Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Brent O'Leary for City Council District 26

Brent O'Leary

Office Seeking Election for: City Council District 26

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

I am a community leader who has been fighting to make my district better for over a decade. I know that government can be responsive to people’s needs and a tool to make their lives better. It did that for my family; My grandparents both immigrated to New York City from Ireland to Sunnyside, Queens in the 1930’s. My grandmother immigrated for economic reasons and my grandfather for political reasons, taking part in the 1916 Easter Uprising against British colonial rule. They were able to make a home here because of welcoming immigration policies in New York City. My father, Frank O’Leary, was a small business owner, a restaurant pub, and a member of union Local 3 electricians union, and my mother, Laureen O’Leary, worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines. They were able to build a life here because New York City is meant to be a welcoming home for all. I want to honor and continue this tradition of building a pro-immigrant, pro-labor, pro-community New York. That's why I founded the Hunters Point Civic Association to fight overdevelopment and empower the community to determine its future and make sure it had the necessary schools and other infrastructure for a healthy neighborhood. In 2016, I became a board member, later elected President of Woodside on the Move which provides free after school programs and tenants rights advocacy, senior services, and quality of life issues for the area. During the pandemic, I founded two emergency food pantries in my district and we have, through volunteers and private donations, provided groceries and meals to over 50,000 people for over 7 months now. All this is distributed freely and discreetly to anyone in need. I personally delivered intubation tubes to Elmhurst Hospital during the height of Covid and masks to health professionals and to the community. I have met with the small business owners and have been an advocate for the Small Business Job Survival Act, rent relief, and grants to keep businesses alive and their employees employed. I am committed to making sure this is a city where everyone is welcome to survive and thrive in. I'm running for New York City Council because I believe in community service. I believe that government can be responsive to our needs and provide true equality in both law and resources so that everyone can go as far as their hard work and dreams can take them. The American Dream is an ideal, I am fighting to make it a reality.

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

Daniel Dromm, Tiffany Caban, Jimmy Van Bramer

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

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

Stonewall Democrats, Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens, Imperial Court of New York and SAGE

Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?

Yes as a straight ally I consider myself a part of the LGBTQ community

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

es marched 4 times in pride, the last 4 years. with Jessica Ramos and Tiffany Caban. Also march yearly in the St Pats for All Parade in our district and refused to march in the St. Patricks Day Parade until it was opened to LGBTQ members

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

I am not an employer. We have openly gay volunteers on our campaign but no one is paid as of yet.

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?

The Womans March in Washington DC and New York, the Anti-Gun Violence March in NY.

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

No

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

Yes

Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?

Yes, I have worked closely with Hour Children for many years which helps woman released from Rikers with reunited them with their families, housing and job training.

Describe your legislative and policy vision for combatting systemic racism

We will enforce the laws against racism, make sure all communities have appropriate resources and desegregate our school system. NYC is one of the most racially segregate school systems in the country. One of the ways to address the racism in our society is by having our schools intentionally desegregated. This is also a question of social justice in that education should not be limited according to race or economic status.

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

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?

Yes I have publicly opposed it being named after Koch.

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

Yes, art to represent our diverse immigrant culture

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

Yes I was the 1st candidate in this district to refuse donations from real estate developers. I have also refused donations from lobbyist and police unions.

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

I have publicly pledged to the defund the police policy of reducing their budget by $1 Billion.

How would you have voted on the FY21 City Budget?

No

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.

E) All of the above! I would advocate to reduce their budget by a billion dollars and move those resources into affordable housing programs, full employment programs, saving our small business, health care initiatives, and the actual agencies and departments that handle these issues. Freeing up this kind of budget would allow us to make sure these other agencies have the money and resources they need to handle those activities. I especially don’t think police should handle homeless outreach, school supervision,. and mental illness crises where certain specialized knowledge and de-escalation tactics are needed that can not be done properly in the police force.

Should the NYPD Vice Squad be eliminated?

Yes. The Vice Squad is a relic of a hateful time whose only purpose now appears to be targeting black, brown, and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers (https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-cops-cash-in-on-sex-trade-arrests-with-little-evidence-while-black-and-brown-new-yorkers-pay-the-price). Also, if we push to decriminalize, decarcerate, and destigmatize sex work, they will not need the budget to police such 'crimes' in the first place. The Vice Squad is another great example of budget cutting we can use for the NYPD.

Should Dermot Shea be fired immediately?

Yes. He is ineffective, uncontrollable, and dangerous as a leader. The fact that he has totally forgone any semblance of oversight demonstrates that there is no way this situation could improve. His total abandonment of concern for the people he is meant to protect is excessive and stain on our city (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/nyregion/nypd-george-floyd-protests.html). Especially after this summer's actions, there is no question he must be removed.

