Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Lindsey Boylan for US Congress NY-10

Candidate Name : Lindsey Boylan

Office Seeking Election for: US Congress, Congressional District 10 (Brooklyn, Manhattan)

Campaign Address: Lindsey Boylan for Congress
511 Ave. of Americas #4067, New York, New York 10011

Campaign Website: lindseyboylan.com

Campaign Telephone: 646-858-6996

Campaign Social Media Handles (Facebook/Twitter):
Lindsey Boylan for Congress: https://www.facebook.com/LindseyBoylanforCongress/
@LindseyBoylan: https://twitter.com/LindseyBoylan
@LindseyBoylanNY: https://www.instagram.com/lindseyboylanny/

Campaign Contact (name/phone/email):
Sapna Moudgil-Shah: 646-858-6996, sapna@lindseyboylan.com

Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district:
As a public servant, I’ve served in many roles. Most recently, as a government official for the state of New York, I was able to secure hundreds of millions of dollars for NYCHA when congress failed to act, led the state’s effort in disaster relief for the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, pushed to enact $15 minimum wage and Paid Family Leave and oversaw the renovation and modernization of Moynihan Station.

I plan to bring this experience, and action, to Washington D.C. Having worked on these issues
for the state, I know that we can do better for our district.

Do you now support or have you ever supported openly LGBTQ candidates for public
office?
Yes.

If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBT community have you introduced
or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly).
N/A

What LGBT organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
Both my husband and I are very involved with The Door, as a mental health advocate, I am active with NAMI, and I advocated for the Stonewall House when I was working for NY State.

If applicable, what LGBT organizations have you allocated funds to?
The Door and NAMI.

Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBT community?
No.

Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
I’ve marched in the New York Pride March every year for the last five years, and have attended the New York Pride March since I moved to New York 15 years ago.

Have you employed openly LGBT individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
Yes.

If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
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?
I’ve attended the Women's March, every impeachment rally in New York, No New Jails, No Hate No Fear, and the Climate March which I believe bears an impact on all of these issues.

If elected or re-elected will you become a member of the “Squad?"
When elected to Congress, I look forward to working with all individuals and groups that are interested in addressing issues important to my district.

Have you ever been arrested? If so please explain why and outcome of arrest.
No.

Will you advocate for legislation to mandate 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?
Yes.

Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons such as Bedford Correctional Facility?
Yes.

Do you believe sincere remorse, risk of reoffending and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes.

Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?
Yes - I’ve participated in events for the release of aging people in prison, ending cash bail, and I was an active supporter for Tiffany Caban’s campaign because of her position on issues related to clemency and parole.

Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes. When I managed sanitation at Bryant Park, I intentionally hired people from work based programs from the prison pipeline. For me, this is personal - I’ve had close family members in prison who had trouble reentering the workplace upon having served their time.

Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work?
Yes.
If an incumbent, did you vote for HR 1865 in 2018? Will you introduce and or support legislation to amend HR 1865 so that sex between consenting adults, with monetary exchange, is legalized? This would include the use of ads and on-line contact.
Yes.

Do you support a national law legalizing gestational surrogacy? Will you introduce such legislation?
Yes.

What proposals will you advocate for the protection of immigrants and to further New York as a Sanctuary City?
It is a disgrace that our existing immigration law does nothing to help immigrants who are trying to make a better life for their families. At the beginning of my career, I interned for a small family run immigration firm along the El Paso - Juarez border that helped people avoid deportation. It is an understatement to say we need massive policy reform.

As a start, we must recognize Dreamers and abolish ICE. I also believe in expanding TPS and the number of refugees we welcome into this country.

In regard to refugees, our immigration policy must reflect the fact that climate change is the leading cause of mass migration.

More broadly, it is time to acknowledge the reality of our economy, which requires a variety of skills and labor. Immigrants are not ‘stealing jobs’ - they are often doing the hard, thankless, and often dangerous, work required to keep our businesses and homes running. We need a workers-based program that addresses the jobs immigrants do, which are essential to our economy.

Will you advocate, including introducing legislation, to remove public funding from religious schools?
No.

Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes.

Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates.
There was no IDC candidate running in my district - but I was supportive of all the IDC challengers.

Will you commit to hiring a member of the LGBT community to serve as a liaison to the community?
Yes.

Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBT representation among your staff?
Yes.

Who did you support for office in the following races A) mayor and Public Advocate in 2014 B) President in 2016 C) Governor and Attorney General 2018?
A. Christine Quinn, Daniel Squadron
B. Hillary Clinton
C. Andrew Cuomo, Letitia James

Describe any federal legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination
Almost every policy needs to be recalibrated within the lens of systemic racism, colonialism, and discrimination. I believe we must open the research to explore reparations, legalize marijuana, end cash bail, end school segregation, and update racist fair housing laws.

Additionally, when it comes to climate change, it is often our most vulnerable communities that stand to lose the most. Hurricane Katrina hit during my senior year of college. It is that event that compelled me to pursue a career that involved building more equitable cities. Over a decade later, I oversaw the Office of Storm Recovery for the State of New York where we were still processing five years of backlog work from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy — while taking on much of the disaster relief effort in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria. I know firsthand that we must strengthen our preparedness efforts at the federal level.

We are no longer living in a time when we can rely on FEMA alone to handle the influx of destruction caused by climate change. Domestically and abroad, we must seek to position justice and equality at the core of our response to the greatest challenge of our lifetime. This begins with the commitment to deliver investment and workforce development resources to communities poised to be disproportionately affected by climate change, including front-line, low-income and communities of color. We must invest resources to build a safe infrastructure for at-risk areas and create millions of living-wage jobs for communities historically disenfranchised and negatively impacted by our dependence on fossil fuels.

What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
I support more robust student debt relief programs, especially career based programs for people entering public service. People shouldn’t have to be worried about choosing a lower paying career based on the burden of student debt. Additionally, we must aggressively criminalize for-profit education institutions with high attrition rates who aren’t graduating people or providing quality education.

Given the way our economy is transforming at a rapid pace, we must increase the quality of higher education as we look to the future. Doing that will require significant investment, which is why I feel it would be disingenuous to say that all college be free for everyone. However, I am in favor of scaling need-based programs similar to the Excelsior Scholarship in New York State, which is the country’s first accessible college program that made college tuition-free for middle-class New Yorkers. We are living in an era that requires continual learning and alternate paths for vocational learning. I support free community college to ensure every young person access to higher education - and adults of any age an opportunity to continue learning in a field that may be evolving, or a new field altogether.

And, I fully support increased funding for HBCUs and minority serving institutions.

Additionally, one of New York State’s best assets in attracting job opportunities is our amazing public higher education system - from Community Colleges to Universities and research institutions across the state. I wholeheartedly support increased funding for these institutions at the federal level.

Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate.
Yes. I support Medicare For All. And as part of that fight, mental health must be treated on par with physical health to combat the mental health crisis this country is facing.

Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
I am pro-choice. These are essential services that should be covered under healthcare.

Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate?
I will refuse all corporate PAC money, and I will refuse or return any individual funds from bad faith actors in the real estate community, labor, or any others that exacerbate issues in this city.

Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
Yes.

What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsements decisions?
NY-10 is one of the most unequal districts in the nation in terms of wealth distribution. In our country, every generation should have the opportunity to thrive - to be as successful, if not more, than the generation before. This extends across having a safe place to call home, access to a quality education, a living wage, and affordable healthcare. We need to restore the American Dream and ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

Additionally, as a woman and a mother to a young child, I don’t believe women will be able to achieve true equality until we hold an equal amount of leadership positions. From the ERA not being passed, to no Paid Family Leave or Universal Childcare, and abortion rights under attack — we can’t wait for someone else to make the change we need. We have to do it ourselves, we have to do it now, and we have to help each other get there. I hope I can count on your support. And lastly, having had family members incarcerated in the private prison system, I believe we need avid activists for prison reform. People are driven to make choices for a variety of reasons. Prison doesn’t make you less human. I believe we need to abolish felony disenfranchisement: people in prison should be allowed to vote.