Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Brad Lander for New York City Comptroller

Candidate Name: Brad Lander

Office Seeking Election for: New York City Comptroller

Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district.

The perspective I would bring to the New York City Comptroller’s Office is informed by my background in community planning, at the Fifth Avenue Committee in Brooklyn and the Pratt Center for Community Development, and in my 10 years in the City Council where, I’ve led some big fights:

. Winning a fair work week and “just cause” employment protections for fast food workers, a groundbreaking living wage for Uber & Lyft drivers, and the Freelance Isn’t Free Act to protect freelancers from wage theft;

. Creating some of the strongest protections against tenant harassment in the country;

. Holding reckless drivers accountable;

. Implementing participatory budgeting; and

. Passing the strongest Independent Expenditure disclosure law in the country, strengthening NYC’s campaign finance system, and bringing Ranked Choice Voting to New York City.

More on my track record can be found here.

In all of my work, I’ve fought to make government work better both by working closely with community leaders & by taking a good hard look at the data.

Even before the COVID crisis, we were already in a time of peril for our democracy. Gaping inequalities has left us fractured, and far from our ideals of equal justice or opportunity. Short-sighted politics have left us unprepared for crises.

Now, we face the greatest challenges of our generation. In the months until vaccines are widely available, we must do better to manage the crisis to save the lives of our neighbors, especially seniors, communities of color, and frontline workers, who keep being the hardest hit.

Beyond the pandemic, we face the challenge of securing a just and durable recovery. We must do more to help millions of struggling families who can’t pay the rent and are standing in long lines just to get food.

We face a severe budget crisis that requires making hard choices -- and I’ve made those hard choices as a member of the Council -- but we know from Keynesian economics that we must make smart investments in long-term rebuilding. Out of past crises, New York City’s leaders pioneered investments in clean water, public transportation, affordable housing, and higher education. Those investments were the platform for our city’s growth and success for over a century. We can & must do the same today -- with investments in clean energy and resilient infrastructure to mitigate and prepare for the climate crisis, sustainable urban innovation, public health, and the arts, to create hundreds of thousands of good, green jobs and help bring our city back to life.

All of that requires that we make government work better. Because government can’t deliver on any of its promises when city agencies are run poorly, when money is wasted, when results aren’t clear, when projects aren’t completed on time, when there’s no accountability for mismanagement, and when corruption goes unchecked.

I’m running for Comptroller to help our city rise to these challenges. With my progressive vision and my strong record fighting for working families, I am the right person to lead the office in the long, hard years ahead.

Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidate for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?

Danny Dromm and Jimmy van Bramer (2009), Carlos Menchaca and Ritchie Torres (2013), Judge Debra Silber (2015), Cynthia Nixon (2018), Tiffany Caban (2019), Ritchie Torres (2020), Emilia Decaudin (2020), Tiffany Caban & Crystal Hudson (2021)

If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly)

In my first term, alongside Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, I introduced and passed the Community Safety Act which prohibits bias-based profiling in law enforcement, including strong protections around gender identity and sexual orientation, which trans New Yorkers are currently using in a lawsuit against the NYPD. More recently, I introduced a bill and resolution to adopt an inclusive dress code in our city’s public schools, developed in partnership with Girls for Gender Equity, that would be inclusive of different body types and gender identities, ensuring that TGNC students are unfairly targeted or suspended for their personal appearance. Through my ten years in the City Council, I have co-sponsored many pieces of legislation that have made New York City a more welcoming and safe place for our LGBTQ and TGNC neighbors, including banning conversion therapy, allowing people to change the gender identity or utilize an “X” marker on their birth certificate, require HIV & AIDS education in public schools, compel the city to collect gender pronouns on agency forms, and mandate gender-neutral single-stall bathrooms.

What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?

I have been a member of Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn over the past decade, and have been a regular participant in the activities of Stonewall Democrats, and of course the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club! I contribute to and participate in events at both the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and the LGBTQ Center.

Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?

I do not consider myself LGBTQ, but I am a very proud ally. As noted above, I am a member of LID, Brooklyn’s LGBTQ Democratic club, which welcomes allies as members.

Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?

