THE ELEPHANT IN NEW YORK POLITICS: CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE ALINA BONSELL CALLS OUT THE ONE SYSTEM NO ONE WANTS TO TOUCH -- THE COURTS

NEW YORK, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a crowded field of candidates sticking to safe talking points about crime, housing, and transit, Republican City Council candidate Alina Bonsell is breaking ranks — by calling out the most powerful, unaccountable system in New York: the courts.

"Everyone runs for office talking about fixing things, but nobody touches the courts," said Bonsell. "These systems are archaic, inefficient, and completely unaccountable."

Bonsell, who is running to represent District 5 on Manhattan's Upper East Side, has made New York Family Court reform the cornerstone of her campaign — but she says the dysfunction doesn't stop there. She points to civil and criminal courts as part of the same broken system, where delays, bad actors, and a lack of accountability are far too common.

Created in 1962, New York's Family Court was meant to modernize how the state handled custody, child welfare, and domestic matters — but its roots stretch back to the early 1900s, when such cases were often handled without oversight in criminal or magistrate courts. Despite decades of restructuring, critics argue the system remains one of the least accountable branches of government.

"These courts are operating like dinosaurs — slow, outdated, and resistant to change," she said. "And while everyone's busy arguing about slogans like 'defund' or 'reform,' no one's looking at the judges, attorneys, and appointees who are making life-altering decisions every day — about children, about safety, about freedom. They don't always follow procedures. There are bad actors in the court system. And when they get it wrong, they just move on — but the families, the children, the victims, they're the ones who pay the price."

Although City Council does not have the authority to change state legislation, Bonsell emphasizes that councilmembers have budgetary control over city agencies, including ACS, which plays a direct role in many family court cases. "That gives me access. It gives me an opportunity to make an impact," she said.

She also made it clear that she won't stay quiet when Albany fails to act. "Four years is a long term," Bonsell said. "If state lawmakers won't act, I'll drag the issue into the spotlight. And it's about time more candidates were brave enough to face it head-on."

Bonsell's campaign challenges a political culture where most candidates avoid difficult topics in favor of safer, party-approved narratives.

 "But this is about doing what's right. It's about breaking the cycle and building a system that actually works for families, children, and communities — not one that's been allowed to fail them, unchecked, for decades."

She summed it up in one line:

"It's the elephant in the room no one wants to touch. But it's about time somebody did."

Follow the campaign on Instagram: @AlinaB.nyc | Website: www.alinabonsell.com

Contact: Agustina Marcos
Founder & Editor, The-City-Top
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.the-city.top

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