2013 NYC Public

Advocate Questionnaire
20 Jay Street, Suite 830 Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel (212) 796-4200 Fax (646) 349-3893
website: www.gothamist.com
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Instructions: Gothamist plans to interview all candidates for citywide office in 2013. This survey
will give us and our readers an overview of each candidate's positions on issues of particular
import to our audience of young New York voters. For each question, please give a a short
response outlining your candidate's position. You may include a link to longer position statements
at the bottom of each response, which we will include when we publish the piece. If you do not
wish to answer any question, please specify "no comment. f you have any questions, please
contact us.

Candidate Overview
1. Why should young people in NYC vote for you for Public Advocate instead of the other
candidates?

2. How would you distinguish your future office from the present one run by Bill De Blasio?

I want to expand the function of the office by implementing 6 Innitiatives: Immigrant Support Unit;
Citywide Advocates' Network; Crisis ntervention Center; Parental Education & Empowerment
Program; Cyber Awareness & Protection Unit; and "Public Advocate at Your Doorstep nnitiative.


Personal Questions
1. Do you rent or own your home? Y
2. Do you have a pet? Cat
3. If you have children, do/did/will they attend public schools? N/A
4. Have you ever been the victim of a crime? Y

Safety
1. What changes would you like to see in the NYPD's stop and frisk policies? End the racial
profiling

2. Do you support the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana in New York City? For
Medicinal Purposes

3. Do you support an independent inspector general for the NYPD? Y

4. Would you lobby to change the way the NYPD handles protests in the city, including the
present "free speech zones"? I think we need to always look at current policies and evaluate
them to ensure that the peopIe's right to raIIy is protected and their safety is assured.

5. Do you favor an increase in funding for the Accident Investigation Squad, and directing AIS to
investigate all accidents which include a serious injury (rather than just deaths)? Y

6. Should people be allowed to drink alcohol on their own stoops? Y What about in public parks?
Only if it's part of a permitted organized gathering.

Transportation, Bikes and Bike Lanes

1. How often do you ride a bike? While I own a bicycle, I have not had the opportunity to ride
it since I have been campaigning.
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2. How will you change Mayor Bloomberg's bike lane policy? I would conduct a performance
audit to ensure that current policies are working to ensure biker safety and pedestrian
safety are effective.
3. How often do you ride NYC subways and buses? Often, I ride the subway every opportunity
I can get
4. Should livery cabs be allowed to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs? Y
5. Do you support congestion pricing? I did, support congestion pricing when it was being
considered. If a new plan were to be presented I would consider it, but it has to have
protections for people on fixed incomes - like seniors- and should have provisions for
uniformed service members to allow free passage, if they are driving to an from work
6. Should the new Staten Island ferries be required to have outdoor decks? As long as
passenger safety is guaranteed I would support new ferries to have them.
7. Do you favor adding platform gates on New York City subways? AS long as they are cost
effective and actually save lives and don't create another problem/hazard
Health
1. Will you support the change or repeal any of the following Bloomberg administration policies?
a) Salt ban- support
b) Soda size limits I do not support
c) Smoking in public parks support
d) Restaurant letter grades - support
e) Styrofoam ban- I support recycling
Disaster Preparedness
1. Should residents be allowed to rebuild their homes in flood-prone areas like The Rockaways?
Y
2. What specific measures should the City take to prevent widespread destruction from Sandy
level storms? We should consider some of the Mayor's 250 recommendations, as unveiled
in June, to protect low-lying areas like the Rockaways and Staten Island. We also need to
invest in upgrading our City's infrastructure so shouId we experience another storm Iike
Sandy we can limit loss and damage.
Development
1. Do you support a ban or limit on chain stores in New York City? We should do our best to
work with small businesses by providing tools and resources that help them to survive.
2. Do you support Walmart building stores in the City? No
3. Do you support NYCHA's recently announced plans to build market rate apartments on public
housing parking lots and playgrounds? NO
4. Do you support tax breaks to keep corporations in NYC? There is a price to pay for doing
business in NYC - the capital of the world - but not at the cost to the taxpayer. They use
the same resources as every day NYers - police, fire, water, roads- so they should pay
their fair share and tax breaks should be kept at a minimum. What about for movies being
filmed in NYC? Yes, no one wants to see a NYC that's fiImed anywhere but NYC. But those
taxbreaks, are offset by the additional spending that is associated with filming- spending
at restaurants, small businesses, and hotels.
5. Do you support the "public-private" model of park development used under the Bloomberg
administration? No
6. How would you lobby to modify the Bloomberg administration's waterfront development policy?
Through legislation and hearings



Education
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1. How can the city reduce the number of teachers in "rubber rooms"? Hire More Administrative
Law Judges
2. Do you support schools distributing "morning after pills" without parental consent? I believe a
woman should have access to the healthcare that she needs.
3. How would you lobby to change the present administration's Charter School policies?
Miscellaneous
1. Do you support or oppose term limits for NYC politicians? I proudly fought to defend the will
of the people, who voted twice against extending term limits, and I will continue to do so
until the voters say otherwise.
2. Should short-term vacation rental services like AirBnB be legalized in New York City? Yes