Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Jo Anne Simon for Brooklyn Borough President

Candidate Name: Jo Anne Simon

Office Seeking Election for: Brooklyn Borough President

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

I am a longtime community activist, a disability rights attorney, and progressive Assemblymember for 6 years. I am running to become the first ever female Brooklyn President so that I can work with Brooklynites to build back Brooklyn even better. Not only is it time for a woman to lead Brooklyn, but I am a woman with substantial experience in the community, legal, and political arenas. As an experienced activist on progressive transportation and environmental projects, I have seen first-hand how the voice of the average person is rarely at the table on decisions that impact their lives. I want to change that. Because I was often one of those people sitting in an auditorium late at night trying to impact change - I will put the voice, the creativity, and the intelligence of the community at the forefront of the rebuilding from COVID-19 and re-imagining that Brooklyn now faces. The Borough President is in a unique position to build a coalition of Brooklynites that can guide and implement real change. As Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm said, if there’s no seat at the table for you, pull up a folding chair. As your Borough President, I will work towards a more vibrant and inclusive Brooklyn, regardless of race, class, age, gender or sexual orientation...folks won’t need a folding chair. My entire career has been about lifting the voices and fighting for the rights of those who have been historically marginalized. As a teacher of the deaf, and then through my work in disability rights, I valued the insights and contributions of all stakeholders. I will listen to Brooklynites, harness the energy of a strong coalition of citizen experts, and use the visibility of this position and capital dollars to make a difference in our children’s education, our small businesses, environmental justice, housing, health care, transit, gun violence prevention, and an overhaul to our land use policy. I am a fierce advocate for Brooklyn and I have never shied away from standing up to powerful interests or big developers. I am an extraordinarily accessible legislator, with a storefront office and frequently host public meet and greets.

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

I endorsed and worked to elect Jesse Pierce last year as the new District Leader for AD52. Some LGBTQ+ New York candidates include Alan Fleishman, Judge Richard Montelione, Debra Silber, Corey Johnson, Harley Diamond (candidate for civil court), NYC Council Members Daniel Dromm, Rosie Mendez, Carlos Menchaca, NYS Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Harry Bronson, Matthew Titone, and Daniel O’Donnell, Senator Brad Hoylman. I have also supported candidates in other parts of the country, including US Sen Tammy Baldwin, Ed Flanagan in VT, among others.

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

I co-sponsored GENDA, a bill to legalize paid surrogacy, a ban on conversion therapy for minors, and a bill to prevent the use of a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as an affirmative defense in an effort to reduce a charge of murder to manslaughter. I also co-sponsor the bill to repeal the ban on loitering for the purpose of prostitution (A654, a.k.a. walking while trans). I was also the main sponsor of a major piece of gun violence legislation in 2019, the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) bill, which prevents interpersonal gun violence and reduces the rate of suicide. I co-sponsor the good cause eviction bill. We can’t build our way out of this housing crisis - we need to also ensure that the housing we have now is more affordable. I will continue to fight for increased beds for homeless runaway youth, supportive housing, and housing and other services for LGBTQ+ seniors who have had too few champions. I have been very impressed with the work that SAGE is doing and look forward to collaborating with the organization as Borough President. I would bring the weight of the office to advocate for the creation of an office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, similar to the Office of Immigrant Affairs. I would advocate for better data collection on LGBTQ+ individuals by the City which has not been following the law on this. If we don’t have demographic data, it will be harder to develop policy and resources. I would like to hear from you about additional areas that need attention

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

I have long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. I am a member of Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, the Jim Owles Board of Governors, and have been a member of Stonewall Democrats over the years. In the early 1990’s, I volunteered to draft wills for HIV positive clients of GMHC and won the first succession rights case in DHCR in 1992 for a man whose partner had died of AIDS, thus saving him from eviction. I have worked with Gays Against Guns on their gun violence prevention efforts and participated in their actions, contributed to GMHC, HRC, and other LGBTQ+ groups. I met my husband at an event in support of an organization that provided meals to people living with AIDS. I also host a senior resource fair every year, and feature LGBTQ+ groups working in my district and the borough, including SAGE and GRIOT Circle. One of the panel speakers at the town hall portion of the fair was Paul Nagle, Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Development Corporation.

Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?

I am a strong and vocal ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

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

I have marched in Pride parades for many years, beginning with the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979. I have also marched for about 15 years in the Pride parades in Manhattan and Brooklyn and the St. Pat’s for All parade.

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

I have previously employed openly LGBTQ individuals and I am fortunate to have always had a member of the LGBTQ community on my staff. I also currently employ members of the LGBTQ community, including my Chief of Staff.

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?

Dozens! Probably more at this point. I have attended demonstrations, marches, rallies on all of these issues in Brooklyn, New York City, Washington D.C, Albany, and more. I attended several events and protests in support of BLM this past year. I joined a press conference in the wake of the disgraceful insurrection attempt at the Capitol Building to call on the Department of Justice to fully investigate the actions - and lack thereof - of the Capitol Police. Clearly law enforcement’s approach to this act of domestic terror is very different from what we saw in connection with last year’s response to BLM protests. Trump, who incited these domestic terrorists – must be removed from office immediately, whether by the 25th Amendment or by impeachment and I have publicly made this statement.

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

Yes, I was arrested protesting the closure of Long Island College Hospital. I represented myself and others at the Red Hook Justice Center court and we were all released with an ACD.

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

If possible, yes.

Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?

Yes. Many of the staff at Brooklyn Borough Hall are civil servants and would likely remain on staff through a transition, but with any new openings, I will seek the best person for the job and if they are formerly incarcerated, that would not be a barrier.

Describe your legislative and policy vision for combatting systemic racism

Both of the areas I have specialized in - disability rights and transportation justice - are areas where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are disparately impacted because of a lack of medical resources, racial discrimination in special education and a legacy of neglect on account of race. The transportation area has always benefited the most privileged communities leaving BIPOC with challenges when it came to navigating their way to work, school and other needs. My response to address the legacy of racism in other areas is the same. Listening to the concerns raised by racial justice advocates and working to systemically reverse the harm created by supporting the facts - that it is time for governance that centers equity and racial justice. I have been an active supporter of the Alliance for Quality Education’s efforts to ensure the campaign for fiscal equity’s education funding, school integration, expansion of MWBE programs, and expansion of rent stabilization protections. I have also been an outspoken advocate to repeal the SHSAT test for specialized schools, which is not a valid test and which disproportionately impacts African American and Latinx students (and girls). I am also committed to being anti-racist, amplifying the voice of BIPOC, and ensuring that policies and programs that reduce racism are at the forefront of our policy plans and programs in 2021 - including in land use, jobs, and anti-poverty measures. This last year, we have focused efforts on combating racism in policing, judicial and prison systems. I was a prime sponsor of the package of criminal justice reforms passed in the state legislature this year, including the repeal of 50a. I continue to fight for the abolition of solitary confinement, the release of aging people in prison, and fair and timely parole for people who are incarcerated. I was also part of a vocal minority who stood firmly against the state’s bail reform rollbacks. I have engaged with the Brooklyn DA’s office on reentry programs and working with young people to avoid gun violence and to address educational gaps. They are very interested in my bill to screen folks for reading disability, for example. I will work with the DA to ensure that Brooklyn is at the forefront of innovative programs and alternatives to incarceration.

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

I will not seek it.

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 would support this effort. Though it’s outside the purview of the Brooklyn Borough President, major landmarks and infrastructure inform and impact our culture, and I support efforts to disassociate the legacies of racists from that culture whenever possible.

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

I support removing the statue, in the same spirit as my answer above, and replacing it with a monument to New York City’s native Lenape people in answer to Columbus’ colonialist legacy, or a statue supported by the Lenape people.

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

Yes.

