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Meet Your Mayor
Ultimate Match
Candidates for NYC mayor told us where they stand on 15 big issues. Now you can pick your positions and see which contenders are the right ones for you.
Voters of New York City: It's time to pick your nominee for mayor, with primary day approaching on June 22. Since March, THE CITY has been presenting the candidates' positions, issue by issue. Meet Your Mayor shows you how the contenders' stands fit with your take on what matters most to New Yorkers.
Now we've pulled all 15 Meet Your Mayor editions into one final, supersized superquiz that will show you your ultimate match. Actually, your top matches, since voters will be ranking up to five selections at the polls.
Answer the questions below and Meet Your Mayor: Ultimate Match will present you with a list of your top candidate matches, which you can take with you to the polls or share on social media.
Your responses will be private, and THE CITY will not collect any information from you. Learn more about Meet Your Mayor's privacy practices here.
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Answer the following questions to see which candidates for mayor most closely match the future you want to see for New York City. You can answer all 61 questions or select just the ones that interest you. The whole quiz takes about 10 minutes to complete start to finish. If you need to leave the page, your answers will still be here when you come back.
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View topic guide
Should the NYPD uniformed force be downsized beyond currently planned levels?
A key demand of the protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis is scaling back the presence of cops in communities. NYC's current mayor has committed to removing unarmed NYPD agents from school patrols but the armed uniformed police force remains at nearly 35,000.
Yes, redirect a substantial share of NYPD operating resources to other city agencies
No, maintain police officer headcount at roughly current levels
No, increase the number of NYPD officers
Skip this question
Candidates who agree with youCollapse answersExpand answers
Art Chang (D)
"I'm calling for a $1.3 billion immediate cut to the NYPD budget that would first be taken by reduction in uniformed officers."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
Shaun Donovan (D)
"We need to dramatically reduce their role.... We need to reimagine the way we respond to violence well beyond policing."
from Central Brooklyn Political Action Association forum, Nov. 18, 2020
Dianne Morales (D)
"I've called for the creation of what we're calling community first responders, units, departments that would actually be staffed with trained personnel who are able to not just provide safe interventions but also access to resources for the community."
from THE CITY interview, Oct. 1, 2020
Paperboy Prince (D)
"I'm really out here leading the way on Abolishing the Police... thank me later !"
from Twitter, Feb. 8, 2021
Scott Stringer (D)
"Breaking down structural racism in New York City will require long-term, lasting change — and that must include reducing the NYPD's budget."
from NYC Comptroller's office, June 5, 2020
Joycelyn Taylor (D)
"Defund the police; what exactly does that mean? In short, it means reallocating police department funding so that our communities are better set up for success. For me, it also means that it is time to re-imagine our policing concept."
from Bklyner, July 16, 2021
Maya Wiley (D)
"We have to put the 'public' back in public safety. And that means a soup-to-nuts, top-to-bottom restructuring of what we call the New York City Police Department."
Foldenauer
Aaron Foldenauer (D)
"The city is facing a budgetary crisis that's going to catch up with this very soon. Therefore, what I've called for are 10% cuts in each in the budget of each city agency, and that includes the NYPD."
Kathryn Garcia (D)
"I do not agree with 'defund the police'.... I do agree with community policing and rethinking and reforming the police department."
Ray McGuire (D)
"I am not for 'defund.' I'm for restructuring, having better policing, not fewer police."
from Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC, Dec. 2, 2020
Sliwa
Curtis Sliwa (R)
"Crime is at an all-time high in terms of what we've seen recently. We've got to save our city.... You restore the money that was taken away, the billion dollars in the budget."
from Newsmax, Feb. 23, 2021
Andrew Yang (D)
"We have to do everything in our power to make sure that people feel safe walking around our neighborhoods, with our families. And so we have to take the resources that are being deployed on the police department and make sure they're actually making us safer. And also that officers are conducting themselves in a way that's responsible and professional and accountable."
from THE CITY interview, May 8, 2021
Fernando Mateo (R)
"I would add thousands more cops to the police force. I believe that we should have minimally two cops in each subway station, 24 hours, seven days a week."
from Decision NYC With Ben Max, MNN, March 2, 2021
Should the NYPD respond to 911 calls involving people in severe emotional distress?
In recent years, 15 New Yorkers experiencing mental health crises have died in encounters with NYPD officers. NYC's current mayor has committed to send out mental health teams without cops a two-precinct test. Some advocates and candidates want to go further.
Yes, where the call suggests a risk to others' safety
Yes, under most or all circumstances
No, NYPD officers should not respond to these calls
Eric Adams (D)
"I will never put a city employee, psychiatrist, family members or anyone else in a situation that could endanger the lives of innocent people or the person who's going through a mental health crisis.... So no, I will not just openly state, 'Under no circumstances should a police officer respond.'"
from Citizen Action mental health town hall, Dec. 15, 2020
"We have to completely transform the way we respond with an alternative 911 that ensures that we're sending out trained professionals."
from Community Voices Heard forum, Feb. 26, 2021
"When someone calls 911 for those cases, the responding personnel should be equipped to deal with the situation effectively and nonviolently. The NYPD's emergency response teams, therefore, have to include social-service workers"
from , May 31, 2021
"Another data-driven approach is to scale up other organizations to respond to emergency calls instead of the police."
from Medium, June 8, 2020
"We need to train more police on how to deescalate conflicts, how to help people, but also reserve the ability to respond for everyone's safety when absolutely necessary."
"We should have nurses or someone else who have degrees in psychology participate with police, but they need to do it hand in hand in partnership."
from The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC, Nov. 25, 2020
"I agree with some of the critics of the police department: Cops don't want to be social workers, don't want to have to deal with mental health care problems. You should have special units in each precinct compose the mental health experts who can respond simultaneously with the police when there is an emotionally disturbed person having an episode."
from Decision NYC With Ben Max, MNN, Jan. 27, 2021
Chang calls for a response team modeled after a program in Eugene, Oregon: "unarmed, specifically trained to address these kinds of issues."
"Provide the appropriate interventions and services and supports at the time, in the moment, not sending an armed individual to respond to a mental health crisis."
"We should have a Love team that focuses on mental health and well-being."
"I support unequivocally moving those responsibilities away from armed officers to mental health professionals and counselors."
"The role of the police is supposed to be proactive about preventing crime. If you have a mental issue or you're going through something, you haven't committed a crime."
from THE CITY interview , May 12, 2021
"The NYPD is not the appropriate response to people who need mental-health-trained and peer mental health support."
Should NYPD officers reside in the five boroughs?
More than half of NYPD officers live outside NYC, generating concerns that the uniformed force does not reflect or understand communities it patrols. Some reformers are urging a requirement that cops live within the five boroughs.
Yes, all officers should reside in the five boroughs by the end of the new mayor's term
Any new NYPD officer must live in the five boroughs but existing officers may live elsewhere until retirement
NYPD officers should be able to live in any of the counties currently authorized
Along with imposing residency requiment, Chang would give officers "early retirement incentives."
"We...need a residency requirement so that our police officers reflect the communities they live in."
from Twitter, Jan. 31, 2021
"I will make sure that new cops live in the city. It can't be an 'us versus them' geography."
from Campaign video, Dec. 10, 2020
"When I grew up, I knew the cops in my neighborhood, and I didn't see them as someone that was there to police me. … I would require that new officers that are coming on to the force should live in the city. You have to be in touch with what's going on in the city."
"You should be of the community, certainly when you start on the force. And that, I believe, would fundamentally change the dynamic, because instead of seeing folks as strangers or potential perpetrators, you see them as your neighbors."
from WNYC, Jan. 26, 2021
"With the salaries they're paid, you can't simply change the rule overnight, and all of a sudden require NYPD officers to up in their lives and move into the city."
"They can't afford to live in New York City, so it doesn't matter where they live. It matters where they came from. It matters what ethnic background they have. It matters where you place them that they can be the most productive."
Should the NYPD commissioner have final say on disciplining officers for conduct violations?
The City Council prompted NYC's current mayor and police commissioner to create a new "discipline matrix" that sets minimum consequences for cop misconduct. But the commissioner retains the power to override those standards and even misconduct trial decisions, despite calls for outside oversight.
The commissioner should retain decision-making authority in all cases
The commissioner should retain decision-making authority in some cases
Decisions should be made by a newly empowered Civilian Complaint Review Board
The mayor should have the final say in all cases
"My police commissioner would be strictly accountable to me on discipline decisions, and I would hire someone I trust to have final authority on that decision."
from POLITICO, Feb. 16, 2021
"As mayor, I will hold the police commissioner accountable for taking appropriate disciplinary actions, and further empower the CCRB to investigate misconduct — including access to body camera footage within 48 hours of request."
from Campaign Facebook page , Feb. 21, 2021
"I will be amending disciplinary power from the NYPD commissioner so that an independent oversight body is able to hold officers accountable for misconduct"
from Streetsblog, Feb. 5, 2021
No candidates selected this answer
"I'm calling for the City Council ratification of the mayoral nomination of a police commissioner, removal of the police chief's sole power over disciplinary matters."
"Hold individual officers responsible for bad acts that too often go unpunished today, including by following the determinations of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and by enforcing a clear, publicly available set of disciplinary standards"
from The Root, Feb. 10, 2021
"That commissioner having 100% authority must change."
"Advance a democratically-elected Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and empower it to discipline officers."
from Campaign website
"The city should end the police commissioner's authority to treat CCRB investigations and recommendations as advisory — and instead grant the CCRB power to make final disciplinary decisions."
from New York Daily News Op-Ed, Nov. 20, 2020
"You can't have the person you're working with checking the person that's doing wrong. It just won't work. You need an outside person, an impartial party, looking at it impartially and saying, 'This is right or wrong' based upon the parameters that we set as to what's appropriate."