Yes. I have marched in both Brooklyn Pride and the NYC Pride Parade every year for the past decade, and in Queens Pride for the past several years. The past two years, I have also marched in the Queer Liberation March. And in 2019, on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, I not only marched in NYC Pride, Brooklyn Pride, and Queens Pride, but also London Pride (ok, this was mostly coincidence that we were in London on vacation, but even so)!

Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?

Yes and yes. 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?

Too many to count! I’ve rallied, protested, and joined press conferences in support of Black lives (including rallies in support of Black trans lives), for criminal justice reforms like ending cash bail, closing Rikers, and prohibiting the use of solitary confinement, for LGBT social justice issues like banning conversion therapy, decriminalizing sex work, and in support of marriage equality, and against the Trump regime. In the wake of the 2016 election, I founded #GetOrganizedBK which brought thousands of Brooklyn residents together to stand up to bigotry, corruption, and injustice of the Trump administration.

Have you ever been arrested? If so please explain why and outcome of arrest.

I have been arrested numerous times in acts of civil disobedience: protesting police brutality, alongside carwasheros and fast-food workers fighting for better working conditions, with safe street advocates protesting then-State Senator Marty Golden, and as part of #JewsAgainstICE. In all of these cases, after being processed, I was given a desk appearance and the charges were subsequently dismissed.

Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails?

Yes, absolutely. During my time in the City Council I have visited Rikers Island, the Brooklyn House of Detention, and the Metropolitan Detention Center. As the City Comptroller, I commit to continuing to visit our incarcerated neighbors.

Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?

Yes.

Describe your legislative and policy vision for combating systemic racism.

The inequities of the COVID-19 crisis and the murder of George Floyd by a police officer who crushed his neck for a literally breath-taking seven minutes have brought a moment of racial reckoning; but they also serve to remind us of how badly we have failed to rise to past moments. Floyd’s cries echoed those of Eric

Garner and literally thousands of others, back through Emmett Till, and forward to today. Despite the years of mass protests and powerful organizing of Black Lives Matter, police killings of Black men continue at nearly the same rates as five years ago. And the ways in which systemic racism shows up in economic inequality, public health disparities, environmental racism, school and housing segregation, homelessness, food insecurity, and more remain firmly etched in our city and our nation. Committing to anti-racism means being honest and humble about, keeping a consistent focus on, and fighting constantly to undo those system injustices.

I have tried to be an ally to my Black colleagues and friends, joining them in the streets to protest, supporting legislation to make our city a more fair and equal place, championing integration in our city schools, and promoting #BudgetJustice in the FY21 city budget. But the work of racial justice is also deeply internal. As a white man, that work starts by listening as honestly as I can to Black people about the anger and pain they are feeling, and the system of white supremacy and systemic racism it reflects. That is not easy -- because it implicates me, because the anger is so deep, and because what it would take to change it is so big. But it must be the starting point. From deep listening, action-oriented solutions and genuine commitments should follow.

The job of Comptroller should be “accounting for our values” (especially the oft-stated but too-rarely-honored value of racial justice). I therefore plan to expand the office’s audit bureau, the largest division of the comptroller’s office, to conduct audits focused on equity, sustainability, and accessibility. I will have a team conduct equity audits to reduce disparities across race, gender and ethnicity citywide, including in how our city agencies deliver services, treat their workers, and hire contractors.

Where appropriate, I will use the office as an organizing vehicle for advocates, as I have done my entire career in public service, and produce audits, draft reports, and release data in partnership with organizers running campaigns centered on racial, social, and economic justice. To ensure that we are accountable to the needs of the people, my office will continue to center the voices of our most vulnerable community members by inviting them to participate in government decision-making with us.

Will you not seek, and refuse, the endorsement of Bill de Blasio?

Yes and yes.

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 and sponsor a bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge?

I do not believe we should name infrastructure after living individuals (witness what happened when The Tombs were named for Bernard Kerik), and therefore did not think it was appropriate to name the bridge for Koch at the time. I have not taken a position on renaming.

What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?

I support removing the Columbus statue in Columbus Circle, and replacing it with a monument that honors Native American histories, and tells the story of the colonization of America in an honest way. I would also support a monument elsewhere in NYC that celebrates the history and contributions of Italian Americans. I am also the lead sponsor of legislation to establish a new Historic and Cultural Marker program in NYC, to commemorate a more inclusive set of histories, communities, struggles, and sites.