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

Yes. We need to reallocate funding to various social and educational services, domestic violence prevention and counseling services, and cure violence programs that work in the gun violence prevention space. We ask police to do too many things for which they are neither trained nor for which law enforcement is appropriate.

How would you have voted on the FY21 City Budget?

I would not have voted in support of the budget.

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, all of the above. As stated above, we need to reallocate funding to the appropriate groups with the expertise to provide these services, including transit workers for traffic issues and various social and educational services, and counseling services for their related areas.

Should the NYPD Vice Squad be eliminated?

Yes.

Should Dermot Shea be fired immediately?

Yes.

Should the NYPD Commissioner require confirmation by the City Council?

Given the current state of affairs between the community and the NYPD, yes. However, also key to solving this issue long-term is electing a Mayor who is committed to reforming the NYPD.

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?

The rules should be applied equitably and they should be fined like any other person violating this rule and required to wear a mask in order to work in public while on duty.

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

Yes, the CCRB’s disciplinary determinations should be binding and its members should be publicly elected. The CCRB should be revamped form top to bottom, and we should be rethinking our entire process of police oversight. The CCRB's jurisdiction should be expanded - right now it deals with relatively trivial (but still important) complaints and this is why many complaints are abandoned. Big cases are dealt with elsewhere (e.g. criminal cases), which is right but diminishes the standing of the CCRB, which often gets cases years later after other avenues have failed. The CCRB’s having a role in more serious cases would help the agency be viewed more seriously. It could also play a bigger role in handing down reports and advisory opinions. The CCRB has lots of data and expertise. Doing reports takes time and money which it lacks, so it resources should be beefed up to allow it to do the job it is supposed to do and so the CIty can utilize its expertise more effectively.

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

I have long advocated for closing the modern day penal colony of Rikers. From its remoteness to its facilities, Rikers is not good for our City and not just for its people. I support a more humane criminal justice system, and the reforms that were recommended in the Lippman Commission’s report towards a jail system that is smaller, safer, and fairer seemed to make sense to me. However, the City ultimately did not follow the Commission’s recommendations and therefore I didn’t support the City’s plan. Senator Montgomery and I convened a town hall meeting with local communities, members of the Lippman Commission, advocates and formerly incarcerated people to begin engaging on these issues. Unfortunately, the City never took up the engagement platform we handed to it on a platter and dropped the ball. The Brooklyn House of Detention - which is in my district - was to be razed, and re-built with a new building that included a more humane facility and space for support services. I was involved in the community’s engagement process - which only began after the plan was released and after I vocally expressed opposition to the plan - and we did win several concessions. The City agreed to make the facility smaller, create a separate women’s facility per the request of women who are incarcerated, and create over 250 therapeutic housing units. However, I ultimately testified against the plan as it still had too many beds, and we know that if those beds are created, they will be filled and our goal must be to continue to reduce the number of people who are incarcerated, including diversion and violence prevention programs, mental health services.

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. I have been a staunch supporter of releasing older people and cosponsor a bill to that effect, for fair and timely parole, for the bill to HALT solitary confinement, and several other criminal justice reforms.

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?

One of the problems with 311 is knowing which keywords to tell the operator, so that you are connected with the right services, and that is no way to run an airline. The onus should not be on the citizen to know which agency to request or buzzwords to use, but on the training of the operators to provide better service. Another common issue is that multiple people have to lodge a complaint in order to get attention to certain issues, and this approach may be helpful in some instances, but certainly not in all areas. The concept of connecting people to government easily is ideal, but the execution and the connections to real people is often problematic and I receive many complaints about this. People should be able to talk to workers in government agencies.

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

Yes, I strongly support decriminalizing sex work. I need to familiarize myself more with the Nordic model.

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

I oppose school screening. I support the D15 integration plan and my office and I attended meetings throughout the process. So far it is working well. Experience will reveal where changes may need to be made. I am not sure we are there yet. We have also encouraged D13 in its work towards creating its own integration plan. The issue of reducing screens for school admission needs to be addressed broadly, and equitably in a culturally competent way.

