non-profits to advise grassroots constituent groups. She has worked at ABC-TV and WMCA and WOR talk radio, as agency spokesperson for the Cuomo and Koch administrations, and in management positions at Howard J. Rubenstein Associates, The ASPCA, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She has counseled the Animal Medical Center, Marble Collegiate Church, Friends of West Park and many other non-profits. In a three-year Washington stint during the Clinton administration, she was a fulltime consultant to NPR and a pioneering Internet public affairs firm, founding the GunFreeKids.org web site. Whether the issue is affordable housing, worker rights or keeping small businesses in our neighborhood, Joan connects people to achieve results. Proud of her blue-collar Midwestern roots, she was trained as a magna cum laude journalist at Northwestern University, and earned an MS in Broadcasting from Syracuse University and a certificate in Teaching ESL from Columbia University.
Email: CFDJoan@aol.com Twitter: @westsidejoanie
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 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 West Side Democrats, 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 69 th 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 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 life-long Yankees, Knicks, and Jets fan.