Will you refuse contributions from real estate developers and all law enforcement unions or associations?

Yes, I am the only candidate in the race who has committed not to take contributions from for-profit real estate developers or large rental property owners (as well as contributions from private equity or hedge fund managers, fossil fuel executives, or for-profit lobbyists). I have returned all for-profit developer and real estate money that was offered. I have also committed not to take contributions or endorsements from police or correctional officer unions or associations. In this case, there were no contributions to return, because none have ever been offered (in any of my campaigns for office).

Do you support reducing the budget of the NYPD and if so, by how much?

Yes, I was the first elected official to call for an NYPD hiring freeze, in April of this year, two months before George Floyd was killed. In alignment with activists and civil-rights organizations (including especially Communities United for Police Reform, a long-time ally), I approached the FY21 New York City budget with these principles in mind: Divest at least $1 billion from policing to preserve as much investment as we possibly could in education, youth, and social services. Prioritize

public health to get us through the pandemic. Invest in a just recovery. And begin to transform our approach to public safety away from a system with policing at its center. I voted no on the budget because it was not responsive to these demands.

How would you have voted on the FY21 City Budget?

As a sitting Council Member, I voted no on the FY21 budget, because it was not responsive to demands to reduce the NYPD budget by at least $1 billion, invest that funding in underinvested communities, and begin to transform our approach to public safety away from a system with policing at its center. I approached this year’s budget with simple principles in mind: Divest at least $1 billion from policing to preserve as much investment as we possibly could in education, youth, and social services. Prioritize public health to get us through the pandemic. Invest in a just recovery. And take a smart, long-term approach to our city’s economic and fiscal health. The budget that the City Council was asked to approve did not come close to meeting those principles. We urgently need to move away from having policing as the primary response for every problem, from homelessness to mental health to gender-based violence to traffic safety, and, instead, must invest in the resources that actually keep our communities safe.

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.

Yes. I support removing police from many aspects of the city’s public life, including from our schools and as our response to homelessness, drug use, overdose, and mental health, because they fail to deliver good public health and public safety outcomes, particularly for our BIPOC neighbors. I believe that we not only need to reduce the size of our police force (discussed in greater detail below) but also develop the alternative infrastructure for non-police response. To that end, I recently released a campaign platform: “Transforming Traffic Safety: Safer Streets with Less Police” (in partnership with Tiffany Caban, the family of Allan Feliz, Justice Committee, Families for Safe Streets, and other criminal justice advocates) that proposes removing the NYPD from routine traffic enforcement and decriminalizing or eliminating minor pedestrian and cyclist infractions, among other recommendations. Taking a data-driven, problem-solving, restorative approach to reducing traffic violence has enormous potential to save lives, prevent injuries, save money, and make our streets safer for all New Yorkers -- and to demonstrate the value of a public health approach to public safety. I have had conversations with advocates about taking a similar approach to gender-based and

domestic violence and support Public Advocate Williams’ proposal to remove the NYPD from mental health crisis response.

Should the NYPD Vice Squad be eliminated?

Yes, NYPD's Vice Squad is doing far more harm than good. Having a squad of police officers whose job is to go undercover, buy or sell sex under false pretenses on a regular basis, record themselves surreptitiously, and then leverage their recordings and relationships largely against low-income, BIPOC New Yorkers is a recipe for abuse. It's time to end it.

Should Dermot Shea be fired immediately?

If I were mayor, Dermot Shea would not be the Police Commissioner. He has been a disappointment, his handling of the summer protests was terrible, and he has failed to deliver any meaningful accountability to the NYPD. However, since the Police Commissioner is a Mayoral appointee, there is no reason to believe that Mayor de Blasio would appoint a better Commissioner if he fired Shea. The problem is that we have a Mayor unwilling to challenge the police unions and NYPD leadership to deliver real systemic change to the people of New York.

Should the NYPD Commissioner require confirmation by the City Council?

Yes.

How would you recommend police officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, in defiance of city and state rules?

