Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Shaeleigh Severino for City Council District 32
Candidate Name: Shaeleigh Severino
Office Seeking Election for: City Council District 32
Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district.
I’m an activist, advocate, and public servant raised in Woodhaven, Queens. I first began organizing with my mom at eight years old. As a proud pansexual Afro-Latinx woman and the daughter of two immigrants, I have fought for the rights of Black, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ individuals ever since. After attending M.S 210 and P.S 60 within my district, I went to Richmond Hill High School, which was on the brink of shutting down. I worked diligently to
keep our doors open by fighting to implement college classes, founding a tutor program to boost test scores, and creating a school store to provide students with employment opportunities and scholarships. By the time I graduated, our attendance rate rose from 36 percent to 86 percent and our test scores rose by 20 percent, allowing our doors to remain open.
I am now completing my final undergraduate year at St. John’s University, where I’m working towards a B.A. in Government and Politics and a B.S. in Legal Studies. Simultaneously, I am a first year Masters student graduating with an MA in Government and Politics at St. John’s in 2022. With almost four years of paralegal experience specializing in immigration, litigation, and elder law, I have seen the value of legal advocacy. I am dedicated to bringing justice to people of all origins, races, and backgrounds.
My background, upbringing, and necessity inspired me to run for this seat. Growing up in a working class family, I’ve seen the devastating effects of segregation, declining educational quality, cultural division, food and transportation deserts, and flood risk in my district. I believe fundamental change begins at the local level, particularly within the City Council. As such, I launched my candidacy to end the hetero-normative, racially biased, and disability-inaccessible game of politics that favors corporate interests over families like mine. I’m running for this office to advocate for the underserved and under-represented members of my community, and to usher in generational change and racial diversity to District 32.
If elected, I will make history as the first woman and LGBTQIA+ individual to represent District 32, the first Afro-Latinx woman with a disability in the New York City Council, and the youngest elected official in the New York City Council. In addition to these firsts, our historic campaign revolutionizes the treatment and funding of education, climate change initiatives, public safety, and social services. District 32 needs a representative unafraid to implement bold, innovative, and progressive reforms to combat the multitude of concurrent crises New Yorkers are facing. My grassroots organizing experience, commitment to advocacy, and growing team of dedicated campaign directors, 40 hard-working interns, and 175 passionate volunteers displays my power to win this City Council seat and serve as the leader my community needs.
Your answer
Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidate for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?
Congressman Mondaire Jones and Elisa Crespo, New York City Council Candidate
If applicable, what legislation directly affects the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly)
If elected, I will call on the state legislatures to repeal the Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution law, otherwise known as the “Walking While Trans” law. This is meant to target sex workers and transgender individuals and allows for officers to arbitrarily arrest and detain New Yorkers for simply walking around or loitering on the street. I will also advocate for the signing
of A.5240/s.6479, which would effectively implement gender-neutral bathrooms across the entire state.
Further, I will advocate for incarcerated transgender individuals to be placed in prisons based on the gender with which they identify. That said, I recognize that harsh policing tactics disproportionately impact LGBTQIA+ individuals -- especially those who identify as transgender -- and am committed to completely reevaluating how public safety is treated and funded within our communities.
I support reallocating funds from the NYPD to social service programs, expanding the Crisis Management System, and reinvesting money made from the legalization of marijuana into LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities that have borne the brunt of harsh criminalization efforts. I will extend all of these safeguards to undocumented transgender individuals as well.
Possibly my most important goal is funding LGBTQIA+ specific housing initiatives. Societal stigma and widespread shelter discrimination has allowed nearly 40% of LGBTQIA+ youth to experience homelessness. This must change immediately. If elected, I will support the creation of LGBTQIA+ specific housing within already existing units operated by the New York City Housing Authority and the creation of brand new housing entirely fit to serve LGBTQIA+ individuals. I also will support the creation of an LGBTQIA+ caucus within the New York City Council to help achieve as many reforms as possible for the LGBTQIA+ community.
What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
Through an educational pathway, I've spent some time organizing with Lambda Legal when a few representatives had spoken at my current college to highlight the LGBTQIA+ issues through the legal system and housing descrimination.
Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
Yes, I identify as a pansexual woman. (she/her/hers)
Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
I have been marching every single year in the NYC Pride March since 2015.
Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
As I am currently a student and paralegal, I have not had direct hiring abilities in my work. However, in my campaign, I have had the great fortune to hire a number of openly LGBTQIA+ staff members, interns and volunteers. In addition, Out of 200 members in our team of directors, interns and volunteers, 102 are women and 95 are women of color. We have a diverse pool of
South Asian, Latinx, and Black women on our team, which encourages us all to learn from one another. We reflect the diversity of the district, which is a necessity if we wish to address the many intersectional issues present in our community.
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 intersections of my identity have been oppressed and isolated by society for decades. As a young Black-Latinx LGBTQIA+ woman with a disability, I have had no choice but to defend myself in places I am not in due to the treatment of folks such as myself in a world that states I am not enough. I have learned to use this anger into advocacy and into creating a movement of change with those around me and I have been attending protests and rallies since the I was very young with my mother regarding injustices of corruption, worker’s rights, people power and as I got older I have continued that advocacy and have attended multiple LGBTQIA protests including for the #WalkingwhileTrans more recently but also, same- sex marriage protests, Queer Liberation March in 2019, Black Queer Lives Matter protests and rallies, a number of rallies on such issues.In the past few years since the death of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice all in the same year in 2014, I have attended multiple police brutality protests annually. I have also attended the Women’s March annually, the Resist Trump Protests, etc.
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. I previously spent 5 months going to Queensborough Men’s Facility for 3 hours a week to facilitate conversations with a group of 10 men on social issues and the criminal justice system. This dedication is what I seek to continue if elected to the New York City Council as the voices of the most vulnerable and voiceless are crucial in any advocacy work. Although I am running to represent my district, I am currently continuing my advocacy work of a juvenile youth who was wrongfully convicted of a crime at the age of 15 years old, and has been held in Riker’s since.
We must end this cycle of punishment and retribution.
Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes!! As a strong advocate for Crisis Management Systems and my proposed dedication to Chair the Committee of Public Safety, it is critical to have someone who has gone through the criminal justice system and understands the role of policing in order to help support legislation that will help thousands of New Yorkers.
Describe your legislative and policy vision for combating systemic racism.
If elected, the main issue I will focus on is improving public safety throughout New York City. Years of biased police laws and harsh tough-on-crime tactics have led to disproportionate arrests and prosecutions of Black, Brown, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We need to rebuild trust within our communities, and this starts with a top-down reevaluation of the role, responsibilities, and funding priorities of the NYPD and Office of Public Safety. If elected, I will support reallocating funding from the NYPD to social service programs; expanding the Crisis Management System (CMS); abolishing automatic immunity; implementing anti-bias, de-escalation, behavioral crisis, and mental disorder training; enforcing body camera usage; and more
Our criminal justice system is deeply flawed. Cash bail and mandatory minimums have aided mass incarceration and the oppressive machine of the prison industrial complex, and unfair cannabis criminalization has jailed hundreds of thousands. We need immediate reform. If elected I will commit to funding and expanding the Crisis Management System (CMS) which deploys credible messengers to mediate conflicts and connect high-risk individuals to the resources they need. This service has been linked to a 40% reduction in gun violence, compared to a 31% reduction in areas where CMS isn’t utilized. I will also support increased transparency measures for the NYPD and advocate for the removal of automatic immunity to increase accountability.
We must also end the police quota system that encourages the wrongful detainment of people of color.
As the only Black- Latinx woman candidate running to represent District 32, which is home to the largest number of NYPD officers, FDNY members, law enforcement officials, veterans, and civil servants, I’m committed to improving relations between our police and communities of color. First off, we need to better educate our police officers on how to handle implicit racism and mental health crises. By properly funding comprehensive de-escalation training, anti-bias training, behavioral crisis classes, mental disorder training, and city-wide civil service workshops for NYPD officers, law enforcement will be better equipped to handle community relations.
Additionally, by utilizing Crisis Management services as an alternative to police, conflicts can be handled with less violence and intimidation. Reforming policing itself, though, will not be enough to fully improve the relationship police officers have with citizens. When services like affordable housing, healthcare, childcare, quality education and the like are properly funded, a constant police presence that consistently threatens the lives of communities of color becomes less necessary.
Will you not seek, and refuse, the endorsement of Bill de Blasio?
Yes, I will not seek the endorsement. Bill de Blasio has done nothing to support the LGBTQIA+ community, including our Black and Latinx LGBTQIA+ youth.
