Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Harvey Epstein for City Council District 2
Candidate Name: Harvey Epstein
Office Seeking Election for: New York City Council District 2
Campaign Website: https://www.peopleforharvey.com/
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why do you believe you are best qualified to represent your district?
I am running for the City Council because the urgent priorities of our community require trusted leadership and a robust vision for our future. While serving our
community in the New York State Assembly has been one of the greatest honors of my life, I believe there is more work to be done, particularly at the local level, where the impact on our daily lives is most direct and immediate.
As an elected official, I’ve been able to build upon my work as an advocate and public interest attorney. In the State Assembly, we have achieved meaningful progress on key issues such as protecting tenants, preserving affordable housing, reforming the criminal justice system, expanding employment for people with disabilities, improving education, promoting environmental sustainability, and protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.
It is a natural progression for me to go to the City Council to champion the issues I’ve been fighting for my whole life. I will focus on tackling the housing and climate crises, breaking down the existing barriers to mental health care access, investing in our youngest New Yorkers with high quality programs for everyone at the early childhood, public school, and higher education levels, and fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. These challenges are not just topics of legislative debate but are realitiees affecting millions of New Yorkers every day.
My decision to run for City Council is driven by a steadfast commitment to confront issues head-on, bringing the same passion and dedication I’ve upheld in Albany to City Hall.
2. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally? What LGBTQ candidates have you endorsed?
I have worked with many LGBTQ organizations, including Act Up, the Stonewall Democrats, Equity New York, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, SAGE, The Ali Forney Center, Audre Lorde Project, GMHC, and in the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. In this campaign, I have been endorsed by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, State Assembly Members Deborah Glick and Tony Simone, and City Council Member Erik Bottcher.
3. If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club on all literature and electronic materials?
Yes, for the materials that will list my endorsements.
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 have attended dozens of press conferences in Albany and NYC around LGBT issues, including for legislation we have passed providing needed funding and support for the LGBT community across the state. I have been an advocate and ally for LGBT causes and have attended numerous rallies, dating back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic–far before my first election–to now. I have been a fierce advocate for pro-choice issues my entire adult life and have rallied, protested, and marched for choice in Washington DC, NYC, and Albany. I have advocated for criminal justice reform and racial justice and rallied against Donald Trump throughout his first term and will continue to do so during this second Administration as well.
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?
We all know that the next four years will be tumultuous and difficult. So many of our New Yorkers are at risk from both the direct and indirect consequences of this second Trump presidency. I will fight every day to protect our city and our people against every form of hate that the Trump Administration may spew out– racism, sexism, Islamophobia, transphobia, the list, we know, could go on and on – and I will put all of my legal, legislative, and political expertise to its best possible use in resisting and protecting us all.
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?
No.
7. 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?
See Answer to Question #5
8. Do you support the unrestricted right to reproductive care and abortion?
Yes.
9. Have you hosted, funded or otherwise supported Drag Story Hours in your community?
Yes.
10. What proposals will do you support to increase the protection of immigrants and cement New York City’s status as a Sanctuary City?
I have a history in the Assembly of protecting immigrants, including my support of the Green Light Law, immigrants’ right to counsel, and strengthened sanctuary law, passing my immigrant bond bill with dozens of community-based organizations. I will build upon that work and expand access to public services for immigrants. We must ensure that NYC is protected as a sanctuary city and we must be especially vigilant now to protect against the threats of mass deportation under this second Trump Administration.
11. How will you represent the most vulnerable, including individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers? Have you ever opposed any shelter in your district?
I recently released my housing platform, which is designed to address the core challenges of affordability, equity, and sustainability. By building 21st-century middle-class housing, converting underused commercial spaces into homes, and expanding mandatory inclusionary housing, we’re making it clear: housing is a human right, and New York must lead the way in protecting it. We’ll go even further by expanding the use of community land trusts, recapitalizing public housing, and protecting vital assets like Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperatives and protecting existing affordable housing. Together, these strategies will rebuild the foundation of a city where families can grow, communities can thrive, and the most vulnerable among us—including our seniors—are safeguarded.
Moreover, I have long-standing relationships with many immigrant-led groups in the city, including Make the Road New York, the New York Immigration Coalition, DRUM, and African Communities Together, to name a few, when I ran what is now called Takeroot Justice, and I will continue to work in tandem with them to
ensure that our most vulnerable are protected. I have assisted asylum seekers and the homeless in my community with supporting food pantries and clothing drives that have helped thousands of people.
12. 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.
Yes
13. 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.
Yes
14. 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.
15. Do you oppose the death penalty?
Yes.
16. Do you support outlawing solitary confinement?
Yes.
17. 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 to both, and I regularly visit people in prison and jails.
18. Do you commit to working to change our penal system toward a restorative rather than a retributive model of justice?
Yes.
19. 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 to both.
20. Who did you support for mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary election?
I originally supported Dianne Morales, and when her campaign imploded, I withdrew my endorsement and I supported Maya Wiley.
21. Which 2025 Democratic candidates have you removed from your consideration? Have you endorsed anyone? If so, who?
I have not endorsed any of the Democratic candidates yet, but will not support Eric Adams or Andrew Cuomo.
22. Do you support the renaming of the Ed Koch bridge and will you work towards the renaming including sponsoring such legislation?
Yes to both.
23. What are your plans to address rent affordability in NYC? Did you vote for “City of Yes”? If not, please explain
In addition to my housing plan as laid out above, we must make sure our public housing complexes are given the capital they need. NYCHA needs more than a facelift—it needs a lifeline. Fully-funded, fully-livable public housing for 400,000 New Yorkers is a must. Dignity starts with a safe, healthy home. This requires a commitment and investment in the capital needs of public housing that must start now.
Recapitalizing public housing goes beyond infrastructure; it’s about investing in people. Comprehensive capital improvement plans will improve the quality of life
for residents, while energy-efficient upgrades will reduce long-term costs and environmental impact. NYCHA must remain public, affordable, and
well-maintained—a cornerstone of housing equity in our city. This requires a strong capital commitment from the City Council and Mayor to invest in our public housing. This investment will also help our climate goals by investing in energy efficient technology that will move NYCHA a long way to our climate goals.
I am not currently on the City Council so did not have a vote on “City of Yes.”
24. What are your plans regarding short-term housing?
We need to create more units of transitional housing to help people who need short and long term support and have thousands of new supportive housing apartments available as soon as possible. We also should ensure that housing is preserved for New Yorkers and not for short-term visitors–that is why I have come out in strong opposition to Intro 1107 (the “Airbnb Bill”).
25. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why should we believe you would be a dynamic and progressive voice in elected office?
I’ve lived in the community for 30 years and have raised my family here. My political philosophy is that I serve the community and believe that social movements drive policy. As an elected official, it is my job to be the ally to those movements by introducing and pushing legislation. The work I have done in the Assembly includes, but is not limited to, fighting for affordable housing, healthcare, climate initiatives, criminal justice reform, and gender justice. My track record is evident in my work expanding funding through foundation aid, public funding for elections, expanding tenant protections, increasing revenue, fighting to end mass incarceration and working towards gender justice. I have been a champion in these fights in Albany and will take the same energy and value system to my work on the City Council.
26. What additional information would you like the Jim Owles club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision?
The Jim Owles Club and I share the same mission. I have been endorsed by the Jim Owles Club in my prior Assembly races and I hope I have earned your support again in this campaign so that we can continue our work together on the City Council.
27. Are you a potential candidate for City Council speaker in the upcoming term? If so, what is your platform?
No.