It is the height of hypocrisy that during the spring and summer police officers could issue summons for non-compliance with the state’s mask ordinance while being unmasked themselves. Officers not wearing masks should be disciplined via fines and repeat offenders should be removed from public-facing tasks.

What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?

Yes. In 2019, the Office of the Inspector General revealed that the NYPD has substantiated ZERO of nearly 2,500 complaints of discriminatory policing in the last several years. The NYPD has shown, over and over again, that it is both unable and unwilling to police itself. While it’s unclear how many of these complaints could be substantiated, it seems clear there is a reluctance to find out.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and I created the Office of the Inspector General in 2013 to be an external set of eyes and ears to investigate the policies and practices of the NYPD. I believe the NYPD should begin publicly releasing statistics on the complaints of biased-based policing and for CCRB to expand its own efforts to investigate these complaints. I support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding and as City Comptroller, I commit to proactively release detailed NYPD settlement data.

What is your position on the plan to close Rikers and create four borough-based jails?

I was one of the first Council Members City to join the movement to Close Rikers when it launched back in 2016, led by formerly incarcerated people organizing through Just Leadership USA. The vote for the borough-based jails was I did not take lightly and that came after many conversations with advocates and community members. I voted for the plan, which was significantly improved thanks to sustained organizing, because I believed it represented by far the most likely way to close Rikers, to dramatically reduce the number of people we incarcerate pre-trial, and to do so in far less inhumane conditions. I feared then that if the Council rejected the plan, Rikers, the Barge, the Tombs, and the Brooklyn House of Detention would remain open indefinitely. I explained my decision -- and my discomfort with voting to build new jails -- in detail here.

Since that vote and building on the work I’ve done for much of the last decade, I’ve been fighting for further decarceral measures to bring our jail population down: supporting the bail reform fight in Albany (and loudly protesting the roll-backs), calling for the release of folks being held during the COVID crisis, and voting against this years budget that failed to defund the NYPD.

Will you advocate for the Governor to review sentences of incarcerated individuals over the age 55 who have served in excess of 15 years to determine if they warrant release?

Yes, absolutely.

It’s common knowledge that New York City’s 311 system is not adequately responsive to the public’s concerns. How would you alter the 311 system to combat these problems?

New York City’s 311 system needs improved language access and shorter wait. 311 serves a critically important function but needs to be more accessible to the diverse communities of New York City. Additionally, improved tech capabilities can allow

New Yorkers to provide more detailed information to help the city assess problems and more easily track their complaints in real time.

Do you support decriminalizing sex work? Will you pledge to oppose the Nordic model?

I suppose decriminalizing sex work and oppose the Nordic model.

Do you oppose school screening, which exacerbates segregation? Which screens in your school district(s) will you advocate to abolish?

Yes, I am a long-time supporter of school integration efforts. I passed the School Diversity Accountability Act in 2014, helped lead a process to adopt a bold integration plan for the middle-schools of Brooklyn’s Community School District 15, published a report on Desegregating NYC: 12 steps toward a more inclusive city, helped to establish the Alliance for School Integration & Desegregation, and have been a strong partner to the organizing led by the young people of Integrate NYC and Teens Take Charge. In the spring, I called for the DOE to suspend the use of screens in all New York City middle schools for the 2021-2022 school year -- which the mayor announced he would do on December 18th.

Describe what reforms you would make to the control of the NYC public school system.

Throughout my tenure as a City Council Member, I have been a strong advocate for our city’s public schools, bringing a wide range of data to work in partnership with advocates. I’ve fought for additional resources for guidance counselors and increased social and emotional learning, and for safer and more improved conditions in school buildings. Using a data-driven approach, I led the campaign that secured air-conditioning in all NYC school classrooms, shining a spotlight on the fact that 25% of classrooms did not have A/C, making it #TooHotToLearn for hundreds of thousands of students.

I’ve brought a similar combination of legislation, data analysis, and coalition organizing to work to combat segregation in New York City’s public schools. As mentioned in Question 29, I passed the School Diversity Accountability Act which shined a light on how segregated our schools are, and helped to launch the Alliance for School Integration and Desegregation. Using the data from the SDAA, in partnership with a community organizing campaign that included student activism through Integrate NYC and other advocates, I helped to lead a process to adopt a bold integration plan for the middle-schools of Brooklyn’s Community School District 15, and am working now to expand that approach citywide.