Should the NYPD Commissioner require confirmation by the City Council?

Yes. If the City Council sets the budget and monitors the agencies of the city, why would it not also have a say over who spends that budget and runs that agency?

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?

We need an anonymous way of reporting these violations to an agency that is not beholden to the NYPD, which fines precincts, not officers, for no observing mask guidelines and social distancing protocols. This will create a culture of accountability inside and outside of precincts without residents fearing retribution.

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

I believe in a stronger Civilian Review Board, and in the importance of extensive background checks of those seeking to join the NYPD so that qualified people with the right temperament can do the job effectively. I think it is important to have periodic reviews on police officers, especially those who receive complaints, and quarterly psychosocial evaluations to make sure that our police officers are able to handle the daunting tasks of their job. In addition, I strongly support body cameras to protect both police officers and civilians. Yes, I would support state legislation to make the CCRB disciplinary determinations binding because this would add a further layer between the city/union/local politics and the accountability that must occur.

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

We should close Rikers and we should push for Costa's Renewable Rikers plan. This is public land and we can use it to transition to a green economy, provide jobs, and lessen pollution through solar farming and waste management. I am against for profit jails. Our jails should be a place for rehabilitation and judged on how well release people do and don’t return to the criminal justice system. Rikers is the end result of a broken system; we need reform of the process and the laws. We must rebuild our police force to drive out the systematic racism and make sure all are treated equally under the law. I would expand access to lawyers to make sure all know their rights and treated accordingly when arrested. I am for decriminalizing marijuana usage, sex work and changing certain non-violent offenses from crimes to fines. The best criminal reform is making sure everyone has enough resources so that they are not forced into crimes of poverty. As such, I am opposed to creating four borough-based jails, when I think we can reduce the prison population to under the amount need to build any new jails.

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! Our governor should have been reviewing sentences, granting clemency, and releasing folks all throughout the COVID crisis. So many were needlessly put in dangerous situations because of our Governor's seeming addiction to incarcerating individuals who have a chance for reform and rehabilitation.

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?

Honestly, we already have an idea of what an informative and accessible version of 311 looks like: the Citizen app. The 311 needs to be overhauled for ease and accessibility. It should be more than a number; it can be an app that easily lets you report a problem, get information, and return to the app to see the status of your complaint or concern. The app could be in multiple languages this way and be available in a slim down version on LINK NYC terminals. Internally, the data can be shared and catalogued to help improve services and response times. Externally, the data can be anonymized and open-sourced for research and public administration programs to study and optimize for better responses. It could even be integrated with the NYC ID program, so all your NYC info could be centralized in one place. We can do much better for this system!

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

Yes- sex work is work and I will pledge to oppose the Nordic model. Criminalizing sex work for the provider of services (what we currently have) only allows for the sex worker to be exploited both physically and financially by the situation, in holding them outside the protection of the law and financial system. A criminal record and financial penalties only further systemic problems. Criminalizing sex work for the purchaser of services (i.e. the Nordic model) still puts sex workers in danger by pushing their clients underground, in dangerous, hard-to-manage situations. and has secondary and tertiary exposure for the sex worker because of the ramifications of the law (i.e. an apartment being treated as a brothel because a sex worker works out of it). We need to decriminalize, decarcerate, and destigmatize the sex trades in New York City and State to make sure that sex workers are protected and are be able to leave this work, if they so desire, without any sort of penalty, as one would for any other kind of work.

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

NYC is one of the most racially segregate school systems in the country. One of the ways to address the racism in our society is by having our schools intentionally desegregated. This is also a question of social justice in that education should not be limited according to race or economic status. I will join district plans and work with our community education councils to make sure our schools our racially and economically diverse. Parents would also be less likely to cluster in areas where schools are well-funded if all schools were equally well-funded. The State still owes us the money for our schools (which we will fight for), but also we need a more progressive tax structure to make sure all our schools our funded and our teachers and other staff are compensated appropriately.

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

We need to decentralize control so that parents may have more decision making power.

Do you support public funding of abortion?

Yes

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

Do you smoke or otherwise consume weed?

No

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 anti- IDC organizer. I started a political club called the John Brown Party which had events and fundraisers for Zellnor Myrie, Robert Jackson and Jessica Ramos. I was a donor, volunteered and did door knocking for Jessica Ramos's campaign

What will you do to support nightlife in NYC?

I am an FDR Democrat, and I believe that in times of recession or crisis it is the government’s responsibility to make sure we have full employment, and as FDR did during the depression, employ a huge percentage of unemployed people. This idea of expanding resources, space and possible contractual work should be open to artists. We can fund artists for public performances, for teaching, for beautifying the city, for giving a voice and a platform to those who have been most left behind in the recent decades of fast development. I think one of the biggest problems facing our artist community is affordable and accessible work/spaces and I will be working on providing affordable and accessible work/live spaces as well as affordable venues to keep NYC the center of the cultural/artistic world.

