Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Sandy Nurse for City Council District 37
Candidate Name: Sandy Nurse
Office Seeking Election for: New York City Council District 37
Campaign Website: https://sandyforcouncil.com
Campaign Social Media Handles: Instagram @sandyforcouncil21 ; Twitter @SandyforCouncil
1. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
No.
2. If you answered “yes” to the first question, do you believe members of hate groups should be permitted to join the City Council LGBTQIA+ caucus? Do you believe the Republican party is a hate group? If you answered yes to both questions, do you support ejecting Republicans from the caucus?
n/a
3. What work have you done on behalf of the LGBTQ community? This can include endorsing LGBTQ candidates, drafting or advocating for legislation directly benefiting the LGBTQ community, working with LGBTQ organizations, allocating funds to LGBTQ organizations, marching in Pride parades, attending rallies/protests/press conferences in support of LGBTQ issues, and/or employing openly LGBTQ individuals.
As an organizer who has literally and figuratively been co-creating physical spaces and community institutions in my district for nearly a decade, I pride myself on the fact that people from all walks of life continue to find joy, purpose, and power in the groups and spaces I have led. Since joining City Council, I have been honored to sponsor Public Advocate Williams’ bill 0066 regarding signage on transgender rights at hospitals, work with my friend Councilmember Cabán on her bills 0153 and 0154 both of which work to fight gender-based and domestic violence, help pass Councilmember Moya’s bill 0179 to produce a report on women, GNB, non-conforming, and intersex workers in non-traditional careers.
I continue to support and advocate for the causes of my friends Tiffany Cabán and Samy Nemir!
4. Has Mayor Eric Adams met the needs of the LGBTQ community? Please include “yes” or “no” in your answer, and explain your answer.
No. Instances of violence against the LGBTQ community have increased since Mayor Adams took office, and he has been entirely absent in providing solutions, guidance, or even comfort. The recent decision by his administration to stick to the decision to ban sleeping at youth drop in centers is cruel, and disproportionately impacts queer youths who are more likely than their counterparts to experience homelessness. Refusing to denounce homophonic members of the administration and City Council is a disappointment, if not a surprise.
5. Would you demand that the Mayor re-institute its office of LGBTQ affairs, with its leader being a member of the LGBTQ community chosen in consultation with the City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus?
The Mayor should absolutely re-institute the office of LGBTQ affairs. New York City can be a beacon for queer Americans all over the country, and the community here is such a huge, vital part of our culture. With such a deep bench, it goes without saying that there are plenty of members of the LGBTQ community who would be qualified to head such an office, so there would need to be an impossibly unlikely twist for another person to make the most sense.
6. Have you made requests to the Office of the Mayor to demand inclusion of LGBTQ community in city administration and on city boards? Can you give examples?
I have not specifically made this demand; I was not asked by any advocates to do so.
7. Do you support reparations for slavery?
Yes.
8. Do you oppose all efforts to weaken bail reform?
Yes.
9. Do you support closing Rikers Island? Do you support the administration’s plan to open borough-based jails?
I support closing Rikers Island, and am one of the few Councilmembers or even Citywide leaders who have seen it for myself. In 2021, I believed enough facilities existed to hold Felony Class A pre-trial persons not at Rikers and still shut down Rikers. The census of Rikers has grown significantly as the city has continued to rely on Rikers as a mental health facility. I was never a proponent of the Borough based jails plan, but I have always proposed better facilities for crisis management and long term treatment and rehabilitation that are not jails. At this point in time, I am most concerned that the facilities at Rikers create conditions for fatalities. I am truly hoping we have this conversation with the administration in a healthy way so we can chart a path forward. If the administration isn’t committed to executing the law, then we will find ourselves in an unhealthy debate, which is avoidable.
10. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all jails and prisons, including city jails, and do you support Intro 549 (regarding solitary confinement)?
11. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power for the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will you tweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you be willing to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power to grant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes!
12. If elected, will you include in your office’s newsletter instructions for your constituents on how their loved ones can apply for clemency?
Yes.
13. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? When did you do so last?
Yes, I visited Rikers Island multiple times last year.
14. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? If so, do you support full decriminalization, including decriminalizing purchase and facilitation? Will you commit to opposing the Nordic model, which continues criminalizing purchase and facilitation while decriminalizing sale?
Yes. Sex work is work, and the Nordic model does not complete the necessary progress to ensure Black, Brown, and Trans sex workers can work as safely as their white or cis counterparts, and that every single worker can do so in health and dignity.
15. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary City”?
Immigrant rights are an issue of racial justice, and I will continue to fight to remove obstacles to undocumented individuals in many arenas. We must remove requirements of citizenship, residency, or green card status for public housing, youth shelters, transitional housing, professional certifications, etc., as well as ensure undocumented individuals are safe to seek help from violent domestic situations. Abolishing ICE is a key part of that, and in the meantime, non-cooperation with ICE should be mandated across public agencies and subcontractors - most important of that is a firewall between ICE and the NYPD.