I would bring that same dogged fight to the Comptroller’s office, auditing and analyzing ways that our education system is failing our students and teachers, and engaging in organizing campaigns to win change. As New York City Comptroller, I will continue to fight for education equity and integration by rooting out inefficiencies, corruption, and DOE policies that harm our students and maintain the status-quo. Further, I support removing police officers from schools and investing in counselors, nurses, and restorative justice programs that will help end the school-to-prison pipeline. The removal of school safety officers should be done in partnership with labor allies so that these workers, primarily women of color, can have a “just transition” into other work. But we should be spending our Department of Education on teachers, counselors, and the support students need to thrive, not on policing.

Do you support public funding of abortion?

Yes. I am a longtime opponent of the Hyde Amendment. My spouse (Meg Barnette) worked as Chief-of-Staff/General Counsel of Planned Parenthood for Greater New York from 2011 to 2020. In the City Council, I voted in favor of providing funding for abortion access as part of the #FundAbortionNYC campaign.

Do you support the creation of safe consumption sites? Would you support the use of NYC DOHMH authority to establish SCSs without NYSDOH authorization?

Yes, I support the implementation and funding of Overdose Prevention Centers including supervised and safe consumption sites in New York City in order to reduce overdose deaths, infectious disease transmission, and public drug use. I have proudly supported the funding and siting of these facilities in New York City, including the site proposed by VOCAL-NY just a few blocks from my current Council District. I would support the use of NYC DOHMH authority to establish SCSs without NYS DOH authorization -- but I strongly believe NYS DOH should authorize them.

Do you smoke or otherwise consume weed?

I have smoked marijuana on occasion in the past, and will probably do so in the future, but I am not a regular user.

Have you ever supported any of the members of the IDC? If so, who? What did you do to help defeat the IDC in 2018?

I was proud to support all of the IDC challengers in 2018 and worked hard in support of Senators Allesandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos, and especially Zellnor Myrie. (I did support Jesse Hamilton when he first ran for office in 2014, before the IDC was formed. As soon as he joined the IDC, I publicly denounced this move and made clear I would support a primary challenger against him).

What will you do to support nightlife in NYC?

Our city’s nightlife establishments are suffering and have received little support from our city, state, and federal officials. But a strong and vibrant nightlife industry is essential to the city’s economic and cultural recovery. I have proposed supporting New York City’s small businesses (which include nightlife establishments and restaurants) through the “Small Business Recovery Lease” program that I have introduced along with State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, and Council Member Keith Powers. The program would provide a 10-year property tax break for commercial landlords who restructure leases with small business tenants to settle past rent arrears and enter into a new, long-term, affordable lease.

Additionally, I have had many conversations with artists, freelancers, and independent contractors working in the nightlife and other creative industries. We must expand unemployment insurance and prioritize artists and freelancers (workers whose income and opportunities have been completely decemited by the COVID-19 pandemic) in the creation of a New Deal-style public works program, as championed by State Senator Jessica Ramos. Detailed policy platforms on supporting arts recovery and raising the floor for freelancers and gig workers are forthcoming.

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

Yes and I have done so throughout my time in the City Council, even when those industries have opposed workers’ rights bills that I have sponsored.

Will you work to place restaurant, bar and club owners on community boards? Will you commit to not appointing or reappointing community board members who are hostile to food and beverage establishments?

I have appointed small business owners, including restaurant/bar/club/establishment owners to community boards during my time in

the City Council. While I will not play a role in appointing community board members as City Comptroller, I support having more small business owners part of policy-making and local governance decisions, and I pledge to consult with them in my role as Comptroller.

Now that the cabaret law was repealed do you support amending the zoning resolution to allow patrons to dance at more venues and eliminate the restrictions against dancing?

Yes.

Did you oppose the de Blasio/Cuomo proposal (and giveaways) for bringing Amazon’s HQ2 to Long Island City?

