Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Tony Simone for NY Assembly District 75
Candidate Name: Tony Simone
Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 75
Website: https://tonyfornewyork.com
1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believeyou are best qualified to represent your district.
I’m a native New Yorker, son of a Peruvian immigrant mother and a father whodrove taxis and trucks to support our family. My late grandfather, a Teamster’suniondelegate,showedmetheimportanceofcollectiveactionfromayoungage.
Today, I live in Hell’s Kitchen with my fiancé Jason, and our rescue dog, Radar.As an advocate and organizer for the past two decades, I’ve led fights for tenantandimmigrantrights,marriageequality,andaccessiblegreenspace.Iworkedforsome of our state's greatest elected officials, including my mentor & dear friend,the late State Senator Catherine Abate, and had the honor to serve as Director ofCommunity Outreach for the NYC Council. In my various roles, I directedvolunteer relief efforts after Superstorm Sandy, led local initiatives to reduce hatecrimes, participated in the NYS marriage equality victory, and defended tenantsfrom bad landlords.
I know that change begins with listening to community concerns, building diversecoalitions, and implementing innovative solutions to our most pressing problems.I’m running because I believe that government can be a force for equity,progress, and the improvement of all our lives. But it will take bold ideas and acollaborativeapproachtofindlastingsolutionstoourmostcomplexproblems.Asan Assembly Member, I’ll bring everyone to the table, new voices from the cityand state, public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and most importantly from thelocal community. Together, we can build a better future for the West Side and forallNewYorkers.
2. Please identify any openly LGBTQQ candidate for public office you havepreviouslyorpresentlyendorsed?RichieTorres,MartyCummings,MelissaSklarz,ChristineQuinn, ErikBottcher,Corey Johnsonandmany more!
3. If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community haveyou introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly)N/A
4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on avolunteer basis or professionally?NYC LGBT Center, Victory Fund, AliForney,GMHC,CallenLorde,GMAD,PrideAgenda,FIERCE&manymore.
5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to?N/A
6. DoyouconsideryourselfamemberoftheLGBTQcommunity?Yes.IcameoutinAllen’s living room.
7. Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately howmany years?Since at least 1994 even before I was out.
8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employanycurrently?Yes andyes.
9. If you receive the endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on allliteratureandelectronicmaterialswhereyoulistendorsements?Yes,ofcourse
10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support ofLGBTQ issues,pro choicelegislation, criminaljustice issuesand theResist Trump Movement have you attended?In support of SONDA, St.Patrick’s day parade protest, marched in several pro choice marches, helpedorganize protection for women at abortion clinics, protested/arrested at murder ofDiallo demostration, against the Bush administration’s illegal war in Iraq, againstthe autocratice regime of Trump & numerous other demonstrations, rallies &protests. I shared a jail cell with Allen after a St. Pat’s parade, for excluding ourcommunity.
11. Have you ever been arrested fighting in pursuit of legislation or for thepurpose of protesting? Please elaborate.Yes - during the GuillianiadministrationfortheSt.Pat’sparadeprotest.Alsoduringthehorrificmurderof
A. Diallo.
12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recentterm?N/A
13. For the following pieces of legislation, please answer if you are currently asponsor or co-sponsor (if you are an incumbent), or if you will co-sponsor(if you are not an incumbent):
Fair and Timely Parole (S.1415A / A.4231A): A bill pending in Albanythat would ensure the parole release process for incarcerated peoplein New York State is based on incarcerated peoples’ rehabilitationandcurrentrisk topublicsafety.Yes
Elder Parole (S.15A / A.3475A): A bill pending in Albany that wouldallow incarcerated people defined by the state prison as older adults,and who have served at least 15 years, an opportunity to appearbefore the Parole Board for an individualized review of their case andchanceat release.Yes
14. If you will not co-sponsor any of the above legislation, why not?N/A
15. Do you oppose the efforts of law and order conservatives to weaken bailreform as written?Yes I oppose it, but there should be some discretion fromjudgesin situationswhere thereis aknown violentoffender.
16. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in stateprisonsand city jails?Yes
17. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility?
When we were arrested and held overnight for protesting the exclusionary St.Pat’sparade.
18. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarceratedshould be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?Yes.
19. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies aregranted every year?Ensuring the Parole Board maintains its full staffingcapacity is one actionable way to ensure more clemencies are granted, and Isupport the proposal introduced by Governor Hochul in the Executive Budgetwhichwoulddoexactlythatbyestablishingfull-timeemploymentpositions.Asalegislator, I would also work tirelessly to continue to reframe the criminal justiceconversation to one around the opportunity to rehabilitate and rejoin society,rather than have incarceration be solely a punitive measure.
20. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power to themany incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will youtweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you bewilling to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power togrant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have youever spoken out in such a way?Yes for all the aforementioned questions, buton the last question I’m not sure it has come up in any of my previous roles.
21. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to theissuesof clemencyand parole?Notthat I canremember.
22. Willyouaffirmativelyseektohireformerlyincarceratedindividuals?Yes
23. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerlyincarceratedpeopleinhousing andemployment?Yes
24. Doyoubelieveinthedecriminalizationofsexwork?Areyouorwillyouco-sponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar (S.6419 / A. 8230), whichfullydecriminalizesanddecarceratessexwork?Yes,Isupport
25. Willyouactivelyopposelegislation(S.6040/A.7069)thatwouldimplementthe dangerous Nordic model instead of decriminalization of prostitution?Explain in detail your views on full decriminalization, the Nordic model,legalization, and the existing criminalization approach.Yes, I support bothmodels but I am more inclined to support full decriminalization
26. Doyousupportendingqualifiedimmunityforpoliceofficers?Yes
27. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and furtherNew York as a “Sanctuary State”?Immigrants are an essential part of NewYork State's fabric and I fully support state-level proposals that would preventfederal agencies such as ICE from indeterminately carrying out deportationarrests while individuals carry out everyday activities such as going to and fromcourt. Immigrants need to be able to use these key societal services withoutlivingin a constant state offear.
28. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumptionspaces?Yes
29. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates whochallengedIDCmembers?PleaseidentifyallcandidatesIhavenotoneither.
30. WillyoucommittoensuringdiverseLGBTQQrepresentationamongyourstaff?Yes
31. Who did you support for office in the following primaries or specialelections:A) Mayor in 2021-Kathryn Garcia B) President in 2016 Hillary Clintonand2020PeteButtigieg,thenBidenC)GovernorandAttorneyGeneralin2018?TishJames
32. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so,who?No.
33. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order toaddress the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, anddiscrimination.Theeffectsoftheselegaciesarewidespreadanddeeplyrooted.Therefore the solutions need to be comprehensive to include criminal justice andparole reform, continued education of our youth on their harmful effects, andstringent accountability to prevent discrimination in housing, employment andeducationalopportunity.
34. What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to makecollege and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, andmiddle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that manystudents and alumni are facing?I would sponsor legislation A54 - that enactstuition-freeNYtoprovidefreetuitionatSUNY,CUNYandcommunitycolleges
35. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Do you or willyou co-sponsor the New York Health Act? Please elaborate.Yes, I fullysupport the New York Health Act and would co-sponsor it. If it does not pass thisyear, I will continue Dick Gottfriend’s legacy and fight to pass a single-payeruniversalhealth caresystem for NewYork.
36. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access tocontraceptives and abortion services.These protections that exist in NewYorkaremoreimportantthanevergivenfederallegalchallengestoRoev.Wadeand I would continue to advocate for all state-level protections that we couldprovide.
37. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committeesrepresenting the real estate industry or law enforcementunions/associations?Yes, I will refuse money from law enforcementunions/associations.IwillalsorefuseallmoneyfromcorporatePACs,includingthereal estate industry.
38. WillyourefuseandrefundanycontributionsfromexecutivesatcorporationscomplicitintheTrumpagenda?Yes
39. Willyoucosponsorthelegislationtoprohibitevictionswithoutgoodcause(S.3082/A.5573)?Yes
40. WillyoupushforthepassageofHomeStabilitySupport(HSS)tobridgethe difference between the public assistance shelter allowance and fairmarketrentsforNY's95,000homeless?Willyouco-sponsorS.856/A.6032,whichamendtheSocialServicesLawtocreateastatewiderentsupplement for families and individuals who are eligible for publicassistance benefits and who face eviction, homelessness, or loss ofhousing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions?Fullysupport
41. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it?Aprogram in its current form must be ended. As an Assembly Member, I wouldworktofindalternativesthatwouldactuallybringaffordablehousingandunionjobs to my district.
42. Doyousupportlegalizingaccessorydwellingunits?Yes
43. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much?Ofcourse, I support fully funding NYCHA
44. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the Climate and Community InvestmentAct? (S.4264A/A.6967) If you are an incumbent and do not currently
co-sponsorthisbill,whynot?Yes,fullysupport
45. DoyousupporttheNewYorkPublicBankingAct(S.1762A/A.8290?Ifyouareanincumbentanddonotcurrentlyco-sponsorthisbill,whynot?Yes
46. DoyousupporttheNewDealforCUNY(S.4461/A.5843)?Ifyouareanincumbentanddonotcurrentlyco-sponsorthisbill,whynot?Yes
47. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused thedeaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS, and was blatantlyracist, would you support a city bill to rename the former QueensboroBridge?Doyouauthorizetheuseofyournameforsuchapurpose?Yes
48. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue inColumbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?I dont know of anyproposal to do this but I would support this.
49. Do you support reducing the budget of the law enforcement throughout thestate,and if so, by how much?It would depend on the proposal, but I wouldsupport all community support measures that have been demonstrated to reducegunandotherviolence,reducerecidivismetc.whilemaintainingpublicsafety.
50. 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 am in favor of removal, they should only beutilized as an option of last resort.
51. Shouldlawenforcements"ViceSquads"beeliminated?Yes.
52. How would you recommend law enforcementofficers be penalized forrefusingtowearmasksinpublicwhileonduty,indefianceofcityandstaterules?In line with the current fine system that is in place, followed by escalatingemployment-based measures for continued non-compliance.
53. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board?Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinarydeterminations binding?Allow for greater independence and provide increasedaccountability powers; yes
54. WhatwillyoudotosupportnightlifeinNewYorkState?Continuetoreceiveinput from stakeholders to ensure it thrives and support any regulation orlegislation which would do so.
55. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industryrepresentatives before taking a position on any policies that affect theirbusinesses?Yes!
56. Do you commit to speak personally with liquor license applicants andlicense holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise foranapplicant seekingyour support?Yes 100%
57. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively?
Livability: safe streets, sustainable and convenient public transit, open greenspace
Equity: affordable housing, pay equityHealth:affordablequalityhealthcareforall
58. What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when weare making our endorsements decisions?
If I am fortunate enough to earn the support of the club & elected to be the nextAssembly Member, just like I have done throughout my career, I will alway workwith the local leaders & clubs. From the minute I met Allen, I have alwaysadmiredallhehasdoneformyfamily’scivilrights&thoselessfortunate.Ihopeduring this campaign regardless of the outcome, we can work together on all oftheseimportant,vital issuestoimprove allNewYorkers’lives.