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. Some individuals that have played a major role in shaping New York that would better fit includes Sylvia Rivera, born and raised in NYC and a life-long gay liberation, and transgender rights activist
What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?
We should remove it immediately. Christopher Columbus committed genocide on Native American People. If elected, I would vote and fight to replace the statue with a Native American statue.
Will you refuse contributions from real estate developers and all law enforcement unions or associations?
I will not be accepting donations from real estate developers. I believe our land approval process can do better and needs reforming. We need more community input and participation in the final decision making process, and must move towards a racially equitable planning system that aims to prevent displacement and gentrification. We must encourage our local community to build and attain wealth while ensuring the protection of first time home-owners and small businesses. We should focus on providing and creating more affordable housing with a calculated average median income that is respective to the specific area and neighborhood. We also need to stop utilizing overpriced hotels and condos to house our homeless, which increases housing values and aids in gentrification. If elected, I will work to ensure the City Planning Commission is not selected by the mayor and borough president, but by members of the community.
Do you support reducing the budget of the NYPD and if so, by how much?
Many services can be shifted from the NYPD including but not limited to homeless outreach, response to mental health situations, and wellness checks. In addition, emergent situations can be managed by respective departments given they have a more functional budget to handle the reconstruction of non-punitive public service. For example, homeless outreach can be directed to the Department of Homeless Service instead of the NYPD Homeless Unit. The allocated funds for each unit are better placed within the budget of each department. This ensures the safety of those who need social service support from professionals, not the police.
There are civilian agencies that could provide these services, and who have the required training and experience. Detox and rehabilitation is another important area, as these services should be offered as opposed to arrests for nonviolent drug possession.
If elected, I will support reallocating funding from the NYPD to social service programs; expanding the Crisis Management System (CMS); abolishing automatic immunity; implementing anti-bias, de-escalation, behavioral crisis, and mental disorder training; enforcing body camera usage; and more. Our police have been tasked with too much, and their roles deserve to be redistributed to other areas of the city.
Police officers have been tasked with too much, and if elected I will commit to funding and expanding the Crisis Management System (CMS) which deploys credible messengers to mediate conflicts and connect high-risk individuals to the resources they need. This service has been linked to a 40% reduction in gun violence, compared to a 31% reduction in areas where CMS isn’t utilized. Additionally, I will ensure that our civil servants are protected by allotting more funding to military transitional programs, volunteer fire departments and the FDNY EMT, and city-wide civil service workshops.
How would you have voted on the FY21 City Budget?
No. This 2020 fiscal year budget was the exact opposite of what the people in our city needed. Instead of funding affordable housing, our homeless were rushed into shelters and hotels only to be kicked out months later. The $100 million budget cut for sanitation has aided against the work of climatic and environmental justice around the city. The hundreds of millions of dollars removed from our education budget further jeopardized the quality of our children’s education.
If elected, I will fight to ensure our budget funds the following reforms: removal of lead from NYCHA housing buildings; repairs to roofs of NYCHA homes, which had the largest clusters of COVID-19 due to already poor health conditions; proper funding for school services to provide sufficient technology and assist with the teacher shortage that presented itself this past fall; aid with paying back teachers the money they’re owed from the Bloomberg administration; and proper funding for our city’s COVID-19 response (expanded rapid testing, providing New Yorkers with increased access to food banks, and frequent check-ins for our elderly and veteran populations).
The people of New York City and our district deserve a fair and equal budget that reflects the needs of our larger community. We must move forward towards budget justice
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, I support the removal of the NYPD from these services and locations especially in schools. The traumatic socialization and mental impact on the youth exposed to punitive policing do not mirror the environment needed for intellectual and personal growth. Schools need more guidance counselors to ensure the needs of students as well as de-escalate problems with emotional-based learning and conflict resolution. Furthermore, many of the functions that the police currently perform within schools require specialized training and work experience, so these functions can be transferred to the proper civilian agencies without punitive measures.
Many services can be shifted from the NYPD including but not limited to homeless outreach, response to mental health situations, and wellness checks. In addition, emergent situations can be managed by respective departments given they have a more functional budget to handle the reconstruction of non-punitive public service.
