The Manhattan Times

The Candidates in their own Words

This election season has been anything but normal. The extension of term limits that allowed the current class of City Council members, mayor, comptroller and public advocate to run again started the entire race off on a strange footing. Then there were the twists and turns of the local race to succeed Miguel Martinez for City Council.

The Sept. 15 Democratic Primary next Tuesday will ultimately decide most of the races in the city, although runoffs are possible in the comptroller and public advocate contests where no candidate may receive at least 40 percent of the vote. In early August the Manhattan Times posed questions to the candidates so they could, in their own words, introduce themselves to the voters of Northern Manhattan right before the election. For the lesser known candidates running to replace Martinez, and those who are challenging incumbent Council Member Robert Jackson in the 7th District, this allows them the largest platform to reach the broadest number of local voters.

In the interest of space, this round up does not include the race for mayor because among the Democrats vying to challenge Mike Bloomberg in November current Comptroller Billy Thompson is widely expected to win by a substantial margin.

Comptroller

Melinda Katz

44

Occupation: City Council Member, 29th District

Last elected office you sought: City Council, 29th District

Why are you the best qualified candidate for Comptroller?

As the most experienced candidate in the race with years of service in both city and state government, I not only have the knowledge and toughness to get things done, but I also have the best understanding of the problems facing ordinary New Yorkers. I am a product of the middle class, I was raised by a single-parent, and I attended New York City public schools – I know firsthand how hard it is for working families to get by when all their costs seem to be going up.

What is your vision for improving the Comptroller’s office?

Working families are struggling to make ends meet amid layoffs and uncertainty. We must protect them against new taxes and fees that make it so expensive for middle-class New Yorkers to maintain their quality of life.

I will build off my record as a tough negotiator with developers and create more affordable housing so middle-class families aren’t priced out of the city. I will force City schools to be more accountable to parents and the public by establishing fiscal oversight of the Department of Education, because every New York City child deserves an A-plus education. I also will stand up to the greed and deception of Wall Street to make sure it pays its fair share of taxes, instead of shifting the burden to the middle class. And I will expand the auditing bureau in the Comptroller’s office to root out waste, fraud and mismanagement while putting City contracts in a public database on-line, so everyone can see the companies we do business with and make sure they are delivering.

John Liu

42

Occupation: Council Member

Last elected office you sought: Re-election to the City Council

Why are you the best qualified candidate for Comptroller?

Unlike my colleagues, I actually have experience managing pension funds. I spent 14 years directing a team of actuaries at PriceWaterhouse – the nation's premier investment house. That experience came in handy when I went to work at the City Council. I've rooted out waste in spending at the DOT, TLC and MTA – where I discovered the two sets of financial books and helped save the city millions of dollars in taxpayer's funds.

Through my early childhood experiences – working in a sweatshop with my mom just to make ends meet – I know first-hand how critical it is to have a watchdog guarding the money you've worked so hard for.

What is your vision for improving the Comptroller’s office?

I'm running for Comptroller because I want the City to work for all New Yorkers – equally. Families who are struggling to hold onto their pensions – their life savings, to afford college to educate their children and to literally keep a roof over their heads deserve an advocate who will help ease their daily burdens.

One of my top priorities is bringing fiscal reform and integrity to the office by banning political contributions from anyone doing business with the office. I will also establish an executive audit plan that focuses on agencies and areas of high financial risk to ensure the city is getting the best return on its investments. I will also work hard to expand economic opportunity for MWBEs (Minority and Women owned Businesses) and others who do not traditionally have a voice in government.

David I. Weprin

53

Occupation: New York City Councilman

Last elected office you sought: Re-election to City Council in 2005

Why are you the best qualified candidate for Comptroller?

I have built a 20-year career in private finance and public finance. I am the only Comptroller candidate who can say this.

After September 11, 2001, I leveraged my power as Chair of the City Council’s Finance Committee to lead the city through the financial storm and back to calm shores.

As deputy superintendent of banks under former Governor Mario Cuomo, I kept watch of nearly $2 trillion, and regulated 3,000 financial institutions.