"The police commissioner should not have the final say on discipline — the mayor should — and the timeline for determining punishment should be shortened significantly."
"The Police Commissioner will not have final disciplinary authority."
Should admission to existing specialized high schools continue to depend on a single Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT)?
Under state law, admissions for prestigious Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and Bronx High School of Science are based solely on a single standardized examination. The city Department of Education voluntarily uses the same test for admission for an additional five schools. Black and Latino students are underrepresented at these schools.
Yes, keep the SHSAT
Keep the SHSAT but also require additional admissions measures
No, abolish the SHSAT
Garcia has suggested implementing the "Texas model," where top-performing students at every middle school are offered seats at specialized high schools.
from Uptown Community Democrats forum, Jan. 15, 2021
"I believe that we can take that on modify the test and, if necessary if we don't get results, get rid of it, but we should also recognize that there are just eight specialized high schools in the city...there are roughly 400 high schools."
from Columbia Law School education panel, Jan. 27, 2021
Foldenauer called for a holistic admission process. "Schools can have an admissions committee that considers other aspects" such as "diversity, essays, accomplishment, the student's upbringing."
"I think the specialized high schools are one element on which we should focus. I would teach, though, to the child; I would not teach to the test. I think we need to expand criteria."
from New York Jewish Agenda forum, Feb. 18, 2021
"The specialty test must be maintained for the elite high schools and the Gifted and Talented programs have to be maintained but we also have to put pressure on promoting vocational training."
from NY1, Feb. 27, 2021
"When you go to the college level, you have to take entrance exams. And those exams are going to be even more significant as it relates to your ability to get into a school. … What we need to do is invest in kids equally, so everybody's bright, so that everyone has opportunity."
"I would not abandon the SHSAT, but I would broaden the criteria were using and I think if we do that we can actually get some of the families into these specialized high schools in a way that's going to benefit them."
from Spectrum News NY1, Jan. 14, 2021
Chang favors phasing out the SHSAT over four years, saying: "65% of black students do not graduate with proficiency. And what's little known is that 60% of Asian students do not also graduate with proficiency. SHSAT pits communities of colors against each other in a false debate."
"As a graduate of a specialized high school, I will say — much to the chagrin of many of my classmates — that I do not believe that the SHSAT serves our children."
from New York Jewish Agenda forum, Jan. 15, 2021
"Replace it with a seventh grade statewide test that will allow more black and brown students to access our specialized high schools."
"We have to eliminate school-based admissions policies that are not based on anything except privileging folks who can pay for tutoring and supports to get people through a test."
Should New York City have more charter schools?
The state controls the number of charter schools that may operate in the city, currently 267, with no additional charters remaining. Some 12% of the city's 1.1 million public school students attend a charter school.
Yes, advocate for more charter schools
No, discourage more charter schools
Advocate for more charter schools under stricter conditions than currently apply
"Charter schools are actually in underserved communities. And they're doing good work. They're trying new pedagogical methods for troubled children."
"I do support raising the charter cap because I want every kid to have the opportunity and I want every adult who's thinking creatively about how to do education, do education well, to have the opportunity to do that. I mean I wish that we had great public schools in every neighborhood today but I'm not willing to wait until we get there for the kids who are in school right now."
from 2021 Mayoral Forum on Educational Equity in NYC, May 24, 2021
McGuire supports city control of the cap on charter schools. "As mayor, Ray will work to increase the number of charter chools allowed in NYC and give families as many high-quality school options as possible," said a spokesperson.
from THE CITY Interview , March 11, 2021
"To the extent that there are charters that are allocated by the state that are not being used, I think that we should look at reallocating them. But in my mind it's about whether a school is performing for our kids. There're public schools doing great work and there're charter schools doing great work and that should be the goal."
from THE CITY interview, March 11, 2021
"Increasing the number of charter schools will take away from the focus on improving quality in the city's public schools."
Morales said the city should gain control over the number of charter schools and stop them from increasing.
from Empire State Indivisible's Albany Agenda forum, Feb. 8, 2021
Stringer supports keeping the current cap on charter schools and letting the state control it.
"As Mayor, I will consider advocating to lift the cap to increase the number of high-quality charter schools under stricter conditions than what is currently in place. Charter schools are a small but critical part of the educational landscape in New York City that has piloted innovations and are disproportionately chosen by Black and Latinx families; where they are performing well, they must be allowed to continue to serve the families who have picked them as the best option for their children."
from THE CITY interview, Feb. 8, 2021
"I'm a supporter of charter schools but I really wish that they would devote some of their curriculum to vocational training."
Should middle school admissions remain limited to students attending school in or residing in a district?
Middle school admissions are limited to children already living in or attending elementary school in the same district, even as NYC's current mayor says geographic restrictions on high school admissions will end starting next year.
Allow applicants outside the district, through set-asides or other means
"Sending kids to schools in the neighborhoods in which they live is important. That creates a sense of community."
"We should make sure that we keep the doors open for people to have access to the best of the best. When my son was in middle school, he didn't go to the school in his district. He went to another school because this school offered more."
"I think we need to re-examine any method or barrier that is preventing us from diversifying our schools."
Chang said removing geographical restrictions "allows for the opportunity for greater integration."
"We should remove all screenings and all barriers to access to schools that exist currently. I think that also means that we need to look at redrawing district lines and district boundaries."
Should public school parent associations continue to be able to raise unlimited sums?
Some public schools popular among high-earning families aggressively fundraise to help pay for extracurricular programs and enhancements not available to most NYC students.
Yes, keep fundraising as is
Yes, but a system is needed to share funds between schools with many wealthy families and those with many poor families
No. Limits or further ground rules are needed for fundraising
"Would I share the funding of those people who have been successful funding with others? I would share the resources."
from Education First Mayoral Candidates Forum, Jan. 28, 2021
"Let's share the knowledge to share the dollars so that we can have all our children succeed together."
from UFT Mayoral Town Hall, April 7, 2020
"We need to set a threshold per student of money that can be raised. And...50 cents of every dollar raised should go into a pool to benefit all the other schools."
"Ability of of these associations to raise money furthers inequality in our school systems, which affects us all at the end of the day."
"I would share to a point, having been on the PTA and on the [school] leadership team."
"Under my education plan, we're going to equalize after-school funding. If one school gets chess, every school gets chess. One school gets robotics, every school gets robotics. If one school gets athletics, everyone gets athletics. We're going to create one system, so once the PTA is known that everyone is equal in every school. We can share that prosperity."
Taylor said parents in low-income neighborhoods don't have extra money and networks to contribute to school parent associations. "If we don't create an equitable system, it won't ever exist."
"All kids count."
Yang said sharing should be "voluntary."
Should New York consider mandatory vaccinations (with appropriate medical exemptions) if voluntary uptake of COVID vaccines does not reach sufficient levels?
As of March 12, nearly 1.5 million NYC residents have been fully or partially vaccinated. Yet the city lags the rest of the state and nation — and many first responders and even health care workers are reportedly refusing.
Yes, for health, education, law enforcement and other workers interacting with the public
"If you were to impose government mandates for people to take the vaccines, then that would fuel even more resistance."
"Some individuals have maybe a medical reason or a religious reason why they don't want to take the vaccine. So I just want to be mindful of that."
Should the Open Streets program, including outdoor dining, become permanent?
With indoor dining shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19, NYC's current mayor let restaurants temporarily set up sidewalk and street tables. Designated streets are also closed to traffic.
Yes, ban vehicular access to current open streets
Yes, and expand the program to include more streets
"It's a shame that it took a pandemic to embrace public space ideas that have become commonplace around the world. We must expand this program to underserved communities and communities that have a dearth of public space options."
from Streetsblog, Dec. 14, 2021
"I don't think that the current design of the street dining makes long-term sense. But I do but I do believe that we need to redesign the streets."
He said he would make the Open Streets program permanent and take a "holistic and justice-driven approach" instead of the current police oversight of the vast majority of Open Streets.
"Ensure our public spaces serve the public first. That means making Open Streets permanent, creating new Complete Streets in all five boroughs."
from Twitter , Feb. 2, 2021
"I will reimagine our streets in ways that create more public space, improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, create space for restaurants and other small businesses, reduce congestion and increase sustainability. Doing this will require reductions in street parking in some neighborhoods, so we have to make sure that New Yorkers who need a vehicle — particularly our mobility impaired and working families — are rightly accommodated.
from Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats forum, Jan. 19, 2021
Morales said she is "fully committed to open streets, safe streets, more bicycle-friendly streets" but adds any program should be done with an "eye toward not disproportionately impacting" people who rely on cars for transportation.
from Brooklyn Democratic Mayoral Forum, Jan. 19, 2021
"In my administration, curb and street space throughout the five boroughs will be repurposed for wider sidewalks, street seating, bus shelters, bike parking, Citi Bike docking stations, public restrooms, improved garbage collection, playstreets and playgrounds, bus lanes, bike lanes, plazas, and much more."
"The open streets with the restaurants — I think it created a huge opportunity for restaurants.… It actually gives them additional square footage now to be able to accommodate more people, which from my standpoint means that they'll be able to get their businesses back to where they were more quickly."
"Through my campaign's 'People's Assemblies' process, I will ensure that my proposal to improve this program will be based on participation and feedback by the communities who will be impacted by this program."
"I would make the Open Streets and Restaurants programs permanent. We saw how integral these programs were during the pandemic."
"These outdoor dining facilities, they don't comply with building codes. It's a disaster waiting to happen."
Should NYC provide economic relief to undocumented immigrants who do not qualify for federal aid?
COVID shutdowns have taken a severe toll on many workers, devastating income and prompting long lines at food pantries. Government unemployment and aid programs do not reach many New Yorkers, especially immigrants.