I loudly opposed Amazon’s proposed HQ2 site in Long Island City for numerous reasons: Amazon had no intention of paying their fair-share of taxes, of playing by our rules, of respecting small businesses, of helping to strengthen our local democracy, or of being a good neighbor. Additional thoughts are discussed in greater detail here. I also introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements relating to development projects, like Amazon’s HQ2.

What role do you believe the local member should play in the approval of development proposals before the Council?

Our current approaches to development, planning, and housing have failed to address systemic inequities, promote fairness, listen proactively to communities, use equity as a lens, align land-use planning with infrastructure investment, or face up to the climate crisis. Our processes are too often developer-driven and, when they come to the Council for a vote, are subject to an internal practice called “member deference”.

For years, together with Councilmember Antonio Reynoso and the Thriving Communities Coalition, I have been a leading voice for comprehensive citywide planning, with a strong role for communities, and grounded in values of equity, affordability, and sustainability. A comprehensive citywide plan would guide the creation of new affordable, supportive, and social housing, shelters, schools, social services, and infrastructure in ways that minimize displacement risks and maximize access to opportunity. This long-term strategic vision, informed by real public input, would help ensure fair distribution of development and resources throughout the city and prioritize resiliency, fairness, equity, and access to permanently affordable housing. In my own backyard, I have worked to model this

approach, in our extensive, decade-long community planning for Gowanus, and in welcoming homeless shelters, supportive, and affordable housing to our district.

Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing?

Yes. I am a co-sponsor of Steve Levin’s Fair Chance for Housing bill currently in the City Council.

Do you oppose the removal of the nearly 300 homeless individuals from the Lucerne hotel due to pressure from some local residents?

Yes. I joined them in protest at Gracie Mansion. I have also supported the siting of homeless shelters in my district, sometimes in the face of local opposition, including two that are around the corner from my house.

What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a Sanctuary City?

I represent a district with a large immigrant population and have worked hard to make sure my Bangladeshi neighbors have always felt supported and protected by my office by hiring a dedicated staffer who speaks Bangla and by setting up a mobile office in the community that offers free legal support. I have frequently stood alongside my neighbors who have protested against ICE and the Trump regime’s Muslim Ban and family separation policy. My most recently civil disobedience arrest was as part of #JewsAgainstICE (organized by JFREJ and Never Again Action). To ensure New York City is not only a safe and welcoming place for immigrants but a place where immigrants can truly thrive, I support expanding the right to vote in municipal elections to immigrants and raising revenue in Albany to fund undocumented/excluded workers who have been left out of all federal stimulus packages.

Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate on what policy and legislative steps the City can take to expand access and affordability.

Yes, I am a strong supporter of Medicare for All that would ensure that health care is a fundamental human right, provided to everyone, regardless of employment or status. As Comptroller I would add my voice and analysis to the ongoing fights for Medicare for All and the New York Health Act at the federal and state level.

Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2013 B) Public Advocate in 2013 and 2019, C) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018?

2013 Mayor: Bill de Blasio

2013 Public Advocate: Tish James

2016 President: Hillary Clinton

2018 Governor: Cynthia Nixon

2018 Attorney General: Tish James

2019 Public Advocate: Jumaane Williams

2020 President: Elizabeth Warren, then Bernie Sanders, then Joe Biden

Top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively

The top priorities of my campaign include: (1) championing a just economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis by investing in public health, demanding good jobs, supporting small businesses, and building sustainable and resilient infrastructure for shared growth; (2) preserving and developing social housing by requiring city-owned land and subsidies go to community land trusts, limited-equity cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations (rather than for-profit private developers) and other strategies; (3) transforming public safety by significantly reducing what we seek to do with policing, fully overhauling accountability for misconduct, and investing in community-centered supports; and -- listed last but actually my top priority for the office, since it is the most serious long-term risk facing our city -- (4) confronting the climate crisis by making our city more resilient, holding us accountable to our bold sustainability initiatives and implementing new ones, and delivering new green jobs.

I have already released campaign platforms on achieving a just recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, transforming traffic safety with less police, and confronting the climate crisis, which can all be found on my website. We will soon be releasing a comprehensive platform on social housing.

Mayor de Blasio has indicated his intent to call a third Charter Revision Commission, what additional reforms would you support to 1) the budget process, 2) the land use process, and 3) the powers and duties of municipal offices?