I support the removal of officers in all of the above mentioned areas except for traffic enforcement agents due to the fact that TEAs direct traffic and write parking summonses, they do not write tickets for jaywalking or stop speeding or reckless drivers. They are almost exclusively people of color and often the victim of assault and violence on the job. When traffic enforcement workers were part of the DOT physical attacks, including broken limbs, peaked in the early 1990s with approximately 600 a year. After TEAs were moved into the NYPD, assaults declined to approximately 100 a year. Similar to the school safety officer debate that took place over this summer, placing the duty of an NYPD-administered task onto another agency (whether it be the Department of Education or the Department of Transportation) is an idle attempt at reform. Further, we must do everything possible to prevent a possible rise in attacks for our traffic and parking enforcement personnel while ensuring we are not hurting a group of individuals that are majority black and brown from being displaced from a job that provides them with stability to take care of their families.
Should the NYPD Vice Squad be eliminated?
Yes.
Should Dermot Shea be fired immediately?
Yes. From his horrific handling of the protests that erupted this summer in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to his inability to hold his officers accountable for excessive use of force, Shea has been a disappointment as NYPD Commissioner, to say the least. Commissioner Shea has worsened and delayed an opportunity to work with the community through his negligence in enforcing masks being worn by officers, to handing out masks in one neighborhood to arrests for not wearing a mask in another. Under Shea, our citizens witnessed in broad daylight the snatching of a member of the LGBTQIA community. The inability to respond to this in a reasonable fashion is failure at the highest level. Further evidence of this was even after known criticism of unequal handling of force took place again during the uptick in right wing demonstrations that harassed and through negligence to public health yet all left undisturbed and without police antagonization.. It is absolutely essential for the people of New York - especially in communities of color - to have faith and trust in the leadership of the NYPD and Shea has lost both of those things. The only reasonable path forward is to fire Shea.
Should the NYPD Commissioner require confirmation by the City Council?
Yes. In order for the Commissioner to have legitimacy in the eyes of all New Yorkers, they should be allowed and empowered to have a say in who gets the job. As the representatives of all New Yorkers, the Council should have the power to confirm or reject whoever the Mayor selects as NYPD Commissioner.
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?
I think any officer who refuses to wear a mask should be placed on unpaid leave until they are ready to take responsibility for his/her health and that of the communities they serve. Police officers are sworn to protect and serve and they can do neither of those things if they are deliberately putting themselves and others at risk of contracting Covid-19. Moreover, officers should be leading the charge and setting an example on all mask-wearing and Covid safety regulations.
What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?
What is your position on the plan to close Rikers and create four borough-based jails?
Rikers’s long history of abuse and violence and its contribution to the over policing of minority communities proves its closure is necessary. I support Council Member Costa Constantinides’s “Renewable Rikers Act”, which plans to turn the island into a hub of renewable energy.
Additionally, I oppose new jails being built in place of Rikers.
Instead of building more jails and prisons to provide a “quick fix”, we should ensure that our students, veterans, immigrants, homeless, and sick are well taken care of through increased social service spending. We must reimagine a world that isn’t focused on the criminalization of BIPOC and foster a rehabilitative approach to our current criminal justice system known to disproportionately affect black and brown people.
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. We need a holistic, new approach to prison reform. People who have served that much time and have reached that age deserve an opportunity to reenter society. We need to end mass incarceration immediately. Mandatory minimums, quotas, officers stationed in schools, and privatized prisons and prison services incentivize our police to arrest en masse. These arrests are disproportionately made on people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and only serve to reinforce a system of institutionalized discrimination and prejudice.
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?
311 should provide text- services with automatic replies for information based on an individual's location or zip code, for issues regarding parking, sanitation, snow days, school service, etc. It’s long overdue that these services are upgraded to meet our digital needs but also serve in a new form such as being a method of contacting mental health services, homeless outreach and a resources center for services around the city including but not limited to veterans, the formerly incarcerated, etc.
Do you support decriminalizing sex work? Will you pledge to oppose the Nordic model?
We must decriminalize sex work and provide safety measures for those who partake in the industry. It’s time we recognize the legitimacy of sex work and stop its criminalization which only contributes to further abuse, exploitation, and sexual assault, especially for minority and immigrant populations. It’s also time to end the “Walking While Trans” ban, which is meant to target sex workers and allows officers to arbitrarily arrest and detain New Yorkers for walking around or loitering on the street. By providing a social safety net and increased access to healthcare services, sex workers can begin to receive the justice they deserve.
Do you oppose school screening, which exacerbates segregation? Which screens in your school district(s) will you advocate to abolish?