Yes, ongoing aid for the needy
Yes, one-time assistance
At a Heroes Act hearing in Congress last year, Donovan said federal policies should give immigrants access to the help they need to keep their families afloat.
from Heroes Act hearing, House Financial Services Committee, July 23, 2020
"I would begin to address the current crisis by providing folks with some basic economic relief for every household, especially the excluded workers and those that we know were left out on the federal and state level."
As city comptroller, Stringer proposed to establish an emergency relief fund with private partners to help undocumented immigrants excluded from federal aid.
from NYC Comptroller's office, March 1, 2020
"A lot of undocumented immigrants that are here, that are working here — most come here because they want to make their lives better. … We have to treat them like human beings, and we have to support them."
Wiley tweeted that it is "unacceptable" that lower-income teens, the elderly and undocumented immigrants who are taxpayers did not receive federal stimulus checks.
from Twitter , April 6, 2020
Yang proposes a basic income, an average of $2,000 a year to 500,000 poor people: "All New Yorkers are eligible for our cash relief program regardless of immigration status.… Our goal is to end extreme poverty in New York City."
"We need to provide one-time assistance to undocumented immigrants who are in need, just like we're providing additional assistance to other Americans who have been out of work."
Which statement most closely reflects your view of Mayor de Blasio's approach to school reopening?
NYC's current mayor has committed to keeping public school buildings open for hybrid learning for families that have selected it, while most students learn remotely. Still, owing to staff shortages, many students in classrooms continue to learn on screens.
Schools have reopened for in-person/hybrid learning too quickly
Schools have reopened for in-person/hybrid learning too slowly
Schools have reopened at an appropriate pace
"It's been tremendously frustrating to watch this mayor fail to recognize that he has so much knowledge and talent within his own department."
"Studies show that it's very unlikely for kids to spread COVID-19. And in addition, the pandemic is, appears to be, under control within the city. We need to have our kids back in school five days a week."
"Kids are safer inside a school building than outside of it.... There are so many things about in-person learning that you simply can't replicate in remote sessions."
from The New York Times, Dec. 9, 2020
Wiley tweeted: "The CDC say it's safe for students to return to the classroom full time with proper protocols in place. I'm calling on the Mayor and Chancellor to open schools and let every one of our kids learn, with their teachers, safely and in person 5 days a week."
from Twitter , March 19, 2021
"I will confess to being a parent that has been frustrated by how slow our schools have been to open, and I do believe that the UFT has been a significant reason why our schools have been slow to open."
from POLITICO, March 18, 2021
"There are some schools that are actually ready. There's some schools that aren't good. Given this being an unprecedented time, should we proceed with those schools who are ready and let them go ahead? And just let those schools who aren't ready, take the additional time that they need. We can't be one size fits all in this time because this is an unprecedented time."
from THE CITY interview, Sept. 24, 2020
Should New York proceed as soon as possible with congestion pricing, charging vehicles to enter central Manhattan?
In 2019, the state Legislature voted to charge vehicles a special toll to enter Manhattan south of 59th Street — with specific rates and other details to be determined later by an appointed board. New York has since been waiting for federal approval. Once congestion pricing is in place, funds will funnel to the state-run MTA to support mass transit — rankling some who seek city control over its streets.
Yes, supporting current plan to capture funds for the MTA
Yes, while pursuing city control over the revenue
No, or further evaluation is needed
"Need it now. Also we lockbox all the money goes into transit. Commissioners and others with cars, on the subway system, MetroCard. I use the subway all the time. I think it's important to do it right now."
from NYC Mayoral Leading Contenders Debate, June 10, 2021
"We need to be better stewards of our money, including the money that's going to come in as a result of congestion pricing."
"We need to have congestion pricing put in place now. We are not suffering from a lack of cars in midtown today, yesterday, the day before. People are coming in and if they all come in by car we can't move. We need people to get back on the subway."
from "Leading Contenders" Democratic Debate, June 10, 2021
"We need congestion pricing. We need it now. The Trump administration thwarted us. We can really build back our transportation system with that revenue."
"Part of what we need to do with that money is put it into our subway systems to make sure that they're continuing to run and operate and we have to improve them."
"Congestion pricing has been a long time in coming but we have to be mindful of our city's recovery. Right now 80% of midtown commercial real estate buildings are still empty so we have to accelerate the recovery by any means necessary. So I'd be flexible on the timing of adopting congestion pricing in line with the city's return of commuters."
"My administration will vocally support congestion pricing and work with the state and federal government to implement it as soon as technically feasible."
"I support congestion pricing not only as a way to raise revenue for transit, but also because it has the added benefit of reducing the number of cars that are on the road and thus lessening emissions. However, we need to make sure the MTA uses this revenue well."
from Tribeca Citizen, May 24, 2021
"It's time for NYC to see redesigned streets.... This includes also seeing a reduction of trucks and cars on streets, offering subsidies and tax breaks to those who find alternate means of travel besides cars and congestion pricing."
from Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats questionnaire
"New York City is in a crisis, and we need to raise revenue for the city. We always find ways to do that — impact the people who could afford it the least."
Should New York City gain control of its subway and bus systems?
While the mayor appoints a few board members and the city owns the tunnels and tracks underground, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which controls the city's subways and buses (and more), is ultimately controlled by the state. Some local politicians have called on the city to take charge of its transit destiny.
Yes, while splitting bridge and tunnel toll revenue with LIRR and Metro-North
Yes, provided the city also gains full control of bridge and tunnel toll revenue
"I've looked at the numbers. It's not pretty, but the reality is, it's very very hard to manage a recovery if you're not managing the way five and a half million New Yorkers get around every single day and that includes the subways."
from District Council 37 Forum, Jan. 26, 2021
"I would love to see the city take control, but only if we had the revenue to support it."
"I think over the long term, it would be great for the city to get control of the MTA, but that can't happen without the revenue."
"I don't know if the city is at a point right now where we should be taking on additional responsibilities until we have a clear-cut plan as to how we're going to manage it and make sure that it's successful."
"The city deserves an MTA that either we have the ability to resource and direct and control or that Albany does what Albany needs to do, which is ensure that it has sufficient investments and transparency and accountability."
"What we should do is expand the MTA board. A member from every borough should be added to the board. We need a lot of voices on the board to ensure that New York City, which really is the feeder for our MTA system, is in place, but no, if we don't have the dollars attached to it, it's the wrong thing to do, in my opinion."
Chang calls for "doubling down on our bus systems," which includes increasing the number of express buses or on-demand services.
"We don't have a pathway to be able to take over the subways, but we should have a mayor that has more power over the subways."
"We simply cannot afford this...and we don't have the resources to be able to run the MTA the way that it's supposed to be run."
"It would be great to control the subways but I've crunched the numbers — we can't take on the debt service. We can't take on the debt, it is not practical for us today to take over the MTA."
What course will you chart for the city-funded NYC Ferry system?
NYC's current mayor introduced all-borough commuter ferry service with a $2.75 fare per ride, in line with city buses and subways. With five routes in place and two more set to arrive this year, the city is spending substantial sums to keep the system afloat.
Continue or build on current NYC Ferry service and expansion plans while keeping fare at $2.75, providing additional dollars to step up service
Alter NYC Ferry service or expansion plans while continuing $2.75 fare
Raise or change NYC Ferry fare to help support existing and expanded service
Raise or change NYC Ferry fare while reevaluating routes and/or service
"Some of these routes just aren't really getting a ton of customers, and we're subsidizing them at a time when our budget is going to be constrained.… My goal would be to try and support the routes that, frankly, have proven that they're helping New Yorkers and have demand."
from Forum on the Future of Transportation, March 25, 2021
"I do see ferries as having a critical role.... I don't mind that we subsidize them given that we subsidize cars more than anything else.... I think the question has to be, are they equitably distributed and where is their demand?"
Garcia's campaign calls for redistributing funds from the ferry subsidy to half-price Fair Fares expansion and MTA bus operations.
"What we really need to do is expand it ... where we need it to make sure we have that service because of usage, but also increase the rates like we do for express bus service."
"We're subsidizing them as our budget is constrained. We'll have to make tough choices. I would try to support the routes that have proven they're helping New Yorkers and have demand."
Chang says the ferry system is integral to some parts of the city but that expansion has to done on a cost-effective basis.
"The New York City ferry system is a money pit. That must change because we can't continue the dramatic subsidies the ferry system is getting right now."
"I would rework the contract.… But ultimately, the goal has to be, if we're going to do I think transportation subsidy and expansion, I would drive it into the buses and the bus lane, because I think that's a better bang for the buck. But I would keep the service of the communities right now."
"We should make the ridership and the schedule has to make sense so that the city is not operating the ferries at a deficit."
Choose the statement that best describes your position on bike lanes:
The city's 1,300-plus mile network of bike lanes has been steadily growing. Yet many lanes remain unprotected from motor vehicle traffic. Meanwhile, expansion has failed to penetrate some areas, especially where local opposition is loud.
NYC needs to expand its bike lane network into underserved areas, even where lanes have met some local resistance
Expand bike lanes, while being responsive to local objections in deciding where to put the lanes
Alter or remove existing lanes where warranted
"Local community community boards should have input, but they should not have veto rights over bike lanes."
"We need to ensure that people think of bike lanes in the same way they think of their subway, as a network."
from Bike New York forum, March 5, 2021
"We need to expand bike lanes, busways and pedestrian plazas across this city. And that's just the start. We need to redesign our streets and ensure our more dangerous drivers cannot continue getting behind the wheel."
from Twitter, Nov. 15, 2020
Stringer's campaign website calls for a 425-mile, five-borough bikeway connected to greenways.
"I want it so that, when someone moves to New York City, they think, 'Great! I don't need to own a car.' One aspect of that is going to be making the city as bike-friendly as it possibly can be."
from Newsweek, Feb. 23, 2021
"People connect bike lanes with gentrification.... Bike lanes have received a bad rap because people believe it's an indicator that they're going to be displaced, and it's not something that's part of the overall build-out of their community."