As a member of the New York City Tax Reform Task Force, I pushed through tax cuts, which had a positive impact on all New Yorkers; Eliminating the city sales tax on clothing and footwear costing under $110.

I have been pushing for the reinstatement of the commuter tax – ending the free ride that non-city residents have been getting.

My credentials to serve the City and its residents as the next Comptroller remain unsurpassed among a crowded field. And New York City deserves nothing less than proven excellence.

What is your vision for improving the Comptroller’s office?

I’ll cut waste by auditing our city agencies to make sure that they are running effectively and efficiently. I’ll even audit the Comptroller’s Office within my first year.

I’ll make the Department of Education accountable by auditing its contract budget like every other city agency.

I’ll fix our city’s pension fund to diversify and gain better returns. Better returns mean less of a cost to taxpayers and more money for cops on the streets, more firefighters, more teachers, and more classroom space.

And I want to bring the Office of the Comptroller to the people by opening five borough-wide offices – Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Upper Manhattan.

David Yassky

45

Occupation: City Council Member, District 33 (Brooklyn);

Last elected office you sought: Ran for Congress in 2006

There are real differences among the candidates this race – differences in record, and differences in vision for this office. I have set forth a clear, specific vision for using the powerful tools of this office – budget certification, contract approval, audit power, and pension investment – to root out waste in every corner of the budget, demand results for every dollar we’re spending, and do everything we can to get the city’s economy back on track. I have a record of accomplishment in the Council that tells you I will do this job the way it needs to be done.

Affordable housing: I wrote the affordable right into the zoning law. Jobs: I passed the film production tax incentive that created thousands of good-paying jobs that support families. Environment: I wrote the bill to make all the taxis gas-electric hybrids. On all of these issues, I bring a record not just of press conferences, but of real results – that’s what we need in the next Comptroller.

I have also set forth a clear and specific vision for how to use the powerful tools of the Comptroller’s office – how to use the budget power to make the city’s budget truly transparent so that New Yorkers can hold their government accountable, how to use the contract power to rein in cost overruns, and how to turn the audit staff into an in-house management consulting team that will root out wasteful spending and increase productivity.

These differences in record and vision led Crain’s New York to endorse me and The New York Times to endorse me, calling me the “most suited to do the job.”

Public Advocate

Bill de Blasio

48

Occupation: New York City Council Member

Last elected office you sought: New York City Council

New Yorkers deserve a strong, independent voice in City government. As a leader in the community and the City Council, I have been a dedicated advocate for my constituents and all New Yorkers, keeping government accountable and defending our right to full participation in the democratic process. In this past budget alone, I successfully fought to restore 125 subsidized childcare classrooms across the City. And when I saw that landlords were discriminating against tenants with Federal housing subsidies like Section 8, I wrote and passed a law to make the practice illegal.

The Office of Public Advocate is the ultimate check and balance on the Mayor. This office is the voice of the people, it’s the watchdog making sure government serves all New Yorkers.

I believe the greatest issue facing Northern Manhattan is affordable housing. As Public Advocate, I will work to help increase affordable housing. I will advance principles of development that promote responsible development that reflects the needs of a neighborhood, and that will help us maintain the diverse cultural, social and environmental fabric of our city. I will also make it a top priority to improve enforcement of building violation laws and housing access laws. I will maintain a Landlord Watch List, which I have already launched, to alert renters to landlords whose buildings fail to meet minimum health and safety standards.

Mark Green

64

Occupation: President of Air America Media

What was the last elected office you sought? New York State Attorney General, 2006.

When it comes to the office of the Public Advocate, I know this job because I’ve done this job. My goal every day was to expose problems, propose solutions, then enact them.

We successfully sued Mayor Giuliani over police misconduct. We wrote and enacted the law that stopped big businesses from firing women merely because they were domestic violence victims. We exposed how poorer, minority communities were paying more for the same food, financial services, auto loans, and helped bring larger stores back into these areas.

My Office of Public Advocate also came up with new ways to make our city work better,

like initiating the effort for 311.

The Public Advocate should be a socket that residents across the city can plug into.