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

I am not prepared to offer any prescriptions in this regard at this time. I am a member of the Assembly Education committee and we are about to have an additional hearing on the governance of NYC Schools. I did not support mayoral control of the schools when it was first passed and I have not seen it improve our schools. It is also unclear whether a reversion to the prior school board system would be effective. The legislature is exploring models and consulting with experts as I want to learn more before forming an opinion as to control of the NYC public schools. That being said, some options include reforming the PEP so that a majority of members are not appointed by the mayor, giving the City Council the oversight it has over other agencies, and restoring SLTs' authority to create budgets.

Do you support public funding of abortion?

Yes, wholeheartedly. I am strongly pro-choice without restriction, believe that abortion is health care and worked for several years (1979-1981) as an abortion counselor at a clinic in Washington, DC. I co-sponsored the Reproductive Health Act, the Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act, and the Boss Bill which prohibits discrimination against employees based on reproductive health choices. I am also working to expose fake “crisis pregnancy centers” including one in my district.

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 and yes. I supported plans to have a site in Gowanus in my district and I am an active supporter of VOCAL-NY (that plan has stalled).

Do you smoke or otherwise consume weed?

I do not (lifelong migraine sufferer and pot does not go well with migraines!). I am a strong co-sponsor of Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes bill to legalize marijuana.

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 have not endorsed members of the IDC. I also worked very hard to elect Sen. Zellnor Myrie whose district overlaps with mine, turning out over 3800 votes for him from 17 election districts.

What will you do to support nightlife in NYC?

Nightlife is an integral part of New York City’s culture, and a source of arts and entertainment, and I support efforts of the nightlife industry to be a thriving part of our cultural and business community.

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

Yes, and it has been my practice to speak with the restaurant and bar owners in advance of taking a position. I have worked hard to help the bars in my district deal with the impacts of pandemic related closures, including a favorite place across the street from my home.

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, if people are hostile to these establishments in general.

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?

Yes

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

My position is the whole ULURP process should be radically transformed to afford the community a meaningful seat at the table. As their communities’ representative, a local member should be afforded additional input and consideration in the land use process, but I do not support upholding member deference in all cases. Major changes to our City have consequences for all New Yorkers, and the City Council as a body is charged with making decisions in the best interest of the City as a whole.

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

Yes

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?

I was an active co-sponsor of the green light bill and have supported the availability of driver’s licenses for persons who are not documented since former Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed it. I was also a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act. I have actively supported the Legal Aid Society and Arab American Family Support Center which supports immigrants with education, training and legal services including immigration support.

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.

I support a single-payer universal health care system and have co-sponsored and voted for the New York Health Act throughout my service in the Assembly. At the city level, I was supportive of the expansion of MetroPlus and NYC Care a few years ago and I believe it’s imperative to maintain and further expand the accessibility of our NYC Health + Hospitals system.

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?

In all but a few cases over the last 20 years, I support candidates endorsed through my home club’s endorsement process. In 2013, I supported Bill DeBlasio and Letitia James. In 2016, I proudly supported Hillary Clinton. In 2018, my political club endorsed Gov. Andrew Cuomo and so I did as well, and my friend Letitia James for NYS Attorney General. In 2019, my club endorsed my colleagues Michael Blake for PA in the special election.