"You start to change that conversation not just with what you're taking away in terms of cars, but what you're adding in terms of options."
from Bike New York forum
"One of my key proposals is to build a bicycle superhighway along Third Avenue in Manhattan, which would extend to the to Third Avenue in The Bronx."
"What we haven't done with major projects like this before is involve the people who are going to be most impacted.... We prescribe, but we haven't included. In my leadership, we would get the right leaders in the communities and if we have to go down by neighborhood, then we'll do that, because that's where people's lives will be most impacted."
from Streetsblog, March 3, 2021
"Although we would like more people to ride bikes, it's not happening in every community in the same way."
Wiley's campaign website calls for the creation of 300 miles of bike lanes.
Which statement describes your preferred approach to spending the city's affordable housing dollars?
NYC's next mayor will inherit ambitious affordable housing programs that rely heavily on government subsidies but also encourage or require private developers to rent some apartments to people with modest incomes. Growing homelessness and a shortage of housing for low-income tenants have led to demands for more aggressive action to lower rents.
Focus city funding on development projects that mix affordability at a range of incomes, using rents paid by higher earners to help cover costs for the lowest-income tenants
Focus city funding on 100% affordable development projects for the lowest-income tenants, even if that may create fewer units overall
Scale back city subsidies to affordable housing development, focusing resources on helping renters pay for existing housing
Adams wants housing built on public land to be 100% affordable to low- and moderate-income residents.
from NYC Mayoral Candidate Forum on Tenants Rights, Feb. 27, 2021
"Necessary investments in affordable housing are long overdue. As Mayor, I will.... Create a new mixed-income model that includes deeply affordable units."
"Much of what is advertised as 'affordable' housing is not actually affordable at all. I will abolish all tax breaks for luxury condominiums and focus our resources on housing for those who need it the most."
Yang has said that housing built on public land should be 100% affordable at a range of incomes.
"I'm a huge favor of mixed-income and mixed-use developments. But I think that the focus has to be on creating low income housing."
"When I'm mayor, my focus will be on deeply affordable housing. What do I mean by that? Less than 30% of median income in New York City. Those are the folks who struggle to make the rent every month."
from Campaign video
"I'll double the city's current level of investment, and the majority of that money will go to build deeply affordable housing. What does that mean? That means housing for a family of three earning less than $51,000."
from McGuire NYC Housing Plan video , April 1, 2021
Morales advocates for government-led social housing on land held in public trust, "creating a whole new paradigm for how we exist together in the city, and enable everyone to live in dignity."
from Gothamist, April 1, 2021
"We have got to ensure that the next generation of housing we build is actually for the people who need it the most."
"We should be building what people can actually afford. And that will look different in every community, but at least it will create stability in every community."
"We're going to track it by people's needs. So it's going to include very low and extremely low-income people and ensuring that we have housing for them."
Do you intend to "upzone" (increase permitted building size) areas of low-density neighborhoods to promote affordable and other housing development?
City planners and private developers rely on changing zoning rules for a site or neighborhood to allow bigger buildings that can include affordable housing. Such "upzonings" have led to pushback in some communities.
Yes, as part of area-wide rezonings
Yes, for specific blocks or properties
No, the city is already overbuilt
"We have our upzoning wrong. We've upzoned in poorer communities and displaced poor residents for richer communities, and I would do just the opposite. I will upzone in affluent areas where you have transit, rich communities, great schools, access to healthy food. So we need to reverse that."
"We, more and more, have seen political divisions in this city stop the potential to grow our economy and to create more affordable housing.... The only way we're going to be able to solve that is to have a mayor who can create what I would call a progressive coalition for equitable growth."
from Bloomberg Opinion, March 1, 2021
"We also need to be creative — you know, end the zoning that blocks us from really creating more density."
from Open New York Conversation with Kathryn Garcia, Dec. 29, 2020
McGuire's campaign says he "will advance a citywide rezoning that will drive new residential construction."
from Campaign website, April 1, 2021
"We need to fully restore funding cuts to affordable housing, change our outdated zoning rules."
from Twitter, Oct. 30, 2020
Stringer seeks to require affordable housing in new development regardless of whether zoning changes are sought. "If you're going to build in New York City, you will provide affordability that is sustainable.... No longer will developers be able to use affordable housing as a bargaining chip with communities."
from Comptroller website, Jan. 29, 2020
"We must prioritize building permanently and deeply affordable housing for low income and extremely low income people across the city, not prioritizing certain zoning designations."
"Housing costs and rent are going up for more and more Americans while income stagnates. Relaxing zoning laws and NIMBYism would help in many areas, as would micro-apartments and innovative approaches to communal housing."
from Twitter, Aug. 11, 2019
In addition to creating more affordable housing, Chang calls for factoring climate change. "Where we spend our precious dollars on increasing density has to be in some of these higher land areas."
"Jamaica is one area that is ripe for redevelopment. Jamaica already has the requisite infrastructure for upzoning, including a variety of mass transit options, local colleges and universities, and a thriving downtown."
Should NYCHA continue toward its goal of placing half of its apartments into private management under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program?
With many of its 171,000 apartments in dire physical condition, the New York City Housing Authority is seeking to move half of its public housing into a federal program, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), that enables NYCHA to borrow funds to make repairs. NYC's version of the program puts RAD buildings into private management — also removing them from the oversight of a federal monitor.
Yes, this is the best way for NYCHA to upgrade its deteriorating apartments
Yes, but keep a substantial number of apartments out of RAD to maintain oversight of those apartments by the monitor
No, NYCHA should not rely on private firms to manage its buildings
"RAD does not require privatization. It is a way to get Section 8 resources into public housing...we need a reset on RAD."
from Housing Conservation Coordinators' forum, Dec. 8, 2020
"When I went and saw developments that had gone through the RAD process at Ocean Bay or at Campos II, the tenants were extremely happy."
"I'm going to give [NYCHA residents] an attorney that they are going to interview and decide — not a city intern attorney, but someone in private practice that we would pay for so they can be in the room negotiating these important issues such as RAD."
"I think that a lot of the friction we're describing is because too many NYCHA residents don't feel like they have a say...the NYCHA board, instead of being minority tenants, should be majority tenants."
"It's an attempt to have one-size-fits-all. RAD is not going to work in all of NYCHA buildings."
In her administration, Morales vows, "There's no sweet deals or handoffs to private developers...we've got to focus on retrofitting our buildings and investing in the capital repair."
"Every time we move to privatize public housing, it comes with a sense that we have failed . . . But when we look at the different models we're forced to use right now, it's because of the lack of investment on a federal level."
"I don't just see RAD as just private management, I see RAD as private ownership to developers.... We need to create opportunities for those NYCHA residents that may have the ability to own something, to give them ownership, to give them control of their own developments and create better for themselves."
"The principles have to be about keeping public housing public, and that's one of the concerns around RAD."
Should surplus funds received by the city from Battery Park City — an estimated $400 million over 10 years — be steered exclusively to NYCHA?
Under a 2005 agreement, surplus revenues from tax-like payments by property owners in Manhattan's Battery Park City must be used to fund affordable housing.
Yes, NYCHA needs a dedicated revenue stream to pay for much-needed apartment upgrades
Yes, but split the money between NYCHA and other affordable housing programs
No, 100% of this money should continue to be dedicated to general affordable housing programs
"One idea that I think we should put forth immediately is to take $40 million a year over 10 years from the Battery Park City Authority.... We could bond that money as a way of creating a new revenue stream for NYCHA."
"The funding for Battery Park City can help facilitate affordable housing elsewhere."
Should non-citizens be allowed to vote in local elections?
A bill pending in the City Council would change New York City's charter to allow "lawful permanent residents" 18 and over to vote in local elections.
Yes, permanent residents (green card holders) only
Yes, all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, should be allowed to vote
"Say it loud and say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here. I'm proud to support expanded voting rights in municipal elections for lawful permanent residents of our city."
from Twitter, March 10, 2021
Citing his father as an example, Donovan agrees with allowing noncitizen New York City residents to vote in municipal elections.
from Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats questionnaire, March 10, 2021
Stringer said he supports expanding voting rights in municipal elections to all New Yorkers with green cards or work authorizations.
"YES. All residents of New York City should have the right to vote. Just as non-citizens were able to vote in school board elections of the past, they should be able to vote in municipal elections of the future."
"The vast majority of non citizens are also taxpayers. They contribute to our city's income revenue, they also use our city services. They should have a say in who gets to represent them."
"Yes! Nearly one million New Yorkers are unable to vote, despite paying taxes and being impacted by the daily decisions of the city government. Especially in a city like ours, where we know our excluded workers are often our essential workers, they deserve a voice in the system."
"I do believe that it's important for people to come here become a citizen and then vote."
"I do not support the current proposed legislation for allowing non-citizens voting powers in municipal races."
from City Limits, March 10, 2021
Should government cash assistance be available to low-income undocumented immigrants?
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for cash assistance under public benefit programs accessed via the city Human Resources Administration, though their children with a different immigration status may be.
Yes — special pandemic assistance only
Chang noted in addition to government cash assistance, enabling mutual-aid or a "super network of mutual aid socities" to distribute such funds would be effective. "There are going to be legal constraints on what the government can do. But there are many fewer on private individuals."
"Under my Equity Bonds program, any child born into poverty, regardless of immigration status, can go to school knowing that ~$50,000 is waiting for them before entering the workforce or pursuing higher education."
from , Jan. 19, 2021
Garcia supports providing residents with cash assistance regardless of immigration status.
from City & State NY/Documented, March 12, 2021
"19% of NYC's frontline workers are non-citizens or undocumented -- risking their lives while being excluded from life-saving state and federal support. As Mayor, I'll fight to ensure we #FundExcludedWorkers."
from Twitter, March 5, 2021
"Remember Census 2020. Remember when we asked every New Yorker — whether they had documentation or not — to put their names on the line.… We asked them to count because that would bring more money to us.... And now the question is, do they count? Because we had a historic census count to bring more federal dollars to the state."