That’s why I’ll move to implement my ideas (a) in “Government 2.0: New Technology

for a New Democracy,” and (b) for the creation of Public Advocate Locals (PALs). Government 2.0 proposes 30 ideas – like Open 311 and Twitter hashtags, such as #NYCWatch or #311NYC – to use information technology to make government more transparent and accountable. PALs would be local groups working on local issues in connection with my office to solve problems.

Bringing new jobs to New York would be my number one priority as Public Advocate of

New York. So, instead of our government investing hundreds of millions in new sports stadiums, retaining financial businesses and egging on an overheated real-estate market, I would fight for government to harness New Yorker’s creative and economic potential, giving tax breaks for talented and hardworking individuals to live here and start new, risk-taking and forward thinking businesses.

Eric Gioia

36

Occupation: New York City Council Member

Last elected office sought: In 2005, I was reelected to represent the 26th Council district.

We need someone at City Hall who will do more than just talk. We need someone who will listen, roll up their sleeves and get to work. I have a real record of getting things done – from taking on a bad landlord and winning back rent for tenants, to helping get teachers reimbursed when they were paying out of their own pockets for schools supplies, to getting registered sex offenders out of public housing.

I firmly believe that there should be one person in government who is responsible for listening to people, and for going to bat for them. As Public Advocate I will work so that all New Yorkers – not just the wealthy and well-connected – are included in government.

When you listen to New Yorkers you find that they have a pretty good idea of what's wrong in their neighborhoods, and a pretty good idea of how to fix things. One thing I've heard from people in Northern Manhattan is a lot of concern about the lack of affordable housing. Ensuring that New York City remains a city for people of all income levels will be one of my biggest priorities as Public Advocate – as it has been in the City Council, where I've taken on negligent landlords and sponsored what the Daily News called a "Housing Plan that Could Save Queens."

Norman Siegel

65

Occupation: Civil Rights attorney

What was the last elected office you sought?

Public Advocate is the only elected political office I have ever sought.

My entire public service career – both in the nonprofit sector and in my capacity as a private attorney – has been devoted to obtaining fairness, equality and justice for all. That is where the Public Advocate should come in. In the right hands, the Public Advocate’s office has the potential to be an effective counterbalance to the powerful elements that already have a seat at the table

No New Yorker would have to ask “what does the Public Advocate do?” if I were in charge of the office. I strongly believe that in order to be effective the office must be decentralized, which is why I would open satellite offices in each borough.

Small businesses of every variety are closing at record rates, many others barely surviving. We’ve all seen the “For Rent” signs proliferating in our neighborhoods including in Northern Manhattan. There are currently too few safeguards protecting small business owners from exorbitant rent or commercial tax increases, predatory out-of-state energy companies, or abuse of eminent domain. I am also aware that minority-owned businesses have been disproportionately affected by the recession; there is still much inequality in New York City, especially where the economy is concerned. I would appoint a deputy Public Advocate to deal specifically with equality issues as it relates to race, gender, sexual orientation, income, age and disability, because inequality and discrimination are real issues that we as New Yorkers need to come together to address and discuss.

District Attorney

Richard Aborn
57

Occupation: Attorney; a managing partner of the law firm Constantine Cannon

Why are you the best qualified candidate for DA?
No one will be tougher going after violent crime - but it's time for new ideas that go beyond the old reactive model of simply prosecuting crime after it occurs. There's a problem in the criminal justice system when one out of every three African-American men will spend some portion of their lives in prison. As a criminal justice expert, I understand what works in our criminal justice system, and how to improve on the many things that don't. And as an advocate, I know how to take on big fights and win.
 

What is your vision for improving the DA’s office?
Thanks to information-led policing, crime is at an all-time low. But the system still has problems. I want to shift the focus of the DA's office so that the first question we ask ourselves is not "how much jail time is appropriate," but "is there a treatment program that can help break the pathway to violence that this offender is on?”

