Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Alicia Hyndman for NY Assembly District 29

Candidate Name: Alicia Hyndman

Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 54

Website: http://aliciahyndman.com

1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district. I have served as the Assemblywoman since 2016 having won a special election in 2015. As a former employee of the New York State Education Department, a member of the community education council, a single mother of two girls, and a homeowner I felt qualified to run for office.  After I won the seat I threw myself into serving my community on issues such as transportation, education, housing, healthcare, and equity.  

2. Do you now support or have you ever supported an openly LGBTQ candidate for public office? I supported Lynn Schulman in her successful for the New York City Council.

3. If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBT community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly) I co-sponsored GENDA

4.  LGBT organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?  Stonewall Dems and have been an invited guest of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens multiple times

5. If applicable, what LGBT organizations have you allocated funds to?

6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBT community? As an ally and being a member of an oppressed group, being that I am a black woman.

7. Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?  I have participated in the Queens Pride Parade, but not since the pandemic cancelled everything

8. Have you employed openly LGBT individuals previously? Do you employ any currently? I have not employed an openly LGBTQ individual.  

9. If you receive the endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?  If I'm fortunate to receive the endorsement I will include it on my printed and electronic materials.

10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBT issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice issues  and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended? I have attended press conference on all the aforementioned LGBT issues.

11.  Have you ever been arrested? If so please explain why and outcome of arrest. I have never been arrested

12. If you are the incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term. In this last year I have participated in holiday and back to school giveaways, many panels for schools and advocacy groups, installed a refrigerator that has fresh food for the community 24 hours a day, handled constituent complaints regarding unemployment, ERAP, LRAP, school bullying and abuse issues, partnered with anti-gun violence in securing funding for crisis management, distributed PPE, distributed test kits. Passed legislation for healthcare for 32 BJ airport workers.

13. Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons such as Bedford Correctional Facility?  At this point I have only visited constituents imprisoned on Rikers Island.  I would visit Bedford Correctional Facility.

15. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?  I have not.

16. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals? I have hired formerly incarcerated individuals

17. Do you support legislation outlying solitary confinement in a prison state wide including city jails? Yes with reservations

18. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility? I believe that was in 2018

19. Do you believe sincere remorse, risk of reoffending and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?  I strongly believe that the life one lives while incarcerated shows whether or not the individual is reformed.  Parole should never be a retrial of the original crime committed.

19. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year? I feel organizations such as yours in conjunction with advocacy groups and elected officials can make sure more clemencies are granted annually.

20. 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 the power to grant clemency and commutations to those were the release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way? Yes I have and will continue to do so

22. Have you participated in any demonstration or protest concerning clemency and parole? I have but on zoom

23. Will you commit to hiring a member of the LGBT community to serve as a liaison to the community?  I would hire a member of the LGBTQ community as long as the individual is qualified.

24. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against following cost of the people in housing and employment? Yes

25. Do you believe in decriminalization of sex work, are you or will you cosponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar which fully decriminalize sex work? I am undecided at this time and will be leading discussions on this legislation in my community.

26. Do you support qualified immunity for police officers? Yes

27. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces? I do

29. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates  I have not

30. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBT representation among your staff?   I do

32. Who did you support for office in the following races A) mayor and Public Advocate in 2021 ERIC ADAMS B) President in 2016 CLINTON C) Governor and Attorney General TISH JAMES 

33. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? No

34. Do you support term limits for statewide office holders? For state legislators? No.

35. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you supported in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination. I support a curriculum that is inclusive of black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous people & LGBTQ history and should be taught statewide. I believe in reparations and that sex education should be taught in elementary schools.

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? I fully support the federal government to forgive student debt to families up to $75,000. I also support students being able to teach or work in underserved areas in order to have the loans forgiven in exchange for 5 to 8 years of service.

37. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate. If it comes to the floor I will vote yes. I have a heavy union member district and right now most of the unions are not in support of this legislation

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39. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services. A woman's right to choose is paramount and I will always support that.

40. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?  I believe in responsible development and have been very involved with affordable housing within the 29th AD.  We need housing in Queens and we have been able to bring housing online with preferences for community based and income based constituents. I have also accepted PBA money because I have many friends and family members that are currently police/corrections officers and retired police/corrections officers.

41. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from Executive that corporations complicit in the Trump agenda? Absolutely

42. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause? This is Assemblywoman Hunter's bill, she is a great friend of mine and while I support her premise for the bill I feel groups are painting a narrative that the bill is a panacea to all non-regulated apartments across the state of NY. We will have to have lengthy conferences on this bill

43. 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 evictions, homelessness, a loss of housing to domestic violence or has hazardous living conditions?    I will and I have.  AM Hevesi's bill 

44. What should happen to 421 – a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it? I am undecided at this time. I need to do further research.

45. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units? I have not fully read my colleague’s bill

46. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much? Yes I do support more state funding for NYCHA, but also feel the federal government must give their fair share. I two senior NYCHA buildings in my district

47. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the climate and community investment act? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill why not? I will cosponsor this bill

48. 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’m not aware of this bill and have to research it.

49. Do you support the new deal for CUNY (S.4461/A.5843)? If you are an incumbent and not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not? There are many, many members of the assembly that have cosponsored this bill. I do believe that education has more than one perspective and that there is no voice for the private and for-profit colleges that exist in the state of New York. A good portion of students from the city and state of New York attend these schools and I feel they need an advocate, a voice, and I’m using my voice for all forms of higher education in NYS

50. 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 don’t know anyone that calls that bridge Koch, yes.

51. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should we place it? I know my opinion is probably in the minority, but these statues of oppressors need to remain and have accurate titles put next to them of the atrocities they committed to indigenous peoples. I don’t feel we should erase history we should learn the correct history and put other statues alongside of those of the oppressors

52. Do you support reducing the budget of law-enforcement throughout the state and if so by how much? Yes, I do agree with reducing the budgets of law-enforcement agencies throughout the state and using those monies to expand services for mental health services, crisis intervention services, homeless services, children services, and domestic violence services.

53. Are you in favor of removing police from any of the following? A) schools No B) Mental Health Calls c) Homeless outreach and social services or D) Traffic Enforcement. School safety agents in a lot of our schools are black and Latina women I feel these officers are more inclined to assist with our students when they’re having breakdowns when parents are erratic and when sometimes students just need special assistance. I also believe that mental health calls homeless outreach services and traffic enforcement sometimes do need police there because other agencies are not inclined to be able to help if a person is belligerent, violent, and/or exhibiting suicidal tendencies.

54. Should law enforcement’s “Vice Squads” be eliminated? I feel “Vice Squads” should be renamed as gang dismantlement units due to the vast amount of shootings that are taking place. NYPD needs to use different tactics to break up gang activity with the collaboration of crisis management groups in order to push down the amount of gun crimes we have in our city currently.

55. How would you recommend law enforcement officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, and defies the city and state rules? I would recommend that I would recommend that law enforcement officers would lose pay or be docked vacation days.

56. What reforms would you make to the civilian complaint review Board? Would you support state legislation to make cc RB disciplinary determinations binding? I would advocate for an adequate budget in order to investigate police officers in the city of New York. I would like the city to strengthen the powers of their investigative tools for police officers accused of wrong doing.

57. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State? I I recently voted yes on AM Inez Dickens’ bill regarding temporary licenses businesses because SLA isn’t always timely. I work with my local community boards 12 and 13 to make sure that they’re listening to all sides when approving or disapproving the continuation of businesses in the Southeast Queens community.

58. Do you commit to speak with restaurants and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses? I commit to speak where possible to restaurants and nightlife representatives

59. 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 already engage businesses in this manner

60. 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? Already do this

61. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively? I am focused on increasing homeownership in New York State, specifically for black and brown individuals. I am focused on the lack of adequate public transportation in southeast queens. I am also wholly concerned about the quality of public schools in my district and am working with a group of community members to work with our new Chancellor and Mayor on fixing them

62. What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsements decisions?    I am an ally of the LGBTQ community.  I have taught my daughters from an early age that love is love and judgement of one's lifestyle has no place in this world.  I have supported and  will continue to advocate for the rights of  all New Yorkers as long as I am allowed to serve in the NYS Assembly.