"The pandemic exposed how many New Yorkers live on the edge of ruin... Getting more money directly into people's pockets was once radical and is now mainstream."
from USA TODAY, March 3, 2021
Foldenauer said the aid should include cash assistance as well as grocery hand-outs or hot meals. "We do need to make sure we don't leave our undocumented immigrants behind."
"We can create other forms of funding for undocumented immigrants through specific programs."
Should NYC pay for attorneys to represent New Yorkers facing deportation in immigration court?
The City Council currently funds attorneys for immigrants held in detention who are facing deportation, via the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project. But other immigrants facing deportation proceedings do not have access to city-funded free legal counsel.
Yes, immigrant New Yorkers facing deportation should have a right to counsel
Continue existing city funding sponsoring legal services for immigrant New Yorkers held in detention
Adams supports expanding funding for immigration legal services, including the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project.
from City & State NY/Documented, April 12, 2021
"If we are truly in a sanctuary city, and then we need to prevent law-abiding immigrants from being deported, period. This is not about paying for immigration lawyers. This is about preventing deportation."
Donovan's campaign says he supports more resources and funding for legal services to help immigrants.
Garcia is in favor of contributing to the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund, which pays immigration bonds for detainees in need.
Morales supports increased funding for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project in order to provide attorneys for non-detained immigrants.
from City & State New York and Documented, April 12, 2021
"I'm calling for the City to protect these New Yorkers and eliminate the carve-out that limits access to immigrant legal services because if we believe in due process for all people, we can't be in the business of choosing who deserves a truly fair day in court."
from City Comptroller news release, Feb. 21, 2019
Wiley wants to back the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, the public defender system for NYC immigrants in detention facing deportation.
Yang wrote on his campaign website that he supports expanding access to and funding for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project and other similar immigration legal services.
"The right to counsel is an important thing. It's merely a question of cost."
Do you support measures to legalize basement and attic apartments?
NYC's current mayor sought to help property owners bring some basement apartments up to code or convert unused spaces, potentially shoring up a source of housing widely relied on by immigrants. Those efforts have stalled during the pandemic.
Yes, revise building codes to allow current illegal apartments to be compliant
Yes, revise building codes and encourage conversions through financing, counseling or other means
"Thousands of New Yorkers live in SROs and basement apartments, or in single family zones where leasing accessory units is illegal. By allowing for all of these units to be built or legally used, we can add hundreds of thousands of affordable apartments."
from Twitter, May 28, 2021
"We should definitely do this while we preserve safety."
Foldenauer said more housing is needed but dwellings must comply with zoning restrictions. "People have bought homes on residential streets, in reliance on being protected by the zoning laws. So if all of a sudden, all their neighbors are allowed to convert into apartments, then it changes the character of the neighborhood."
"We also need to be creative, you know, end the zoning that blocks us from really creating more density, legalize basement apartments make it so that we can have single room occupancy again in a way that's safe."
from Open New York interview, Dec. 29, 2020
"My plan will also make it easier for homeowners to earn income from the property by converting existing spaces into new rental apartments, that means updating our zoning rules to allow for basement and garage apartments and other necessary dwelling."
from McGuire NYC Housing Plan, April 1, 2021
"There is a lot of work to be done quickly with the Department of City Planning: making better use of existing housing infrastructure by getting rid of single-family zoning; ensuring that accessory dwelling and basement units are legal, safe and affordable."
from 2021 VOCAL-NY Questionnaire Responses Homelessness and Housing
Stringer says he intends to help property owners to transform their basement and garage spaces to rental apartments.
from "Scott Stringer's Mayoral Plans", Feb. 25, 2021
Yang's campaign website says he will pick up where the current mayor left off with a basement apartment pilot program, as well as support changes in state law and city code to promote more such units.
With hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers facing extended unemployment, which of the following would you make your top priority for investing federal aid dollars?
New York City is receiving billions of dollars in pandemic relief from the federal government, much of it intended to help revive the economy. What to do with the funds is largely a local decision.
Wage subsidies to help employers bring back and retain their employees
Extended unemployment benefits to all impacted people
Access to loans for entrepreneurs and worker cooperatives
Government jobs in underserved communities to rebuild local economies
"We want to encourage people to come to the office safely. We want to encourage workers in restaurants and other service industries that have been shut down to return to work."
"I've identified what I call a comeback accelerator plan, which gives wage subsidies to 50,000 small businesses. We'll pay 50% of the workers' salary for one year by jumpstarting the economy. It's going to cost me 900-plus-million dollars over two budget years, which I can pay for by using the existing federal and state funds."
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 24, 2021
"I proposed the City create a $1 billion stimulus fund for small businesses, and nonprofits that would distribute grants between $20,000 and $100,000 to organizations for payroll, back rent, to rehire employee who were let go, to pay for costs incurred from COVID-19 safety renovations, and more."
from Statement to THE CITY
Adams' campaign told the Daily News he would expand tax credits for low-income working people and make the benefit available for the recently unemployed.
from New York Daily News
"We should have government programs that employ people. And we should also help employers bring back their employees, especially small businesses. But for everybody else, we need unemployment benefits."
"We need to grow. That is part of what gets us out of this, which has meant strategic investments in working with the private sector to provide low-interest loans to our restaurants and to our small businesses. We need them back. They're huge generators of employment."
"Most everyone knows that if I had my way, we'd all be getting $1,000 a month from the federal government," Yang said in reference to his proposed universal basic income plan, which he would target to NYC's neediest. "I'm thrilled to make it happen in the biggest, greatest city in the country."
from Bloomberg CityLab, Jan. 28, 2021
"We will deploy capital to small businesses in neighborhood commercial areas, dispersing small loans to viable retail businesses to help them retool and expand as New York City emerges from the pandemic-driven recession."
from The Plan for the City of New York
"I have based my plan and my program on what we have learned in history, which is that when we are in an economic crisis, we have to find a way to invest in our people, put dollars in our pockets and make sure that we are stimulating the economy."
Should New York reclassify gig workers — including food deliverers and Uber drivers — as employees?
A growing segment of the workforce consists of workers who pick up assignments from apps like Uber or DoorDash, treated by the companies as independent contractors lacking rights of employees, including the right to join a labor union.
Yes, require companies to classify workers as their employees
Yes, give workers flexibility to decide whether they are classified as employees or independent contractors
"First of all, I will push for gig-economy workers to have all of the rights and benefits of traditional employees."
from Community Service Society NY questionnaire
"This is really got to be done at the state level. It is nearly impossible to do this at the city level. We can do it in some cases in areas where that business requires permits or licenses, so that's why we've been able to step in."
Morales' campaign says she would push for creating paid family leave, maternity leave, and sick leave to independent contractors and gig workers. She would also create a platform cooperative and digital democracy agenda.
The Stringer campaign calls for strengthening workforce protections for independent contractors and says Stringer will fight misclassification of workers.
from NYC Comptroller website, March 15, 2021
"Gig-economy workers have played an important role in keeping our city running throughout the COVID crisis. I support the right of all workers to organize, and I support the classification of app-based drivers as employees, entitled to the rights and protections they deserve."
"I will work to ensure that all workers are paid fairly, are able to secure their pay without hassle or cheating and have access to benefits — whether they are a freelancer, an employee, or an undocumented worker."
"If all of a sudden everyone's classified as an employee...costs will go up to businesses everywhere. And those costs will then be passed along to consumers.'"
"The California bill to reclassify contract workers for companies like Uber as employees, not contractors, is a positive step. In many cases the companies have as much or more control than traditional employers."
from Twitter, Sept. 11, 2019
Which statement best describes your approach to bargaining with municipal labor unions?
The mayor of New York City controls contracts with hundreds of thousands of municipal employees and retirees who are members of labor unions, whose wages and benefits are paid by local, state and federal taxpayers.
The mayor is working for voters and taxpayers, who must come first in bargaining with city employees
Municipal employees keep the city running and the mayor should put their needs first
Mayors should strive to find a balance between taxpayers and workers, even when that leaves everyone unhappy
"NYPD's PBA is an example of a union that needs changes in its bargaining."
"When negotiating with labor unions, we have to look at how we can trim down the cost of our workforce. So we can't simply do giveaways to any interest group, and that includes labor unions, contractors and otherwise."
Donovan's campaign says he will save money while "avoiding layoffs by establishing a general hiring freeze — excluding teachers and essential public safety positions — as well as a general wage freeze, and by consolidating pension and benefit funds, starting with all non-uniform and non-UFT funds."
"You have to work with labor because they are the ones who actually end up doing the job. And so, when you are collaborative, you can find savings, which has historically been done."
"I would work with labor in order to come to a conclusion or come to an agreement that was mutually agreeable" on raises for city workers.
"I've stood there with you, and if I'm elected mayor, together we will continue a partnership that honors your service, that does not threaten your jobs; it does not threaten the work that you do. We will be equal, respected partners as we bring the city back."
from DC37 Mayoral Forum, Jan. 25, 2021
"I'm going to wring the budget of everything that is not people, to try and balance the budget in a way that does not affect you and yours."
New York has been a leader in increasing the minimum wage. Should the state increase it above $15 an hour in the first two years of your term?
New York minimum wages are controlled by New York State, based on the recommendations of a wage board. But local advocacy has led to minimum wages rising higher more rapidly in NYC than the rest of the state, currently $15 an hour.
Yes, and be indexed to inflation so the wage automatically rises each year
Yes, but not indexed to inflation — the wage should come under review before future increases
"The rate of inflation should be the rate of inflation for everything."
Donovan's campaign says he will create "a wage board to set fair terms for compensation" for climate adaptation workers that replicates "the successful process to increase the minimum wage in New York State."