What do you think is the greatest issue facing Northern Manhattan and how can you address it as DA?
We need to improve community relations with the NYPD in Northern Manhattan. Police officers are assigned to “high-crime” areas such as Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood, but civilians shouldn't feel like criminals. From 1976 to 2006 there were 362,000 marijuana possession arrests in New York City: 54% of those arrested were black, 30% were Latino and 14% were white. Discriminatory application of the laws is something I will not tolerate as District Attorney and I will focus on not only creating a safe city, but one that is also fair.

Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

55

Occupation: lawyer

Why are you the best qualified candidate for DA?

 As the only candidate who has spent my entire career as an advocate in the courtroom as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I am uniquely qualified to manage the District Attorney’s Office. The decisions that prosecutors will face – when to offer plea bargains, how to pursue the strongest prosecutions, whether or not to bring charges, how to deal with discovery – are decisions I have faced throughout my career and ones which I am highly qualified to guide.

What do you think is the greatest issue facing Northern Manhattan and how can you address it as DA?

The single most important task of any prosecutor in Northern Manhattan is to keep the community safe. That means treating domestic violence as a public health crisis, by stepping up prosecutions of repeat offenders and creating a Family Justice Center in Northern Manhattan where victims can get the vital services they need.

It means working to prevent crime by offering alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs, so that offenders with drug problems and psychiatric issues get treatment instead of prison.

It means calling in the Vera Institute of Justice to take a frank look at racial bias in the DA’s Office, so that everyone in Manhattan can see that we are completely committed to race neutrality. It means a new program of Community-Based Justice in which prosecutors are assigned to specific geographic regions, so that communities can come to know and trust the prosecutors that work with them and so that those prosecutors can understand the issues affecting neighborhoods.

And it means opening a new DA’s Office in Washington Heights, so that prosecutors can be closer to the community they serve. All of these steps together are necessary to keep Northern Manhattan safe, and as DA I will make sure that they are enacted.

City Council: District 7

Victor Armando Bernace

45

Occupation: Attorney

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

I have a wide range of experience that I’ll use as your next City Council person: high school teacher, union delegate, international human rights and civil rights experience. I also have prosecuted criminals for the District Attorney’s office, I have private sector experience running a small business, and management experience.

I attended P.S. 98 on W. 212th Street, JHS 52 on Academy Street, and John F. Kennedy across the bridge on W. 225th Street.

I took classes at CUNY’s Lehman College and NYU where I graduated from. I attended Harvard Law School but returned to teach at the same high school I graduated from.

I really enjoyed teaching and worked for six years at both John F. Kennedy and George Washington High Schools.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern Manhattan?

I’ve been an active member of the Rotary Club of Inwood. For the last three years, I’ve worked hard as a member and as president of the club to beautify our local parks, run hunger drives, help veterans. During my term as president, I worked on the LaRomana Mother Baby project to prevent transmission of AIDS to children from mothers in the eastern province of the Dominican Republic.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council Member?

Restoring faith in our local government after all the recent spate of corruption stories surrounding the City Council. Working to improve our local environment by eliminating vehicle traffic in New York City and promoting free public transit.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?

I pledge to work to end member line items which lead to corruption. I would work to eliminate all vehicle traffic in New York City and make public transit free.

Robert Jackson

58

Occupation: New York City Council Member

I cite my role as the co-founder and lead plaintiff in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit – litigation that extended from 1993 to 2006 and ultimately established the need for billions more in state funding to deliver the opportunity for a “sound, basic education” to all New York City public school students.

The two greatest challenges will be to sustain the current level of municipal services in the face of steep revenue declines and to preserve jobs in a shrinking economy.

I have already begun the process of initiating legislation that will remove from base rents completed surcharges for new appliances. It is reasonable that landlords are entitled to collect fees to cover the cost of new appliances; it is unreasonable that those charges should be carried forward and become part of the base amount used to calculate rent increases for the duration of a lease.

Since rent increases are calculated on a percentage basis, the tenant is not only paying for the cost of the appliance but paying a premium when that charge is embedded in the base rent amount. Another pending bill which will be familiar to Manhattan Times readers is the Small Business Survival Act. This legislation is intended to create an environment that will permit small business owners to negotiate more effectively when their leases are up for renewal.  The proposed law would trigger arbitration when qualifying tenants – those with good payment histories and who operate businesses that are violation free, for example – are not able to achieve a reasonable renewal of their existing lease.