Education District 27, which encompasses my City Council District, is by far the most segregated in New York City. I am the product of the most segregated school district, as a public school student from K-12. As a student with a disability in this school district, I have a unique perspective of the challenges students face when there has been a divestment for resources and awareness that we must do better for our students and our teachers. To effectively desegregate our schools, we must address the obvious failings of the Department of Education upper administration that have continuously failed teachers and support staff in disadvantaged communities. We also must stop school closures, encourage smaller classrooms, and prioritize larger schools over education campuses. I am opposed to all standardized testing, especially the use of the specialized HS exam (SHSAT) for the purposes of admissions to these selective schools.
The City Council should work with the state to integrate cultural and emotional learning into our classes and develop a school curriculum that is just and racially aware. The City Council also must support the United Federation of Teachers and their fight to establish other criteria besides testing to measure the success of schools, teachers, and principals. Likewise, we must change enrollment processes for charter schools funded by the Department of Education. Lottery systems must be implemented in low income zip codes to ensure students of all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses have the opportunity to attend charter schools. These measures will provide the groundwork to begin fostering a more equitable, inclusive, and integrated education landscape.
Describe what reforms you would make to the control of the NYC public school system.
Education is at the core of our society, and an investment for our future and our youth. As a public school student, I’ve experienced a lack of proper resources to succeed. Teachers, schools, and students within our district are ill-equipped, and the disparity between educational quality disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. All of these issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19, and reminds us everyday that we have a lot of work to do.
If elected, I will support funding our education system with $1.1 billion from the city budget to ensure our public schools are getting the financial support they need to run successfully. I will fight to increase grant money in order to upgrade technological resources for low-income families, remove NYPD law enforcement officers from our schools to end the school-to-prison pipeline, and desegregate our schools.
I will support the return of the Teacher’s Choice Fund, which provides additional funding to teachers each year for supplies, and will strongly oppose the conversion of public schools into charter schools. I will advocate for ADA compliance, and will work to implement free ESL courses for non-English speakers and to save essential programs like SYEP, SEEK, and ASAP.
I strongly oppose charter schools and the conversion of public schools into charter schools. Over the last ten years, the rise of charters has diverted desperately needed resources and funding from public schools. As the education budget continues to get slashed, for-profit education is becoming a viable alternative for many New Yorkers in need of quality education. This must change. The 1.1 million economically disadvantaged public school students deserve to receive adequate education for free, in safe schools with stable infrastructure.
Do you support public funding of abortion?
Yes. It is a public health issue and basic healthcare. We must not only publically fund abortion, we must publically fund birth control and sexual education that includes sexual education for all sexual identies and orientations.
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. Addiction is a disease and one that cannot be overcome by demonizing, imprisoning and disadvantaging addicts. People are going to find ways and means to use and abuse drugs and it should be our policy to at least allow them safe, monitored and supported sites in which to do it - as opposed to leaving these folks to fend for themselves in dangerous, unsterile, unsafe situations.
SCS enables addicts to seek out help and counseling. They enable addiction experts and therapists to make contact with people who are struggling. They are fundamental to a new, wholistic and empathetic approach to addiction and drug use.
Yes, I would support the city’s authority over the state’s. Officials and experts in New York City understand the problem far better than any state official would, and we should empower city officials to use their own judgement and discretion in identifying and establishing SCS that could be invaluable to individual communities.
Do you smoke or otherwise consume weed?
Yes, sometimes! Legalize it! Decriminalize it!
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?
Not applicable.
What will you do to support nightlife in NYC?
Nightlife is incredibly important to the cultural and economic life of New York City. It creates jobs, attracts tourism and boosts the economy in innumerable ways. I think the most important thing we can do right now to support nightlife during the pandemic is fight for financial relief for the industry while it is shut down. Club owners and their employees are hurting right now, and if we want there to BE a nightlife industry when this pandemic is over, we have to provide bars, clubs and venues immediate relief.
We must also investigate ways in which clubs and venues can reopen safely. Once we pass this difficult winter and the weather gets warmer, we should look into ways to enable nightlife to resume. Providing outdoor space and other creative solutions would allow clubs and venues to make some revenue - hopefully enough to keep their doors open. We cannot risk public health and safety, of course, but there can be some creative ways to allow people to drink and dance (and spend money) safely.
Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes. Small businesses in my district are incredibly important to me and I want input from any and all sources before making decisions that could impact businesses and workers in my community. That input has to be weighed and balanced in all of my decision-making
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 establishments?
