Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Brad Hoylman-Sigal for Manhattan Borough President
Candidate Name: Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Office Seeking Election for: Manhattan Borough President
Campaign Website: www.bradhoylmansigal.com
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why do you believe you are best qualified to represent your district?
I’ve spent the last decade fighting in the State Senate for a Manhattan that is liveable, affordable and safe. Throughout my time representing downtown and the West Side as a Senator, Community Board member and District Leader, I’ve led fights to protect tenants against eviction, expand services for school children, crack down on dangerous e-bikes, secure funding for mental health, eliminate illegal guns, and fight bias crimes including antisemitism, racist and anti-LGBTQ hatred. I pledge that as Borough President, I’ll bring the same energy and creativity to tackle the toughest challenges for families, seniors, small businesses and the most vulnerable members of our community.
As a parent raising my school age daughters in Manhattan, I’m deeply invested in the future of our borough. I am running for Borough President to continue to advocate for a safer, affordable, and vibrant future for Manhattan families. Manhattan is the epicenter of culture, progress, and prosperity, and I am running to move the borough forward and to make our city more safe, affordable, and livable for everyone.
2. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally? What LGBTQ candidates have you endorsed?
I’ve had a long history in the movement, thanks to generations of leaders who preceded me. I am a former president of the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats. I continue to be involved as a proud board member of the Jim Owles Democratic Club and am active in the Victory Fund and work closely with the New Pride Agenda and Equality Now. I am proud to have received the endorsement of the Victory Fund in this race.
For eight years, I was the only openly-LGBTQ member of the NYS Senate and, among other things, sponsored legislation extending human rights protections to transgender New Yorkers, banned so-called ‘conversion’ therapy, ended the gay/trans panic defense, permitted “x” gender markers, extended insurance coverage for PrEP and PEP, ended the ban on “walking while trans,” and established New York as a safe haven for transgender children, parents and their physicians seeking gender-affirming care.
I have taken seriously the responsibility of serving as an advocate and voice for our community and worked hard alongside my staff to address the structural inequities impacting LGBTQ New Yorkers, and I will continue to do so throughout my campaign and as Borough President.
In the past, I have endorsed many LGBTQ+ candidates including Deborah Glick, Danny Dromm, Tom Duane, Rachel Lavine, Christine Quinn, Corey Johnson, Jimmy Van Bramer, Melissa Sklarz, Elisa Crespo, Danny O’Donnell, Sean Patrick Maloney, Ritchie Torres, and Kristin Browde.
3. If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club on all literature and electronic materials?
Yes.
4. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBT issues, pro-choice legislation, racial justice, criminal justice have you attended, including rallies specifically against Donald Trump?
I’ve been an outspoken activist for years, both in my role as Senator and a private citizen. I have appeared at Rev. Sharpton’s House of Justice to speak about the need for reform of New York’s 175-year old wrongful death statute, which disproportionately disadvantages people of color.
I’ve walked hundreds of picket lines with labor groups, protested against the past and current Trump administrations and the trans ban, stood with tenants against abusive landlords, led the fight for GENDA, helped lead the NYC Tax March against Trump, and will continue to fight alongside Manhattanites.
5. In light of the upcoming Trump Administration’s war on women, the LGBTQ+ community, racial minorities and immigrants, what are your plans to organize and combat the Trump agenda?
I have stood up to Trump in the State Legislature on a range of issues, including passing legislation (the TRUST Act), to require Trump’s state taxes to be shared with congressional investigating committees; the Adult Survivors Act, which has allowed the lawsuit of E. Jean Carroll to proceed against Trump; stripping Trump’s name from a NYS park; and prohibiting Trump from using lawsuits (called “SLAPP” lawsuits) to intimidate his opponents. I also led efforts to prevent insurrectionists from being elected to state and local offices and wrote to the NYS Board of Elections to urge them to deny Trump a place on the Republican primary ballot.
I will continue to organize, fight against the Trump agenda, and protect our most vulnerable.
6. Will you seek or accept endorsements of individuals who oppose LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, such as Ruben Diaz Sr., Fernando Cabrera or Erick Salgado? Will you pledge to denounce their homophobia and anti-choice positions in the event you receive an endorsement from such individuals?
I will not seek or accept any endorsements from individuals who oppose LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights and would certainly denounce such endorsements.
7. Do you support the unrestricted right to reproductive care and abortion?
Yes.
8. Have you hosted, funded or otherwise supported Drag Story Hours in your community?
Yes, I have sponsored Drag Story Hours, and I have attended many Drag Story Hours with my husband and our daughters!
9. What proposals will do you support to increase the protection of immigrants and cement New York City’s status as a Sanctuary City?