Top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively

Reforming and shaping key charter mandated roles of the Borough President in formal land use review procedures and community board appointments (including the resources provided to them) and strategic use of the capital dollars at the BP’s disposal to improve and augment eco-friendly transportation infrastructure to improve street safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Having led the effort to get the City’s first traffic calming project off the ground, these are issues that are close to my heart and my experience. A local land use boondoggle started my civic activism in the early 1990s and the crises in how we plan -- or don’t -- remains a passion of mine. Land use projects inevitably have significant environmental and economic impacts on our communities - and projects should reflect the communities’ vision. Communities can plan. In my experience, deciding what you want can be more difficult than reacting to what you don’t want. It’s harder - but ultimately more rewarding and successful - when done in a collective manner. I led community groups in envisioning what we wanted within the framework imposed by an Urban Renewal Area designation to plan for developing 6.5 acres of parking lots into 37.5% low and moderate income housing at Hoyt Schermerhorn. It is an excellent model for community-based planning. It is so successful that few people know about it now because no one is fighting about it! I will also work to make Brooklyn more liveable, and this must include a focus on environmental justice and a shift towards public power. My other key policy will be to ensure that every child in Brooklyn will be able to read. Education is the great equalizer. Every child should be screened for dyslexia and other related learning disabilities and get the interventions they need before they fall behind. I also hold a bill, which the Assembly passed but the Senate did not take up this year, to screen people who are incarcerated for dyslexia. Our educational system is not a level playing field -- while dyslexia amongst the general population is around 20%, research shows that between 50% -75% of people who are incarcerated have reading disabilities; too often these disabilities go undiagnosed and/or unaddressed in communities of color which can then have devastating impacts. Literacy is a matter of social justice, and I will continue to fight for this. Another priority I have is wiring Brooklyn. I have advocated at the state level for digital infrastructure - broadband, websites, to be considered “capital” - freeing up the availability of such funds to nonprofits and cultural institutions, so they can qualify for assistance to develop and maintain the digital presence they need in today’s world. I will work with government, communities, and local organizations to assess the need and engage with community and businesses to create a mechanism to bring reliable broadband throughout the Borough equitably. We need look no further than the challenges in remote learning in our schools to see how profound a need this is, or to see the inability of many community members to access Zoom or other online services due to lack of funds for such services or unreliable service. We will also need to focus on recovering from COVID. I am going to continue to pressure the federal government to provide relief, and New York State to enact several revenue raising measures that are currently on the table. I am one of the few state legislators who is part of a revenue justice group with state economists who are looking out for all New Yorkers, not just the wealthy. We need a massive infusion of funds to aid the borough or we will be fighting over the crumbs.

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?

The budget process is very opaque and so fostering transparency in any way would make a difference. I would expand participatory budgeting, earlier consultation of the mayor with the Borough Presidents and the council members instead of the late in the game briefing when meaningful input is unwelcome because too much has been set in stone. I would advocate for a proper real-time dashboard highlight what funds exist and where exactly (e.g., in which Borough, which neighborhood, etc) those funds are being invested. The history of land use is racist at its core and we need to flip the picture, develop new tools, and literally start from scratch. Fiddling with zoning will not achieve the progress we need and that our communities deserve. When community is not at the table, racial and social equity is an afterthought. That has to change. I have long stood up to greedy developers and made enemies of many of them, and I will continue to do so. #3 is something I need to think about a bit more. Since the elimination of the board of Estimate, the Borough Presidency has little power. There needs to be more ability for the Borough Presidents to exercise more authority over aspects of planning and siting of facilities, including those that are energy related. Brooklyn has 30 miles of shoreline and climate change and climate justice must be at the forefront of our work, but with respect for the implementation of macro policy at the micro level, otherwise we will not be successful.

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

Besides the capital dollars and a bully pulpit, the BP can also have a strong public presence to help shape vision, policies, and program needs of the City. Any plan to help Brooklyn recover from the impacts of COVID-19 that could be effective needs to be the product of on-the-ground engagement with stakeholders, and I intend to make this type of engagement a central piece of my work as Borough President. We need to talk to impacted parties about their needs, and then advocate, organize, and fund accordingly. I intend to bring back the stakeholder task force approach of a former Borough President, with my own approach which is rooted in community engagement and empowerment.

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. Communication with me about these issues is key to accountability.

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

Yes, proudly.

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

My entire career has been about lifting the voices and fighting for the rights of those who have been historically marginalized or discriminated against. As a strong ally to the LGBTQ+ community, I value and respect the work of the Jim Owles Club and it would be incredibly important to me to have your support.