Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Chantel Jackson for NY Assembly District 79

Candidate Name: Chantel Jackson

Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 79

Website: https://chanteljackson.com

1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district. I’m a mom of two, licensed social worker, homeowner and I spend a lot of time serving the people in the south Bronx. My district is majority low income single mothers and while I’m no longer low income, I grew up in poverty and raised my first child under those conditions. For these reasons and many more, I am well equipped to be the voice and advocate for the 79th district.

2. Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidates for public office you have previously or presently endorsed? I haven’t endorsed many candidates and of the few that I have, none of them were openly LGBTQ.

3. If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored? I’m a cosponsor of Walking While Trans which eliminates the targeting of someone based on their appearance.

4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis? SAGE NYC in the Bronx is one organization that I have a great relationship with. I’ve spent time talking to elders about civic engagement, self advocacy and social services.

5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to? Last year I was able to secure funds for Callen Lorde which is a place that assists young people with transitioning amongst a host of other great things.

6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community? I’d rather not say.

7. Have you marched in any Pride parades? Which marches and for approximately how many years? I’ve been going to the best Pride Parade, which is the one in NYC, since I was 14 years old. I would safely say for at least 10 years. The last one I attended was pre pandemic and the best part was I got to share the experience with my oldest child.

8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any

currently? Yes, I have previously employed openly LGBTQ individuals. I do not have anyone on staff at this time who is openly a part of the community.

9. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements? With pride, yes!

10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice reform issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended and/or participated in? I’ve participated in numerous press conferences, rallies, and protests on all of the above.

11. Have you ever been arrested in pursuit of legislation or for protesting an injustice? Please elaborate. I have not been arrested for any reason.

12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term? As a freshman, I passed seven bills and co-sponsored over 400 bills. I’ve funded seven programs in my district with discretionary funds and another seven with capital funds. I’ve held numerous community events that supplied toys for the holidays, food for Thanksgiving, school supplies, health related services and on random days my staff and I go out and give away PPE and covid testing kits.

13. For the following pieces of legislation, please answer if you are currently a sponsor or

co-sponsor (if you are an incumbent), or if you will co-sponsor (if you are not an incumbent):

A. Fair and Timely Parole (S.1415A / A.4231A): A bill pending in Albany that would ensure access to the parole release process for incarcerated people in New York State. This bill insures that decisions on parole are not solely based on the nature of the original crimes but includes incarcerated peoples’ record of rehabilitation and assessment of current risk to public safety. I’m a cosponsor.

B. Elder Parole (S.15A / A.3475A): A bill pending in Albany that would allow elderly incarcerated people who have served at least 15 years in prison an opportunity to appear before the Parole Board for a chance at release. I’m a cosponsor.

14. If you will not co-sponsor any of the above legislation, why not? I’m a co-sponsor on both.

15. Do you oppose the efforts to weaken bail reform as written? This isn’t my area of expertise so I defer to the people who have spent their careers doing this work. Bail Reform, how it is written, does not need to be changed but I will support the leadership in how they choose to address this issue.

16. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? If incumbent, when did you do so last? This is personal for me. My ex husband went to prison when I was seven months pregnant with my daughter and returned home when my daughter was four years old. During this time I’ve visited him on Rikers, Downstate, Bare Hill and a few other facilities. This experience devastated my family and for these reasons I have not visited any jails recently. My youngest brother was in Franklin and I visited him with my mom. On a separate charge he is currently on Rikers Island. While I would like to visit him I’m still traumatized by the experience of being searched, seeing people get arrested for bringing in paraphilia, getting caught in a count, visiting my ex husband in the box and the frequency of violence between visitors or people incarcerated and COs. So to answer the question, I’m not sure.

17. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all prisons statewide including city jails? Yes, I’m a cosponsor of HALT Solitary.

18. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility? I visited my brother in 2015 when he was at Franklin.

19. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole? Yes.

20. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year? State legislatures can spend time advocating to the Governor for individuals from their district who should be granted clemency.

21. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power for the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will you tweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you be willing to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power to grant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way? My approach is to have conversations with people. Based on my time in government I was able to get more done by going directly to the person or organization and having a conversation. If and when I do not get a response then I’ll resort to letters and social media. In this case I’m willing to follow my same plan of action. I’m willing to communicate with the Governor around clemency, I’m willing to put out a public statement or sign on to one. I have not spoken out on clemency in the past.

22. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests concerning clemency and parole? I am a part of Justice Roadmap and have participated in a number of events concerning parole.

23. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals? I have and will continue to hire or assist people who were formerly incarcerated with employment. They struggle with gainful employment and I do my best to be of assistance.

24. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing and employment? Yes. I’ve spoken out on this topic especially in housing. When we legalized recreational Marijuana for adults, I spoke about the discrimination that people who were incarcerated on Marijuana charges face. They are not allowed to live in public housing.

25. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? Are you or will you co-sponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar (S.6419 / A. 8230), which fully decriminalizes sex work? I’m a co-sponsor of A8230.