"It's nearly impossible to live on $15 an hour here, in the city of New York. And honestly, the federal minimum wage should be tied to inflation, as it once was. We need to work with our small businesses to understand and take into account what when we are making worker changes."
Morales seeks a guaranteed minimum income. "It's really the idea of raising the floor for some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in New York City."
from NY1, Feb. 3, 2021
"If I had a choice between something like universal basic income and a higher minimum wage, I would choose universal basic income. But if I don't get universal basic income, then I'm all for raising the minimum wage."
from Pitchfork Economics podcast, April 3, 2021
"We should also support efforts to increase the minimum wage."
from CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute
"The last thing you want to do is increase it again, which will hurt small businesses...they simply couldn't afford it."
"Our waiters were making amazing tips. Some waiters were making $700, $800 a day, on tips. These waiters were making $8 an hour. When the $15-an-hour rule came, we had to let go about 50 of our employees because we just couldn't afford it."
from NYC Hospitality Alliance Mayoral Forum, April 12, 2021
Will you direct the NYPD to stop arrests for drug possession?
In April 2021, New York legalized possession of up to three ounces of marijuana for personal use, while paving the way for a regulated sales industry. (Note: Candidates were surveyed before state law changed.)
Marijuana only
Marijuana and one or more other drugs
"I support 100% legalization of marijuana.... I don't support legalizing crack, cocaine. It is devastating when you see what it does. I don't support the legalization of heroin. I don't support the legalization of, you know, those hard, serious drugs at all."
from VOCAL-NY's Mayoral Candidate Forum, March 17, 2021
"I am for decriminalizing marijuana. I think that is absolutely fine, but there are other substances — not only fentanyl, but even things like cocaine — where you don't know how your body's going to react."
"We should stop criminalizing addiction. That people who are addicts have a different problem. It's not a criminal problem. It is a health problem."
"I am certainly for decriminalizing certain substances.... I do have some concerns about decriminalizing completely into all substances. ... I do have concerns about the devastation I've seen with highly, highly addictive and deadly drugs where even small amounts can have life-altering consequences and even cause death."
Asked about decriminalizing small amounts of all drugs, including cannabis, heroin, and crack, cocaine, Morales said, "We need to move toward that in the response to the war on drugs, so it's all of those things."
"We need to make sure that there's opportunity for whether it's morphine or different drugs. We can't just simply incarcerate."
"We have to start, obviously, with where we have already a lot of public support with marijuana."
"I'm for the total decriminalization of cannabis and marijuana. … I'm for the decriminalization of many of these prescription opioids that, frankly, the drug companies have generated billions of dollars of blood money from. … I'm for legalization of psilocybin mushrooms, and I'm open to the public policy impact of legalizing other substances."
Should NYC stay on course to close all jails on Rikers Island by 2027?
NYC is pursuing a 10-year timetable to close Rikers Island and replace it with four new borough-based jails at accessible locations intended to make incarceration less inhumane.
Yes, build all new planned smaller borough-based jails on the current timeline
Yes, build new smaller borough-based jails but consider changes to plans or timeline
Reevaluate closing Rikers
Close Rikers, but build no new jails
In backing a new jail for downtown Brooklyn, Adams urged "rehabilitation over incarceration, providing workforce and educational opportunities for inmates, providing mental health services and mindfulness training to those struggling with trauma, as well as finally addressing the taboo around the prevalence of people with learning disabilities in our jails."
from Statement as borough president, July 9, 2019
"I would finally close Rikers within my time as mayor."
from Uptown Community Democrats Present: NYC Mayoral Candidate Forum, Jan. 15, 2021
"I do believe that we need to close Rikers. I do believe that you know this is the opportunity to fundamentally change what happens there."
from NYC Criminal Justice and Reentry Mayoral Forum, April 5, 2021
Foldenauer said the it is hard to project the city's tax base and its ability to pay for new jails: "The cost of these new jails looks to be astronomical."
"I was the first elected official to say shut it down and close Rikers. I was the first."
"We have to close Rikers Island. It is a human rights violation, what is happening at Rikers.… There is a plan in place. It's a plan that will be implemented, and.... I support the plan."
from Queens Post Podcast, March 19, 2021
"We need to re-examine the four borough jail project really from A to Z because I've met many New Yorkers who did not feel properly included in that plan. … I do think that we should be moving to close Rikers as soon as possible, but we need a better plan that more community members are on board with in terms of what comes next."
from NY1's "Inside City Hall, Jan. 14, 2021
"I wouldn't shut Rikers Island down, I would reform it.... I would change the name, and I would make sure that we make it a rehabilitation center."
from Republican Mayoral Debate, March 31, 2021
Sliwa said he wouldn't close Rikers when he was asked.
from WABC Radio Republican Debate, March 31, 2021
"If you build it, you will have to fill it. Do we actually know that we need an expansion in our jail system?"
"I've pledged to close Rikers and to open NO new prisons or jails as we dismantle a 'justice' system built to criminalize Black and Brown communities."
from Twitter, Nov. 9, 2020
"I am opposed to spending $11 billion on jails.... There are so many other things that we can utilize those funds for.… In the short term, it will continue to be on Rikers."
Should NYC ban solitary confinement within jails?
The city jails board has restricted who may be put in solitary confinement and proposed rules to limit the number of hours of isolation but has stopped short of full abolition.
Ban solitary confinement entirely
Maintain current plan to allow minimum 10 hours per day out of cells
"I think they need [penal institutions] to be something else. Reimagining them is going to be a powerful part of that, and that includes getting rid of solitary confinement."
"We need to ensure that there is no solitary confinement."
"Solitary confinement is inhumane, and I urge Gov. Cuomo to sign #HALTSolitary immediately."
Asked if solitary confinement should be ended, Stringer replied "Of course, yes."
from Mental Health Town Hall, Citizen Action of New York, Dec. 15, 2021
"I want to make sure there's no solitary confinement."
from Empire State Indivisible's Mayoral Candidate Forum, Feb. 8, 2021
Foldenauer said solitary confiment should be discouraged but not banned since "there might be limited circumstances where it's necessary."
Adams said he would end solitary confinement only for non-violent detainees.
Which of the following would you choose as your top priority in addressing individuals charged with a crime and awaiting trial:
Bail reform has prompted increasing reliance on supervised release programs for people facing criminal charges as an alternative to jail — as well as concerns that the programs themselves may be too punitive.
Promote use of city supervised release programs for more people
Promote release without supervision programs for more people
Promote pretrial jail for more people who currently must be released
Leave the current system as is
Adams recommended expanding the city's supervised release programs to include a "broader range of non-violent crimes."
from The Brooklyn Eagle, July 9, 2019
"The data has not shown a correlation between supervised release and crime, especially violent crime. "
"It really has happened that the nonprofit sector being stepping up and then also using technology, so they can have supervised release. You know, this is, we don't want people to be in jail. I mean, there are some people who like obviously need to be there but, for the most part, you're waiting trial. That you should be presumed innocent to a certain hearings, like the presumption is you are presumed innocent."
from THE CITY interview , April 13, 2021
"We need mentors and love agents that work to help folks deal with the issues that led them to committing a crime."
"While supervised release is a good step for reducing the harms and costs of jail, it should not be used for those who do not require supervision, because community supervision (including more intrusive forms like parole and probation) can become trip-wires to more incarceration and counterproductive involvement with the justice system."
from Statement to THE CITY, April 29, 2021
"When you have a serious crime take place, you can't just release the perpetrator and allow him or her to commit another crime."
The next mayor will inherit well documented inequities in property tax assessments. What will you do?
Uneven property assessments have many homeowners in neighborhoods with lower real estate values paying much more in taxes than those in tonier areas, among other inequities in the system identified by the NYC Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform.
Respond without impacting overall tax dollars collected, even if that means some will pay more than before
Respond without increasing anyone's tax burdens in the process — potentially reducing tax dollars collected
Maintain existing property tax assessment system
"New York City's property tax system is fundamentally unfair, allowing wealthy people in Manhattan high-rises to pay significantly less than lower-income and middle-class, single-family homeowners in the outer boroughs. We need to shift the tax burden off renters and homeowners in less affluent areas to the owners of pricey apartments in wealthy areas."
from Commercial Observer, April 29, 2021
Chang proposed changing tax assessments when there is a change of ownership for a property. "The perfect time having the least impact on everybody is to do tax transitions during a change in ownership."
"My focus is really on making the system simpler and more transparent, but also more equitable, so that we are not disproportionately putting the burden of property taxes on rental housing, particularly in the lowest income, Black and Brown communities."
from New York Daily News, April 11, 2021
"We need a fair system across the board. One type of property ownership should not be favored over another."
"Literally, two buildings right next to each other could pay wildly different property taxes.... We need to just scrape the whole system. Starts with everything as a true market value.... And the third assessment, choose our assessment off of that."
"My approach would be to fix our property tax system through legislative action in Albany."
"We should be looking at property tax and land value tax, and doing things differently with those revenue sources as well."
"I would follow the commission's lead and propose a plan that is revenue neutral.…But the wealthy should pay their fair share, which is why I'm proposing raising property taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers."
"I would follow the commission's lead and propose a plan that is revenue neutral.… But the wealthy should pay their fair share, which is why I'm proposing raising property taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers."
"Some NYC homeowners in poorer neighborhoods are paying seven times the effective property tax as people that own luxury apartments in Manhattan. Property tax reform is one of the great opportunities to unlock billions of dollars of value and make NYC fairer and more equitable."
from Twitter, Feb. 17, 2021
"City suffers from a culture of overtaxing and generally that falls on minority communities."
"I will also finally deliver much-needed property tax reform, which will provide economic relief to millions of low- and middle-income residents.... By finally making private, wealthy universities and businesses pay their fair share, I will deliver millions of dollars in tax relief to NYC residents."