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

Absolutely! The voices of small business owners have been totally left out in the cold during COVID - they need to be center-stage during the recovery. I have met with the small business owners and have been an advocate for the Small Business Job Survival Act, rent relief, and grants to keep businesses alive and their employees employed (https://qns.com/2020/12/city-council-can-save-small-businesses-but-only-if-they-act/).

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 estalishments?

Yes. We need to center the voices of those most harmed by COVID during the recovery from it. We also need to partner with organizations like the Freelancers Union who are advocating for the rights of gig workers who often are working at these establishments without the necessary protection and education of their labor rights. We need to uplift owners, operators, and everyone in between if we are going to build a city that thrives post-COVID.

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, allowing for these expansions and reforms will help our businesses to thrive post-COVID and encourage development in areas that have long been unable to serve their communities in this way. The only non-dancing rule in NYC belongs on Broadway when they revive Footloose.

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

I was proud to be in the lead of the Anti-Amazon fight to stop the developers from stealing our land and giving tax breaks to the wealthiest company in the world. Big companies like Amazon don't need our money, they don't deserve our money, and the developers who have come after Amazon have promised 50,000 jobs (twice what Amazon offered) developed by union workers, so they are spending our money better. We do not need to negotiate with businesses who will harm the residents of our city.

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

I believe it is a council member's job to collect information, gauge public opinion, and after that, become a loud, public champion for or against the development for the neighborhood. As I did with the proposed development of the Anable Basin, I would get together representatives from across various neighborhood groups (including tenant leaders) to get the opinions of the area and learn whether we as a community should support or not support this proposal. I would work with the unions to see how to work with these companies, and if we decided the development was good, we would support moving forward. If we found that public opinion was against the development (because it would make the community less affordable, because it used non-union labor, or because the developer/development company did not reflect the values of the community), we would not move forward, and we would use our various community strategies such as massive rallies, grassroots PR campaigns, and administrative tools including blocking permits, support, and ULURP if that was involved, to stop the deal.

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

Yes. We need to fight the prison-to-shelter pipeline. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, every year since they began counting in 2014, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of formerly incarcerated individuals who leave prison and end up in a shelter. This is due to a number of factors from a lack of affordable and/or supportive housing to a lack of opportunity for re-integration as well as prohibitions on where they can reside. We must lessen the number of barriers these people face when returning to society.

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

Yes

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

NYC is a sanctuary city. So first, let me make it clear that I do not believe ICE raids are not welcome here. Not in homes. Not in court rooms. Not at all. If we can't protect immigrants in our city administratively, we need to partner with federal elected official and organizations like NYIC to make this an important public affairs issue for the Mayor so the whole city becomes involved in the advocacy. In order to protect our city's status as sanctuary, we must loudly live our values and write laws that reflect those values. During the Covid crisis, I established two emergency food pantries and we have distributed groceries to over 50,000 people. We did not ask for ID or immigration status in our private organization, so I do not think that should be a requirement for food, housing or health care from public institutions. Our government services must be accessible to all. We have responsibility to make sure all have access to our services and opportunity. That can only be done with making this available in the languages of our peoples. All people deserve a fair trial and part of that is having competent representation, so all people deserve representation, regardless of status. They must have access to all the services they pay into and maintain, because immigrant pay taxes in many ways, such as sales tax. They should have a voice in how that government functions and provides services.

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 believe healthcare is a human right, and I support a single payer system. A single payer system will save money. A single payer system will keep hospitals open for care. A single payer system is the only way to put patients before profits. It made sense before COVID, and it makes even more sense now! Unfortunately, the city's abilities are somewhat limited, but the state has some great options available thanks to Gustavo Rivera's bill in the State Senate, and Richard Gottfried's bill in the State Assembly. With our super majority, it is more important than ever that representatives at every level fight to get this bill passed. That's why I support NYSNA's plan at the state level to create a single-payer, universal health care system for New York state; it would expand the number of people covered greatly, reduce costs and deliver services more efficiently.

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?

A. DiBlasio ( I regret this now), B. Leticia James and Jumanne Williams C. Bernie Sanders C. Zephyr Teachout and Leticia James

Top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively

Affordable Housing, Health Care, Criminal Justice Reform

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?

We will be working to reform the Uluup process to allow communities more power in decision making and decentralize power from the Mayor and speaker to allow City Council Members more ability to represent their constituents.

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

I will be giving our diverse communities a voice and working with them to make sure they have the resources to provide for themselves and their families and the power to determine their paths.

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, the LGBT community can be partners in working together to address issues we face and holding me accountable if they believe I have ever lived up to the principles I profess.

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

Yes

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