26. Will you actively oppose legislation (S.6040 / A.7069) that would implement the dangerous Nordic model instead of the decriminalization of prostitution? Explain in detail your views on full decriminalization, the Nordic model, legalization, and the existing criminalization

approach. Sex work is work. Consenting adults should be allowed to exchange goods for sex. I believe in full decriminalization. Neither the buyer nor the seller should be penalized.

27. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals? Yes, and I have a bill that would require police officers to pay out of their pension when they are convicted of wrongdoings.

28. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary State”? As a child of an immigrant from Belize, I support all actions to assist immigrants, help people with citizenship and to push New York to become a sanctuary state. This country was created on stolen land and we are all technically immigrants if we aren’t indigenous to this land. With that being said, everyone regardless of their immigration status deserves access to services. Keep ICE out!

29. Are you a sponsor of New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.4321a/S.6471)? If not will you add your name and sponsor? I’m a cosponsor.

29. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces? Yes and we have two that seem to be working well for our city and we are advocating for more.

30. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates. No.

31. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBTQ representation among your staff? Yes.

32. Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2021 B) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018? I didn’t endorse anyone for the 2021 Mayoral race. In 2016, I supported Clinton and 2020 Biden. In 2018 I voted for but that’s where my support ended, for Cuomo and James.

33. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so, who? I have allowed the Bronx Delegation to make a decision on who we will support and collectively we are supporting Governor Hochul.

34. Do you support term limits for statewide office holders? For State Legislators? I do not support term limits. It is harder to beat an incumbent but I’ve watched people work hard and win against incumbents in a number of races. It’s my belief that people will vote for their best

interest when they know who’s running and why they are running. If someone is doing a great job then they shouldn’t have to transition just because of a term limit.

35. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination. I support these topics being discussed in education institutions and I am a co-sponsor on the Amistad Act (Taylor) and the Reparations bill (Barron).

36. What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing? Make CUNY free. My parents and I are graduates of the CUNY system and while it’s the most inexpensive education in New York, it’s still a burden for people living in poverty. We need to increase the TAP grant as well.

37. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Do you or will you co-sponsor the New York Health Act? Please elaborate. Yes, I’m a cosponsor.

38. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services. This is a human right. Everyone deserves access. I have been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and have praised them for their work in this area.

39. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations? Not sure if Probation is considered law enforcement but I have accepted their contributions and plan to accept them in the future. A number of probation officers are social workers like myself and work hard to assist people with reentry.

40. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda? Yes.

41. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause (S.3082 / A.5573)? Yes, I’m a cosponsor.

42. Will you push for the passage of Home Stability Support (HSS) to bridge the difference between the public assistance shelter allowance and fair market rents for NY's 95,000 homeless? Will you co-sponsor S.856 / A.6032, which amends the Social Services Law to create a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public

assistance benefits and who face eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions? Yes.

43. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it? It needs to be amended. I’m new, as of January 5th, to the Housing Committee and learning how 421-A is affecting our city.

44. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units?Yes

45. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much? Yes, I sent a sign on letter to my colleagues for close to $7 Billion dollars from the state for NYCHA.

46. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the Climate and Community Investment Act? (S.4264A / A.6967) If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not? I am a cosponsor.

47. Do you support the New York Public Banking Act (S.1762A / A. 8290? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not? I am a cosponsor.

48. Do you support the New Deal for CUNY (S.4461 / A.5843)? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not? I am a cosponsor.

49. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS, and was blatantly racist, would you support a city bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose? We all call it the 59th street bridge and yes I would like to see it renamed. Yes, I’m willing to sign on to any letter that will initiate this process.

50. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?‘ Remove it! Rename it The Free People Circle! Make it an open gathering space with a piece of artwork by a BIPOC artist.

51. Do you support reducing the budget of law enforcement throughout the state, and if so, by how much? I don’t have a dollar amount but we need to take money from law enforcement and

place it in social services so we can reduce the use of police interactions. I actually have a bill that would eliminate the use of police in minor traffic stops/ violations.

52. Are you in favor of removing police from any of the following? a) Schools; b) Mental health response calls; c) Homeless outreach and social services; or d) Traffic enforcement and school, yes. They still need security but not police. With all the other populations I’m in support of people with mental health expertise accompanying the police in these encounters. We need to protect our workers as they interact with people who may not be stable. This is my professional, social worker position.

53. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated? Yes.

54. How would you recommend law enforcement officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, in defiance of city and state rules? I’m not one to penalize people before strongly encouraging them. This is across the board. I do not believe punishment works better than incentivizing

55. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding? I would like their rulings to actually hold weight and be utilized.

56. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State? Night life isn’t something I have an interest in so my support is limited to listening to the needs of the community and making sure I advocate for that. For example, I did a tour of the businesses in my district and my BID and whatever issues they brought up my team assisted them in fixing the problem.

57. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses? Yes.

58. Do you commit to speak personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support? I’m committed to hearing from them and the community board on this issue.

59. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively? Maternal health, criminal justice and restoring NYCHA to great living conditions.

60. How much money do you presently have in your campaign account? Over $10,000.

61. What additional information would you like members The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision concerning your candidacy? Thank you for all the work you all do to assist some of the most vulnerable people.