Yes. I think it’s essential to include as many different voices on community boards as possible and nightlife/restaurant owners are key. At this point I won’t commit to excluding any specific voices from community boards because I think debate and opposition are important in creating solutions to community issues. I certainly will avoid any and all “hostile” voices because they detract from debate and progress.
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. While job creation and economic growth are critical, they must always be weighed against the community impact as a whole. I felt Amazon’s plan to bring a headquarters to Long Island City would have led to the displacement of low-income and POC communities, driven up rent prices and property taxes, dealt a serious blow to affordable housing in the area and fundamentally changed the face of that area.
We must always insist that any and all new businesses - no matter what size - commit to being active and equitable corporate partners within communities. Amazon’s inability to pay taxes or pay its workers fairly (or allow them to unionize) concerns me deeply and I would have had deep reservations about bringing their headquarters to LIC. Any and all plans in the future must involve progressive tax reforms, commitments from Amazon on worker protection and environmental responsibility and an ironclad agreement that all development - residential or commercial - that results from such a move would take the community’s needs seriously, place an emphasis on affordable housing and cause absolutely no displacement.
What role do you believe the local member should play in the approval of development proposals before the Council?
Few issues are more important than land use policy and development throughout the city. I believe our land approval process can do better and needs reforming. We need more community input and participation in the final decision making process, and must move towards a racially equitable planning system that aims to prevent displacement and gentrification.
We must encourage our local community to build and attain wealth while ensuring the protection of first time home-owners and small businesses. We should focus on providing and creating more affordable housing with a calculated average median income that is respective to the specific area and neighborhood. We also need to stop utilizing overpriced hotels and condos to house our homeless, which increases housing values and aids in gentrification. If elected, I will work to ensure the City Planning Commission is not selected by the mayor and borough president, but by members of the community.
Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing?
Yes. Housing discrimination of any kind is deplorable but when addressing formerly incarcerated people, we have to do everything we can to provide fair and equitable opportunities, including housing. Every available study shows us that if a newly-released
convicted person is given access to a job, healthcare and housing, they are far less likely to return to criminal behavior. Providing fair and affordable housing to the formerly-incarcerated is not only the right thing to do, but it will drive down the city’s crime rates and drastically reduce the prison population as a result.
Do you oppose the removal of the nearly 300 homeless individuals from the Lucerne hotel due to pressure from some local residents?
Yes. Moving homeless people into hotels throughout the city during the pandemic has been one of the more successful decisions made by the city government. We have provided housing for people who need it, provided desperately-needed funds for struggling hotels and helped combat the spread of Covid-19 by making out streets less congested.
We should not allow the complaints of a handful of wealthy, privileged New Yorkers stand in the way of progress. This policy has been working and has provided needed comfort and relief to a struggling population. If the Mayor attempts to move these people, he needs a to have a viable plan in place for where they are going and how they will be provided for.
What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a Sanctuary City?
As a daughter of two immigrants, a paralegal specializing in immigration, and an Afro-Latinx woman, I’ve seen how much our society undervalues immigrants and understand the obstacles they experience. I believe everyone -- no matter their immigration status -- should be entitled to quality housing, healthcare, food assistance, and education.
Considering our country was and continues to be built by immigrants, many of whom pay taxes and contribute to our communities in meaningful ways, I believe New York City residents who are not U.S. citizens should also be allowed to vote in municipal elections. If elected, I plan to implement free ESL courses for those struggling to overcome the language barrier, and will continue to support the New York Immigration Family Unity Project, which ensures legal representation for all detained immigrants. By running a bilingual campaign with equal outreach to Spanish and English speakers, my candidacy is one which aims to hear the concerns of all New Yorkers.
In response to Covid-19, I will fight to ensure that everyone - regardless of immigration status - has access to the vaccine. Any attempt to use personal information like ID cards and SSN’s against these people (as is currently proposed by the Trump Administration) is an outright attack against the undocumented community and it cannot be allowed.
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.
Absolutely. At the federal level, I strongly support Medicare-for-All and, at the state level, I’m in favor of the New York Health Act. As a person with a disability who has dealt with health issues most of her life, healthcare is a deeply personal issue.
