Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Keith Powers for City Council District 4

Candidate Name: Keith Powers

Office Seeking Election for: New York City Council District 4

Campaign Website: https://www.keithpowers.nyc

Campaign Social Media Handles: @keithpowersnyc

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community? I consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community.

2. If you answered “yes” to the first question, do you believe members of hate groups should be permitted to join the City Council LGBTQIA+ caucus? Do you believe the Republican party is a hate group? If you answered yes to both questions, do you support ejecting Republicans from the caucus?

It’s up to the members of the Caucus to decide who is permitted to join their Caucus, though I don't think your political party should be the sole criteria for membership. More specifically, I have worked with CM Carr and have found him to be a fair, reasonable and an important voice within his own party.

3. What work have you done on behalf of the LGBTQ community? This can include endorsing LGBTQ candidates, drafting or advocating for legislation directly benefiting the LGBTQ community, working with LGBTQ organizations, allocating funds to LGBTQ organizations, marching in Pride parades, attending rallies/protests/press conferences in support of LGBTQ issues, and/or employing openly LGBTQ individuals? During my time in office, I have endorsed a number of LGBTQ candidates, drafted legislation to address issues with the LGBTQ population inside of our city jails, allocated funding to LGBTQ organizations, attended rallies/protests/press conferences in support of LGBTQ issues, marched in Pride parades, and more.

4. Has Mayor Eric Adams met the needs of the LGBTQ community? Please include “yes” or “no” in your answer, and explain your answer. While there’s always a lot of room for improvement with any Mayor, I believe Mayor Eric Adams and his team are allies of the LGBTQ community, including his support of my proposal to outright repeal the Cabaret Law in New York City and his team’s response to the MPox crisis.

5. Would you demand that the Mayor re-institute its office of LGBTQ affairs, with its leader being a member of the LGBTQ community chosen in consultation with the City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus? Yes.

6. Have you made requests to the Office of the Mayor to demand inclusion of LGBTQ community in city administration and on city boards? Can you give examples? I am supportive of more inclusion of LGBTQ individuals in the administration and city boards.

7. Do you support reparations for slavery? Yes.

8. Do you oppose all efforts to weaken bail reform? I don’t believe that your economic situation should dictate whether you are in jail or not.

9. Do you support closing Rikers Island? Do you support the administration’s plan to open borough-based jails? Yes and yes.

10. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all jails and prisons, including city jails, and do you support Intro 549 (regarding solitary confinement)? Yes.

11. 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? Yes.

12. If elected, will you include in your office’s newsletter instructions for your constituents on how their loved ones can apply for clemency? Yes.

13. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? When did you do so last? I have routinely visited our city jails and upstate prisons as part of my job, most recently in 2021.

14. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? If so, do you support full decriminalization, including decriminalizing purchase and facilitation? Will you commit to opposing the Nordic model, which continues criminalizing purchase and facilitation while decriminalizing sale? I was proud to be a sponsor of last term’s resolution to repeal Walking While Trans and support further efforts to decriminalize.

15. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary City”? I am currently the sponsor of legislation that would further restrict the ability of ICE to coordinate with our law enforcement agencies, upholding prior court findings on the topic.

16. Did you support legislation, which passed, to allow non-citizen New Yorkers to vote? Do you support the appeal of the case in which the law was held unconstitutional? I voted for and supported the law last term.

17. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces in your district? I have been a supporter of supervised spaces as a part of a strategy to save lives and prevent overdoses.

18. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals? The NYC Council voted to end qualified immunity in 2021.

19. 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. While I don’t support removing them entirely, I support new efforts to emphasize the civilian led response to mental health crisis and homeless outreach.

20. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated? We should refocus the efforts of units like this on the most severe issues our communities face.

21. Should the Gangs Database be abolished and do you / will you co-sponsor Intro 360 on the subject? I am not a sponsor of the bill.

22. Do you support the Progressive Caucus’s requirement that members support cutting funding to NYPD in favor of alternative safety infrastructure? I did not take the pledge.

23. What concretely have you done to improve access to reproductive healthcare? If elected, what more will you do? Be specific. I am proud to be supported by Planned Parenthood, to sponsor and vote for the package of legislation in 2022 in the City Council, and to fund groups doing work to protect reproductive rights.

24. Do you approve of Mayor Adams’ approach to sweeping homeless encampments? The approach to sweeps has to be focused on properly re-housing individuals, addressing existing conditions inside of our city shelter system, creating new housing opportunities, and eliminating barriers to re-house individuals, including source of income discrimination and my Fair Chance Housing legislation.

25. Do you commit to speaking with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses? Yes. I am a strong supporter of the nightlife industry.

26. Do you commit to speaking personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support? Yes.

27. 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? I disagreed with the original decision to rename the bridge and believe its rightful name is the 59th Street Bridge.

28. Do you commit to removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle? It's important to me that we have a process and a standard for removing any cultural symbols or statues, which can and should include the review of the Columbus Statue.

29. Who did you support for Mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary? Did you make an endorsement in the general election? No in primary. Adams in General.

30. Are you currently a member of the Progressive Caucus? If you are not currently an incumbent, will you join if elected? Not at the present moment.

31. Do you believe the Progressive Caucus should have qualifications to ensure that its members are actually progressive? Please explain. I defer to my colleagues in the Caucus.

32. If you are a sitting Councilmember, name three votes you took in the City Council that differed from the position of the Speaker. I support Speaker Adams’ legislative agenda.

33. The rules of the City Council often make it difficult to get a hearing and/or vote on bills of which the Speaker does not approve. Would you support, and introduce if necessary, legislation that could force the City Council to print, introduce, hold hearings on, and hold votes on legislation. I am always open to ideas how to improve the legislative process in the Council.

34. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations? I have not taken any money for my campaign from police unions, but have not taken a pledge to refuse contributions from folks in other industries.

35. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations who donated funds to any of Donald Trump’s campaigns? Yes.

36. With the continued boycott of Equinox fitness on the basis of owner Steve Ross’ support of Donald Trump and institution of “Don’t Say Gay” policies in his residential buildings, do you commit to opposing his application for a casino? While I do not have any say in the matter of his casino application, the aforementioned support for Trump and anti-LGBTQ policies is deeply concerning.

37. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements? Yes.