Manuel Lantigua

53

Occupation: Retired

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

The variety of jobs that I have held while living in the City of New York has given me the necessary experience to be the best qualified candidate to represent City Council District 7. Four years working in a bodega, two years as a cab driver, two years as a preschool teacher, and twenty-three years in the NYPD, thirteen of which were with a rank of sergeant.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern Manhattan?

Implementation of a school dropout/gang prevention program. This was developed while working as a school safety supervisor wherein youth were picked up while cutting classes and were referred to the appropriate community agency.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council Member?

The sky-rocketing cost of commercial rent, which is causing hundreds of local stores to go out of business and finding the means of keeping our young generations in school by offering them alternative, non-traditional/educational choices such as vocational/technical schools.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?

My first legislation is to have mandatory use of alternative sources of energy for new construction, whereas city, state, or federal funds are used.

The second legislation would deal with the quality of service obtained by tenants (commercial and non-commercial) in our district. In a city where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country the living conditions are probably rated as one of the worst due to lax laws and not enough building inspectors. This legislation will require the city to maintain a set percentage of inspectors per amount of buildings and or tenants.

City Council District 10

Luis Facundo

47

Occupation: Architecture & Urban Planning

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

I will represent the communities of the 10th District with character and integrity; protecting their well being by applying my business and negotiation experience. The combination of my 20 years of experience in community activism and politics along with my professional education as an architect and urban planner make me the most qualified candidate to represent Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern Manhattan?

I have dedicated myself to finding solutions that inspire a better quality of life and a stronger, growing economic standing and development in Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill. I have worked for 15 years for the empowerment of local institutions and business through my participation in the Chamber of Commerce, Business Association, Community Board 12 and several infrastructure projects. The fruit of this work was the establishment of a proposal of a Plan for Growth and Development to create housing ownership and generate jobs for my community.

Richard Realmuto

61

Occupation: Attorney

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

My background as an attorney, businessman and native New Yorker has given me a broad understanding of the needs of New Yorkers. My law practice has given me the opportunity to represent individuals in such matters as immigration and bankruptcy. I have also fought against unfair landlords and racial and sexual discrimination.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern Manhattan?

While I have been proud to represent the ordinary people of this city as an attorney, my greatest accomplishments have been in my work as a private citizen.

When muggers and drug users used a dark ramp that leads into J. Hood Wright Park, I took action. As a citizen with an avid concern for my neighborhood, I fought to install floodlights.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council member?

One big challenge that Council members all over the city are facing is creating new jobs. New York City’s unemployment rate is over nine percent and climbing. I will encourage job growth and economic development in my district by fighting to keep taxes low and opportunities abundant.

The other challenge the next Council member will face is improving education. In 2005 the City Council voted to reduce class sizes, but since then class sizes have increased.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?

I will sponsor legislation that brings jobs to the district. The legislation I promote will give tax credits to the entrepreneur who can create new jobs.

I will also sponsor legislation that will encourage the growth of public charter schools in

Ydanis Rodriguez

44

Occupation: Teacher

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

I have worked tirelessly to improve translation services in local hospitals, educational services for our children and protect the rights of tenants. I want to continue fighting to make our community a better place by bringing honesty, dignity and transparency to the City Council.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern

Manhattan?

My greatest accomplishment is helping to found Gregorio Luperon High School, a school dedicated to the educational success of new immigrant families. As the schools in the area became more overcrowded, I worked with community leaders, demanding more resources from City Hall. Our efforts resulted in a state-of-the-art facility for Gregorio Luperon students.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Councilman?

The next City Council Member will need to focus on bringing more resources into Washington Heights/Inwood and Marble Hill, which has been a historically underserved area of Manhattan. Also, it will be vital to instill confidence in the people of the district that their elected officials are working together diligently with the good of the community in mind.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?

I would urge the Administration for Children’s Services to increase funding for additional daycare programs, including early childhood centers, nursery and pre-school programs to address the severe shortage of quality daycare in our neighborhoods. I would also create resolutions to recommend the Rent Guidelines Board not approve any rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments.