When I was around eight years old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Long before then, I had a medical issue that doctors were unable to figure out, and thus was treated as a guinea pig used for testing treatments and trials. As I grew up, I had gone through multiple diagnoses, many of which were incorrect. I had gone through both chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant before I was later diagnosed with JRA. Surviving my adolescence with a disability and paying for my essential medical coverage was nothing short of a challenge, which is why I am a fierce advocate and supporter of the Universal Single Payer Healthcare legislation for our state. The current New York Health Act, without question, needs to be passed. It is vital that we do so as quickly as possible, not only because of the urgent public health crisis caused by COVID-19, but also for the thousands of New Yorkers who have been left without coverage and were unable to see a doctor for years prior.
Passing this bill means there will be no co-pays, deductibles and premiums that make life-saving or positively life-altering medicine and treatments inaccessible to the uninsured. For healthcare workers, this eliminates the fear and risk of being unable to care for a patient because they have to be turned away due to their insurance status.
While the detractors of this Act use the current budget crisis caused by the pandemic as a reason to not support its passage, they fail to recognize that with single payer health care in New York State, our city’s inhabitants will be significantly less financially burdened and have a much better quality of life. We finally will be able live in a better protected, safe, and insured city. Insurance companies should not control the quality of care for those that do not have the privilege to afford it. Not providing individuals with healthcare should be considered a crime. It is a basic need and a facet of human rights.
Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2013, Public Advocate in 2013 and 2019, C) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018?
A.) Bill DeBlasio
B.) Letitia James, Jumaane Williams
C.) Bernie Sanders, Bernie Sanders (then Joe Biden) D.) Cynthia Nixon, and Letitia James
Top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively
Public Safety and Police Reform
Public Education and School Reform
Sustainability and Environmental Justice Issues (which includes Healthcare Rights)
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?
Please explain your vision for the present powers of the office you are seeking and how you intend to exercise them?
If elected to NY City Council, I will be a Council Member who listens, a Council Member who advocates, and a Council Member who delivers on her promises. If elected, I will be a passionate voice for my community and all those individuals who have been overlooked for far too long. I will fight for the New York City Council to reflect the needs of every New Yorker not just the ones who have deep pockets.
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. First of all, as a member of the LGBTQIA community, it would be incredibly meaningful and humbling if I were to receive the endorsement of this organization. Jim Owles was a pioneer and a true leader who redefined what we thought was possible for all of us. From establishing the GAA to becoming the first openly-gay candidiate for public office, Owles was a revolutionary and the club formed in his honor continues his essential work.
The rights and freedoms of all LGBTQIA people are central to my life and I will be eager to partner with the Club on developing a larger platform during my campaign and in the creation of new legislation and action while in office. Together, I believe we can fight for expanding protections for LGBTQIA in the workplace, put an end to the “Walking While Trans” law, increase affordable housing for LGBTQIA individuals, develop a better rapid-response effort for youth in crisis and - above all - increase the visibility, viability and strength of LGBTQIA individuals in our government.
I want the Owles Club and the LGBTQIA community at large to hold me to my word and make sure that I am always fighting for expanded protections and rights as well as keeping LGBTQIA issues central to my work on the City Council. I am not opposed to getting called out by your club - or any of my constituents - on social media for not doing my job. Setting up a regularly-scheduled check-in, whether once a week or once a month, to discuss current issues and planned events will also be critical for us to establish a working partnership throughout my tenure on the Council.
If you receive the endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Yes. Proudly and often.
What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsement decisions?
As a young member of the LGBTQIA community, receiving this endorsement would mean the world to me. I launched this campaign to prove that everyone - regardless of race, wealth, status, zip code, sexual preference, sexual orientation, religion, or any other qualification used to define and separate us - deserves a seat at the table.
As an Afro-Latinx, pansexual woman who lives with a disability, I carry a lot of stories and cultures and backgrounds within my identity. I intend to bring all of those stories with me to the City Council because they are essential voices to my district and this city. For too long, the levers of power in New York have been held by entrenched, established, white, hetero-normative hands. We are the most beautifully diverse, culturally rich city in the world and it’s well past time for our government to reflect that.
I know there are some in this city who will view my campaign and candidacy as “fringe” or unusual. I welcome those responses. I intend to redefine what people think of when they hear “City Councilwoman.” I intend to fight for the marginalized, the overlooked and the unheard. I intend to win this race, and with the help of groups like the Jim Owles Club, I believe I will do exactly that.
Thank you very much for your consideration.