I was the prime sponsor of the Protect Our Courts Act, which provides legal protection against ICE arrests for immigrants going to and from court appearances. I am also the prime sponsor of the Access To Representation Act, which would create a statutory right to counsel in immigration proceedings (S.81) and legislation and legislation to prohibit the State and local governments from sharing information with the federal government for the purpose of compiling immigrant registries (S.798). We also helped secure Liberty Defense Project legal services funding for immigrants in the last two state budget cycles.
10. How will you represent the most vulnerable, including individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers? Have you ever opposed any shelter in your district?
Homelessness, which has skyrocketed to levels not seen since the Great Depression, must be a top priority. In addition to advocating for increased supportive housing in my Senate district, I’ve pushed back hard on the City Administration’s 30- and 60-day rule to evict migrant families from shelter support (I learned recently that a migrant child has been forced to relocate to five different schools as a result of this policy) and introduced legislation to counter it. Housing voucher access must be passed in Albany along with stronger laws to prevent eviction, including reforms in Housing Court. In the State Senate, I sponsored the Access to Representation Act to provide immigration attorneys to asylum seekers. More must be done to support our most vulnerable community members.
11. If incumbent, are you a co-sponsor of Resolution 2970, introduced by Council Member Shahana Hanif? If not yet elected, will you promise to co-sponsor the resolution? The text urges the NYS Legislature to pass the New York for All Act, which would ensure state and local resources are not used to facilitate federal immigration enforcement. If not, please explain.
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12. If incumbent, are you a co-sponsor of Resolution 2917, introduced by Council Member Crystal Hudson? If not yet elected, will you promise to co-sponsor the resolution? The text endorses the Access to Representation Act, which would establish a “universal right to counsel” for indigent New Yorkers who are subject to removal proceedings under federal immigration law. If not, please explain.
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13. Will you join our efforts to pass legislation mandating the review of sentences of incarcerated individuals over the age of 55 who have served in excess of 15 years to determine if they warrant release? The legislation is commonly known as the New York Elder Parole Bill.
Yes, and I carry the Elder Parole bill in the Senate to address this issue.
14. Do you oppose the death penalty?
Yes.
15. Do you support outlawing solitary confinement?
Yes.
16. Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated? Will you work to secure the release of individuals who have demonstrated sincere remorse, worked toward rehabilitation and are not deemed a threat to society?
Yes, as I have done as a senator. In the Senate, I am a co-sponsor of Senator Ramos’s Treatment Not Jail Act to ensure that New Yorkers with substance use disorders, mental health concerns, and other disabilities have an off-ramp from the criminal legal system to obtain treatment and support in their communities. Also, I have strongly supported full funding for the Bard Prison Initiative which provides high school and college classes to incarcerated individuals.
17. Do you commit to working to change our penal system toward a restorative rather than a retributive model of justice?
Yes.
18. Do you commit to make applications for clemencies available to your constituency including a link to an application in a constituent newsletter? Will you submit it to our club?
Yes.
19. Who did you support for mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary election?
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20. Which 2025 Democratic candidates have you removed from your consideration? Have you endorsed anyone? If so, who?
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21. Do you support the renaming of the Ed Koch bridge and will you work towards the renaming including sponsoring such legislation?
Yes.
22. What are your plans to address rent affordability in NYC? Did you vote for “City of Yes”? If not, please explain.
The Borough President can be both a sword and a shield to help keep current tenants in their homes, protect rent regulation and support the City’s “right to counsel” law, which is faltering. I’m proud to have been the prime sponsor of the Tenant Safe Harbor Act, which protected thousands of Manhattanites from eviction during the pandemic, as well as passing the historic rent reforms of 2019 to protect rent stabilized tenants. The Office of the Borough President should be a hub for tenant organizing, legal counsel, and advocacy on tenant issues, including support for the housing voucher access program in Albany, reform of housing court, and protecting tenants from proven slumlords (many of whom are propped up by state-chartered financial institutions) through close collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney and NYS Attorney General, as I have done in the Senate.
23. What are your plans regarding short-term housing?
Illegal hotels and short-term rentals have a devastating impact on the affordability and accessibility of housing for Manhattanites. I testified in support of the Office of Special Enforcement’s proposed rule to implement Local Law 146, which would crack down on these illegal hotels that increase the cost of living in our communities.
24. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why should we believe you would be a dynamic and progressive voice in elected office?
My decades-long record as an activist, community leader, and lawmaker speaks for itself. I have passed over 360 bills in Albany with the goal of creating a safer, affordable, and vibrant future for New Yorkers everywhere.
25. What additional information would you like the Jim Owles club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision?
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26. Are you a potential candidate for City Council speaker in the upcoming term? If so, what is your platform?
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