Between college and law school, Garodnick spent time in both Millen, Georgia and Portsmouth, Virginia helping to rebuild African American churches that had been burned by arson.

While there, he represented the Partnership for New York City in the successful Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit regarding public school funding.

In 2007, Garodnick successfully stepped in to broker an agreement between renowned Chef Daniel Boulud and the staff at his eponymous restaurant, who sought redress and compensation after Asian and Latino employees had been discriminated against and passed over for promotions.

[11] In 2015, when the de Blasio administration and Council Member Carlos Menchaca were at a logjam over the $115 million redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Garodnick helped broker an agreement between both sides.

[12] Garodnick is best known for his work fighting for his childhood home in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, where he spearheaded the largest housing preservation deal in New York City history in 2015, with 5,000 units for middle-class families.

Garodnick was endorsed for Speaker by the Democratic Organizations of Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn, as well as the New York Times Editorial Board which cited his independence and support for middle class housing.

[19] Garodnick also advanced 5 neighborhood plans, near the new Metro-North Stations coming to the Bronx, on a key stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, in Manufacturing Districts in Midtown Manhattan, and Long Island City and downtown Jamaica in Queens.

He successfully approved the Green Fast Track initiative which eliminates red tape and streamlines the environmental review process for small- and medium-sized all-electric residential developments.