Should NYC resume collecting taxes on stock transfers?
New York technically collects a small tax on every stock sale on Wall Street — but for decades the state has refunded that tax in full. A surge in stock trades and wealth generated via NYC-based trading has prompted demands to bring back the tax.
"I am wholeheartedly in support of the Invest in our New York Act, which will tax the rich and bring resources back to the city that are sorely needed." This package of bills includes a financial stock transfer tax.
"We're going to have to identify revenue streams — steady, stable revenue streams — to transform our amazing city.... That's why I support the Invest in Our New York City agenda in Albany." This package of bills includes a stock transfer tax.
from Daily News, Feb. 23, 2021
Wiley supports the stock transfer tax to fund her plan to ban evictions.
"This would make New York the only state to impose such a tax, which would be easily avoidable by moving stock transaction processing to other locations, such as New Jersey, which is already ideally positioned to support this type of operation."
"We need New York City to be a mecca of banking, commerce, tourism. If you start adding new taxes, then people will take their business elsewhere."
Garcia opposes taxing stock transfers because the stock market "already could be anywhere" and she says the move will drive the financial industry to relocate.
"Taxes on stock transfers just seems to penalize folks for investing."
"There are other ways that we can generate revenue in ways that are constructive to New Yorkers, like taxing vacant lots at fair market value, which generate hundreds of millions. So there are different approaches."
Should New York impose a "pied a terre" tax on homes that are not a primary residence?
State lawmakers have proposed charging an additional tax on property owners in part-time residence, following waves of Manhattan real estate development aimed at investors or well-heeled occasional visitors from around the world.
Yes, for all part-time residents (less than 180 days a year)
Yes, for international owners only
Adams has proposed a "pied-a-terre tax surcharge" on all nonprimary luxury residences worth $5 million or more.
from "Real Recovery NYC" plan
"These part time residents aren't paying their fair share of taxes to run the city."
Morales has said she would increase taxes on pieds-a-terre as well as luxury units that developers keep vacant for tax write-offs.
from The Root, Jan. 11, 2021
"We need this money that will actually make those properties even more valuable because the city with a strong subway or transportation base, the city that is safe, a city that builds park space...enhances the value of those second homes.… Part timers should be paying their fair share, especially people worth hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars."
from The Brian Lehrer Show, March 18, 2019
Wiley's campaign plan includes imposing a "pied a terre" tax as part of new revenue sources.
"I do think the city should be considering things like a pied-a-terre tax that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars."
from Citizens Budget Commission Mayoral Candidate Forum, March 25, 2021
Chang said international part-time residents need to pay taxes so that they are "contributing to the fabric of the community."
She "would hate to add more taxes in New York City in general, but we got to pay for things."
"We should be looking at our property tax system, which is actually the most regressive tax in the city. And looking not just at a pied-a-terre tax, but at more fundamental reform in the property tax system."
Will you further tax the ultra wealthy?
Meet Your Mayor posed this question to candidates before New York this April increased state tax on income above $1 million to 9.65%, above $5 million to 10.3% and above $25 million to 10.5%.
Yes, increase the income tax rate for those who earn more than $5 million annually
Yes, increase the income tax rate for those who earn more than $10 million annually
No additional taxes
"If you make more than $5 million a year, we are asking you to pay a little more to stabilize our city."
from NY1 News, April 6, 2021
Chang contends the wealthy wish to contribute under the right circumstances: "If I present the question in the following way, I get 100% agreement: 'If you trust how your money is being spent, are you willing to pay more in taxes?' And the answer is yes."
Donovan proposes working with the adminstration and Congress to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share of the tax burden, including by rolling back Trump tax cuts on the wealthy.
"People want to be in New York. The idea that the wealthy will leave because we've raised their taxes is a fear mongering tactic that has served those in power too long. What this WILL do is raise real revenue to lift up struggling New Yorkers. #TaxTheRich."
from Twitter, April 7, 2021
"The one thing I consistently hear is that Maya, if you share with us a plan for what our money will do, and we know that improves our schools, that it's going to help with public transit, we're willing to pay more, but we want to see managerial leadership."
"There are more ways to tax the ultra wealthy, but we have to do it in a futuristic way."
"I disagree with the new state law that increases taxes on the wealthy. The wealthy will simply move to Florida, or Texas or some other states."
"If we have enough to cover those costs then we shouldn't be taxing people more. If we haven't gotten enough money to cover the costs for the things we need to do, then everyone needs to pay a little more,"
"I would do it by cutting taxes not increasing taxes. I would do it by welcoming back the rich making sure that they are part of the fabric of New York. I would make sure that we engage the rich."
from WABC Republican Primary Debate, April 1, 2021
McGuire said he believes wealthy people like him should pay more, but not if federal stimulus funding is set to come in.
Borough Edition
The Bronx: Do you support building a stadium for the NYCFC soccer club next to Yankee Stadium?
The soccer team NYCFC, largely owned by the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, is looking to build its own stadium, after sharing Yankee Stadium since it debuted in 2015.
Yes, I will do whatever I can to make this happen
Yes, but only if a deal can be reached with no public subsidy or tax breaks
"I'm generally against public subsidies or tax breaks for private investments."
"I think there is a great model. Mayor [David] Dinkins built Arthur Ashe stadium [at Flushing Meadows in Queens] as a national model. There was no public subsidy, but there was also an ongoing return to New Yorkers from the earnings.... I think we can do it just as we did with Arthur Ashe Stadium."
from THE CITY interview, May 17, 2021
"There should be zero subsidies for sports stadia. The wealthy owners of the sports stadiums should foot the bill themselves."
"These are organizations that are wealthy organizations. We should be using public money for breaking back our economy and helping people with health care, in schools."
"I would love for New York City to have the first arena centered around a women's sports franchise."
"We shouldn't be subsidizing any arenas, any stadiums, any facilities that have professional sports where they're making money. So absolutely, if they had the money, not a penny of tax dollars should go to that"
"If we're saying that the city is in a crisis, then when you're in crisis mode, you can't go out give out subsidies. You just can't do it."
Brooklyn: Do you support the National Grid's proposal to expand its natural gas facilities, including building a pipeline through parts of Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, and Williamsburg?
The utility National Grid has proposed building a natural gas pipeline that would run from Greenpoint to Brownsville, transporting fuel underground via East Williamsburg, Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Yes, but the proposed route requires more review
"We have a substantial natural gas infrastructure that's in place. And we do need a reliable pipeline to serve all of the natural gas customers."
"I would be open to look at the route, but I'm not afraid of natural gas. If we had to look at all the pipes that are on the ground, the transport different of our needs, we will never have anything other than water."
A spokesperson for Adams said he "will stop projects like the North Brooklyn pipeline that threaten[s] to move us backwards toward greater reliance on fossil fuels".
from BK Reader, March 26, 2021
"The city should be 100% focused on reducing our carbon emissions footprint, not giving room to expand carbon emissions, which would this would clearly do."
"This project is in direct opposition to my goals to reach net zero emissions by 2050. And in addition, I've heard real concerns from residents about the project, the root of the project, the disruption that it would cause and I'm deeply concerned about that."
"You have to begin taking steps to move from a fossil fuel economy to renewable energy and that is my focus. So let's invest in our renewable energy and bringing more renewable down from upstate New York, where they are doing solar farms and hydro."
"Pipeline would negatively affect the marginalized communities and families that live there and cost a lot of money in the process."
"With fracked gas already flowing through segments of the North Brooklyn Pipeline, it is past time to start acting on climate solutions to end the era of fossil fuel growth in New York."
Wiley's website says she would "prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure and funding sources, including pipelines and gas turbines, and support ongoing grassroots fights against fossil fuel infrastructure like the No North Brooklyn Pipeline organizing effort."
Manhattan: Do you support commercial rent control?
Even before the pandemic, high rents in many Manhattan neighborhoods coincided with numerous empty storefronts and a proliferation of chain retailers. Even more stores are vacant now.
Yes — I'm ready to work toward implementing a system
Let's study the issue and see if any model could possibly succeed in Manhattan
No, commercial rent control does not work
"The rent is too damn high.... We can't continue to commodify necessities."
"If we want to talk about having small businesses come back and be successful, we need to make sure that we give them the resource to achieve that. And I think the rents for commercials have really gotten out of control."
A spokesperson for Wiley said she would work toward implementing a system that helps small business owners to pay their rent. Her plan is called Save Our Small Business and it includes protecting commercial tenants, reducing commercial vacancies and committing to create a citywide model for commercial rent stabilization.
from Statement to THE CITY, May 17, 2021
Chang cited a model in Kyoto, Japan, where business of certain trades are gauranteed a space. "There are certain certain things that I would love to see preserved in New York, but I'm not really sure what that would look like."
"I'm not sure if it would work, we do need to figure out a way to to ensure that small businesses are able to thrive in New York City. My biggest concern is the influx of chain stores."
"We need to look at that more closely because it is literally like, you know, does that mean that that person, who's maybe not even really doing business anymore or something that's no longer even paying, is trying to make money in their business but just as a really cheap rent stays in place."
"Let's see if market forces lower the prices and that new people get involved in opening up businesses. Meantime, we can study commercial rent control, rent stabilization. See if it even makes sense."
"When you say rent control, to me, you'd want to try and ensure that small businesses can survive, particularly the types of mom and pops that define New York, but I wouldn't want to have like, you know, hard and fast rules that may work in some part of the city and not others."
Asked if he would support rent control for commercial tenants, Adams said no.
"The problem is that commercial rent control is a very blunt tool. It would protect large chain stores that can afford the rent…. I would say is that they can see of our storefronts is one of the most important problems we have right now and, you know, the business owners, as well as property owners, are really struggling to fill those spaces.… It's possible that commercial rent control, it certainly isn't going to help fill those vacancies."