I support Charter revisions to improve transparency and accountability in the City’s budget process by requiring the Mayor and Council to jointly determine units of

appropriation in the City's expense budget and to require capital budget lines to be narrow and specific (not aggregate cost estimates that bundle dozens of projects together). I would also support the significant expansion of citywide participatory budgeting.

On land use (once the City implements comprehensive planning), I would support changes to the Charter to make the comprehensive plan “stickier” to ensure its implementation. This could be done by requiring rezonings that conflict with the comprehensive plan to get a super-majority vote of the CPC and/or the City Council for approval (and similarly, a super-majority vote for the rejection of rezoning applications that align with the comprehensive plan).

With respect to the powers and duties of municipal offices, I would support giving the Comptroller a stronger role in the determination of City contractors’ responsibility, to better position the Comptroller and City to reject contractors on the basis of labor and public policy concerns. I would also support changes to the Charter to strengthen the Comptroller's enforcement powers with respect to the City’s living wage laws and the determination of living wage violations. I also support the involvement of the Comptroller earlier on in the procurement process, to help fast-track capital projects and payments to contractors - especially to non-profit social service providers.

I also support giving the Council advice and consent over the appointment of the City’s Police Commissioner and strengthening the power of the Civilian Complaint Review Board to better ensure timely implementation of the CCRB’s recommended discipline and penalties (to be clear: stronger change than this is needed, but it will require change in State Legislation -- which I support -- to remove the Police Commissioner current total authority of police discipline).

Please explain your vision for the present powers of the office you are seeking and how you intend to exercise them?

The powers of the Comptroller’s office include: auditing City agencies and programs; serving as a fiduciary and providing asset management services to the five pension funds representing City workers and retirees; oversight and auditing of the City budget; signing off on City contracts and procurement; settling claims against the City, and enforcement of the City’s prevailing wage laws. I believe these tools can help confront our city’s biggest challenges. I commit to deploying those powers and tools in fights for equality, inclusion, and compassion. That means

“equity audits” to hold government agencies accountable to the values of equality and inclusion; divesting from fossil fuels and investing in the sustainable infrastructure we need to mitigate the climate crisis; investing in truly affordable, social housing; holding abusive employers accountable; transforming public safety away from abusive policing and investing instead in the services people need to thrive; and better supporting the nonprofit human service organizations that care for our communities. Given that the comptroller has a special responsibility to take the long-term view of our city, and that climate change is by far our greatest long-term risk, I am especially committed to having the comptroller’s office serve as a hub for focusing the attention of New Yorkers on the climate crisis. Our team has already put forward policy proposals on climate justice, transforming traffic safety with less policing, investing in a just recovery, and making City government work better through a strategic approach to auditing, with many more to come.

Do you commit to working with Jim Owles during your campaign and while in office? What role can the club and the progressive LGBT community play in holding you accountable?

Yes, absolutely. I believe in “co-governance,” building more participatory structures that link community organizing and civic participation with governing, from “inside/outside” issue campaigns to implementation. I have worked to model those ideas in a wide range of issue campaigns (the Community Safety Act, paid sick leave, fair work week, certificate of no harassment, reckless driving, gig-worker policy), in bringing participatory budgeting to NYC, and in helping to launch organizations including the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, GetOrganizedBK, and Local Progress. I would be honored to co-govern alongside Jim Owles and the broader progressive LGBTQ community as the city’s Comptroller.

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

Yes. I would be thrilled to be endorsed by Jim Owles and will proudly display the organization’s endorsement on our website, literature, and electronic materials.

What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsement decisions?

We have lots of additional information on our website, including endorsements (from Lambda Independent Democrats, LGBTQ leaders Cynthia Nixon, Tiffany

Caban, progressive elected officials including State Senators Alessandra Biaggi and Julia Salazar, community groups including Make the Road Action, New York Communities for Change, VOCAL Action, labor unions including CWA District 1, UAW Region 9a, Freelancers Unions, and many others), past accomplishments, and policy proposals. I would be happy to provide any additional information that Jim Owles members would like. You’ve already asked more provocative questions than anyone else!