16. Did you support legislation, which passed, to allow non-citizen New Yorkers to vote? Do you support the appeal of the case in which the law was held unconstitutional?
Yes and yes.
17. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces in your district?
I do support supervised drug consumption spaces, and I am supportive of establishing those services in my district, with the caveat that other, especially wealthier, districts also commit to such programs. There is a history of NIMBYism with regards to placement of support services that add stigma and create challenges for communities like mine, still building stability, wealth, and legacy.
18. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes.
Absolutely. Our rejection of qualified immunity is an important part of building an environment where it is even possible to hold officers accountable. With this, we should consider ways in which penalties against officers’ pensions and retirement can be impacted. Officers who betray the trust placed in them should not be entitled to have the city continue to shell out for them indefinitely.
I have done lots of advocacy on specific cases over the last ten years, but also am currently working within my network at NY Local Progress to address the larger lack of accountability across the state with police officers.
19. 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.
Police officers, especially armed ones, have no place in schools, responding to mental health calls, in homeless outreach or social services, or traffic enforcement. All of these can be done better by professionals with more appropriate training and care.
20. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
21. Should the Gangs Database be abolished and do you / will you co-sponsor Intro 360 on the subject?
Yes, I am a sponsor of Councilmember Rivera’s bill int. 0360.
22. Do you support the Progressive Caucus’s requirement that members support cutting funding to NYPD in favor of alternative safety infrastructure?
Yes. I am proud of my decision to remain in the Progressive Caucus, and my colleagues who did likewise. As with my budget vote, I am not afraid to take positions that may present political challenges when I know they are what is right for our district and our city.
23. What concretely have you done to improve access to reproductive healthcare? If elected, what more will you do? Be specific.
Yes.
Bodily autonomy is integral to individual and community success. Abortion is part of
healthcare and should be a personal decision. I am honored to have the support of
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, and I am committed to empowering people
who can become pregnant.
I have co-sponsored and championed City Council policies around affordable childcare
access, reproductive health, and access to abortion medicine and procedures, all of which
contribute to a person’s decisions about how to respond to a pregnancy. Some of those
include Councilmember Cabán’s bills Int. 0465 and 0466, Councilmember Hanif’s bill
Int. 0474, Councilmember Menin’s bill Int. 0490, and Councilmember Rivera’s bill Int.
0506 and 0507.
24. Do you approve of Mayor Adams’ approach to sweeping homeless encampments?
No. This practice is inhumane, does nothing to address root causes, and worsens the
immediate outcomes for the individuals experiencing homelessness as well as the community as
a whole.
25. Do you commit to speaking with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes. My team is founded in co-governance, so all of my positions are informed by actively seeking out input from my constituents on issues that impact them and trusting their expertise.
26. Do you commit to speaking personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support?
Yes.
27. 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 a city bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose?
Yes and yes.
28. Do you commit to removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle?
Yes. That, as well as the one in Brooklyn, should be replaced by figures determined by the Indigenous groups who have been displaced from lands in New York City.
29. Who did you support for Mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary? Did you make an endorsement in the general election?
I ranked Kathryn Garcia first, and Maya Wiley second. I did not endorse in the race.
30. Are you currently a member of the Progressive Caucus? If you are not currently an incumbent, will you join if elected?
Yes, and I am proud to remain one.
31. Do you believe the Progressive Caucus should have qualifications to ensure that its members are actually progressive? Please explain.
I do not support litmus tests, as a general rule. I think if members are committed to advancing our shared progressive agenda, I will welcome their energy and strength in the Caucus, but we have no time for bad faith actors looking to give themselves cover or clout. If members are not comfortable with actively, loudly, and consistently recommitting to our values, then I have no need to count them in the Caucus.
32. If you are a sitting Councilmember, name three votes you took in the City Council that differed from the position of the Speaker.
I strongly opposed the budget, which has been a challenge heading into an election year. I also opposed her on the police pension home rule and went against her on the issue of a large development on Rockaway.
33. The rules of the City Council often make it difficult to get a hearing and/or vote on bills of which the Speaker does not approve. Would you support, and introduce if necessary, legislation that could force the City Council to print, introduce, hold hearings on, and hold votes on legislation.
Yes. While in most scenarios, the role of the Speaker is a useful administrative one, no one member of the City Council should have the ability to fully stymie progress and conversation. That is undemocratic.
34. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
Yes - I have refused support from them in my past campaigns and will continue to do so.
35. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations who donated funds to any of Donald Trump’s campaigns?
Yes.
36. With the continued boycott of Equinox fitness on the basis of owner Steve Ross’ support of Donald Trump and institution of “Don’t Say Gay” policies in his residential buildings, do you commit to opposing his application for a casino?
37. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Yes.
Yes, for all future printings.