Cleofis Sarete

Occupation: Teacher

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

I have the experience, education, commitment and integrity required to successfully carry out what this community requires of this elected position. Specifically, my past involvement with numerous organizations dedicated to helping tenants battle irresponsible landlords; my long-term commitment to the safety of our community; and my wide-ranging work with youngsters and adults in education, in and outside the classroom—in addition to being a bilingual teacher, with 18 years of professional experience at all levels (from kindergarten to 12th grade in high school), I have taught in various adult education and literacy programs—make me the most qualified candidate.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the people of Northern Manhattan?

While teaching at P.S. 46 in the Bronx, over a period of five years, I have coordinated the Saturday E.S.L Parent Learning Center, which equips parents with the right tools to better assist in educating their children. The success of this principal-supported program has resulted in calls to replicate its activities throughout the city.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council member?

The two most important challenges facing the next City Councilman are: first, securing affordable housing and quality education for our community, and, second, getting city government to take appropriate steps to clear traffic congestion in Washington Heights-Inwood, especially around 181st Street, between the George Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?

Legislation that would, one, provide incentives to landlords who renovate and develop new housing in the area; and, two, enable the City Council to work with New York State government to return control of the New York City department of education to the people of New York City at the local level.

Ruben Dario Vargas    

49

Occupation: Evidence and Property Specialist, NYPD

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

Because I am the following: The most experienced candidate. The only candidate that has ever been elected by the popular vote. Elected Judicial Delegate from the 72nd Assembly District, in the Democratic Primary September 2007. The only candidate that has served in the U.S. Military. I served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force.

The only candidate that has served in the municipal Government for 20 years or more. Including former Center Manager of NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and the NYPD. The only candidate who has studied law and Political Science, crucial elements in the making of a successful legislator, and effective law maker.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the

people of Northern Manhattan?

I have consistently run for office for the last 14 years in the Upper Manhattan, including U.S. Congress, Manhattan Borough President, State Senate, State Assembly, City Council, State Committee, and Judicial Delegate.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council member?

To better transportation and decrease traffic congestion, by bringing elevators to the number 1 train at the two train stations located on Nagle Avenue and Dyckman Street and Broadway and W. 225th Street. In addition to building a parking lot of 20 floors on the area comprised by W. 174th and W. 175th Streets, between Broadway and Wadsworth Avenue. To decrease the unemployment rate, to make housing more affordable, and to better the quality of education.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?          

To cut 50 % of the electric bill for Senior Citizens. Commercial rent control.

Manny Velazquez

40

Occupation: Dean for Intermediate School 52

Why are you the best qualified candidate for this office?

As chairman of Community Board 12 and dean of a local intermediate school I have consistently resolved education, transportation, housing, and quality of life issues. My 17 years of experience providing public service is the leadership our community needs in the City Council to address community issues. We will establish vocational schools so our young adults are academically trained for employment. We will change state and city laws to economically punish predatory landlords and make housing affordable to all residents. I will work with city agencies to make sure our streets are cleaned and transportation issues at W. 181st and W. 207th Streets are finally resolved. Also, a municipal parking building is a must in our neighborhood. It is paramount that there be a community center established where grandparents, parents and children can receive social and medical services to strengthen the family unit.

What is your single greatest specific accomplishment that proves your commitment to the

people of Northern Manhattan?

As chairman of Community Board 12 and a teacher and dean for 17 years at local Intermediate School 52 I have dedicated my career to resolving community issues.

What are the two most important challenges facing the next City Council Member?

Honesty. Providing public safety, housing, economic development and transportation solutions while improving the quality of life in Northern Manhattan.

If elected, what two pieces of legislation will you sponsor in your first 100 days in office?          

Our transportation conditions are unsafe and at risk. I will sponsor legislation that would modernize our transportation services (trains, buses and roads) and require the city to review conditions annually.

I would sponsor legislation that would impose hefty tax burdens on predatory landlords. Too many residents are living in horrible housing tenements.

The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.