Queens: The Sunnyside Master Plan envisions 12,000 affordable homes, a new regional rail station, 60 acres of open space and more to be built atop a platform over the western Queens rail yard. Will you work to realize the plan?
NYC's current mayor proposed building a vast new affordable housing development atop the train yard in Sunnyside, along with a new transit hub.
Yes, as planned
Yes, but the project's cost, scale, community input or other fundamentals need revisiting
Garcia said developing Sunnyside Yard is an opportunity to "engage with the community" but supports the plan as is because she doesn't "want to slow things down."
"The plan is just such a beautiful dream. But it is a dream."
"We need to look at a few things. One is to go back and make sure there was a field full process for community input....The other issue is that we have to reevaluate it in the light of the COVID recovery…and particularly, what resources are we able to access from the federal government.... I think it's possible to build, to create the plan more quickly."
"It's about listening to the folks that are most affected. And what happens is with plans like this, the people that are most affected don't find out until it's already set in stone."
"I think that it's important that we proceed with the plan, but I also think we need to take a step back and look at it and see if it still makes sense. And we also need to reaffirm the community's input as it relates to this plan."
A spokesperson for Wiley said she will review the critical components of the Sunnyside Master Plan because "the City has invested billions of dollars in affordable housing development over the past seven years" and the city is still facing a housing crisis.
"We first fill up all these empty -- I'll call them catacombs -- these empty buildings of glass, steel and concrete before we start trying to develop other areas"
Staten Island: Will you commit to restoring 24/7 half-hour service on the Staten Island Ferry? If so, when?
Staten Island Ferry service scaled back early in the pandemic and is still not back to its usual every-half-hour round-the-clock schedule.
Yes, immediately after taking office
Yes, within my first term
"The Staten Island ferry is an absolutely essential lifeline for residents of Staten Island to be able to commute. And with the city really this fall reopening … it's going to be absolutely critical that we have that service in place as quickly as possible."
"We have to make it so that public transit is available across the city and that is the lifeline for Staten Island. And we know that many essential workers need the ability to take the ferry, otherwise, we are incentivizing parties."
A spokesperson for Wiley said she would restore Staten Island Ferry service every half hour 24/7 so that "essential workers and overnight workers in Staten Island can continue to have transportation."
The ferry is "one of the main ways people get from Staten Island to the rest of the city and if you have hours of the day, even very late at night, when you don't have service, then it's going to mean that some people might not otherwise be spending time out and about are going to have their ability to get home limited"
"I always view the Staten Island Ferry as a transfer...most of the people who take the Staten Island Ferry are taking the bus on one end and or the subway on the other end."
"The reason you need it [the Staten Island Ferry] is the city is starting to open up now 24 hours soon. The subways today are open 24 hours. So why would we not open up service on the Staten Island Ferry 24 hours.?"
"During my first term, we want to do an analysis to look at ridership. We want to have all of the data.... On the peak hours, the non peak hours, how many people do we have actually utilizing the service and then resume the service accordingly so that people have access."
Should NYC's next mayor appoint campaign contributors to boards, commissions and other posts?
NYC's current mayor routinely appointed campaign donors to advisory boards and decision-making bodies, including those doing business deals with city government.
Yes, potentially to any type of position
Yes, only to advisory or other groups without decision-making authority
Chang said some of his contributors are of "extraordinary talent" and that he "would not want to foreclose the opportunity of being able to hire some of those folks."
"I want to be very clear that every appointee in the Donovan administration would have to meet strict qualifications for the role. And so, I want to be very clear that making a contribution should have absolutely nothing to do with the appointment, but I don't think it should disqualify someone from that."
Paperboy Prince said people worked on their campaign would "still go through a process where they're vetted under the same scrutiny" as other candidates.
"We need to look at the dollar values of the donation."
"In New York City, which has a lot of Democrats, a lot of liberals, a lot of progressive, I am probably going to have to appoint quite a few [campaign contributors] because they are skilled, they are knowledgeable, they are doers…but they cannot be in the leadership position. Advisory, you know, part of a board where there are other members, yes, but they cannot be the head of any of these agencies."
Should city officials be able to raise funds from private donors for affiliated nonprofit entities?
Mayors are allowed to raise private dollars for their city-linked nonprofits, with a requirement to disclose contributors. NYC's current mayor was investigated (and cleared) by federal prosecutors after accepting funds from donors who sought City Hall help.
Yes, as currently permitted
Yes, adding disclosure of the nonprofits' spending and recipients
"I did not go from being a person that enforced the law to become one that breaks the law," Adams said when questioned about fundraising for his Brooklyn borough president's office nonprofit One Brooklyn.
from The New York Times, May 16, 2021
"As mayor I will eliminate all forms of quid pro quo and pay to play, including elected officials benefiting from the use of non-profits."
from Twitter , May 18, 2021
"I wouldn't want to stop a good thing as far as someone who's actually trying to help the community. But I think there should be a cap on the amount of funds raised."
"I point right to the Eric Adams situation with One Brooklyn.... It's an end run around the intent of contribution limits in New York City politics."
"This is a type of problem Mayor de Blasio and Eric Adams have run into," Foldenauer said — "an opportunity for people with interests before the city to seek improper influence."
"When you are an elected official, and everybody knows, the reason people are giving to your nonprofit is they want something in return. Everyone understands that. It is the most corrupt practice that exists in New York City and must be stopped."
"We can't even allow the perception that government decisions could be driven by private donations. And that's why, as mayor. I'll ensure that no one would business before the city will be able to donate to an elected official, period."
Taylor said allowing non-profit organizations to donate to political campaigns creates "an unequal playing field, favoring current officials and does not allow grassroots candidates the opportunity to compete."
Which of the following leadership styles will best serve NYC's next mayor?
We asked the candidates to identify their preferred approach in running an organization.
The decider — centralize decision-making with the mayor and close advisers
The delegator — hire top talent to run agencies and rely on their judgment
The partner — make decisions in coordination with the City Council
"I believe I have the Bloomberg style with an asterisk — put the right people in place and then use his favorite quote: Don't f+++ it up. But I also believe, and I live by this, you have to inspect what you expect or it's all suspect. When I see a pilot in the cockpit of a plane, he has in front of him a bunch of instruments and dials to let him know about wind speed, takeoff, view, everything. If he flies that plane without those instruments, I don't care how competent he is, he is liable to crash."
from Bloomberg Opinion, Feb. 22, 2021
"When COVID first hit, have we acted promptly, we could have prevented innumerable deaths and sicknesses that resulted. So one has to be able to make quick decisions and that's what I'm prepared to do."
"My management style is one where I've managed large businesses that are similar to NYCHA.... I managed them from the depths of crisis. We're going to find the best talent. You've got to attract. You've got to recruit and retain the best. Empower them and give them metrics."
"At a moment where there are so many things to fix in New York City, where we need to get so many things done at once at once, it's the only way we're really going to improve that repair and rebuild the city quickly. And is very different from the way we see Mayor de Blasio lead these last eight years, when he's been unwilling to listen to his commissioners and to allow them to go get big things done."
"The mayor [de Blasio] is not a manager. The mayor has been a public advocate, and that is where he got his training. I fundamentally manage differently. It is about bringing the smartest people together, listening to them, developing the plan and holding people accountable for delivery."
"You have to be a delegator because our leaders are always acting pretentious, omnipotent, like they know everything.... I'm not an expert. So if I appoint an expert to be in charge of an agency, why wouldn't I allow the expert, he or she, to do the job?"
"Part of my ability to do a good job has not that much to do with me but with my ability to attract the best and the brightest into government and to give them a mission and direction."
from Bloomberg, March 30, 2021
"This is how I managed inside City Hall and got things done — like getting every single apartment in Queensbridge Houses free broadband…by recognizing it's a team effort and that you have to have the smartest and most qualified folks in all our important positions. You have to listen to them."
from Bloomberg Opinion, April 5, 2021
"I'm someone who wants to identify people who are passionate and dedicated and mission-driven, and then wants to give them room to run.... You need to empower leaders and managers and in different environments and different agencies so that they feel like, as long as their values are sound and their process is good, that they can make decisions on their own."
Chang cited his time at NYC Votes, an election education campaign, as an example of partnering private firms with the city Campaign Finance Board.
"My management style is that I'm really good at surrounding myself with people who I think are smarter than me, people who I know sort of offset the different things that I may or may not bring to the table. Very collaborative in terms of trying to solicit people's ideas and thoughts and also being able to co-create those solutions and strategies."
"We need to have love leaders," who focus on "bringing people together," and "collobaration and not competition."
"You have to partner with City Council to get the legislation done. But you also have to have the right people to be able to implement it so that you can get the right result."
Should NYC's next mayor veto any bills presented by the City Council?
NYC's current mayor has never vetoed a single bill from the City Council, preferring to negotiate behind the scenes to advance, hold back or reshape proposed legislation. Past mayors have used their veto often.
Never — bills should only come to a Council vote following mayoral agreement
Only under extraordinary circumstances
As often as necessary
"The mayor would be would have to be deeply collaborative with City Council, but I could envision a time when the City Council is for whaterever reason is intent on pushing through a bill that I disagree with."
Foldenauer said vetoing a bill "sends a message to the City Council that the council members need to work with the mayor before finalizing language in a bill in the first place."
"Well, especially if the DSA ends up controlling the City Council, I am going to have to veto a lot a lot of their legislation, because they want to defund the police even more. They don't want tenants — whether commercial or residential — to pay rent. They don't want gas pipelines in certain areas.... So I'll be at war with the DSA candidates and my only chance to balance is with the veto power."
NYC is legally required to guarantee a "right to shelter." Should related agreements be updated?
New York City government years ago signed on to court settlements granting a right to shelter for all single adults and many families who seek it.
Renegotiate "right to shelter" into a "right to housing" to invest in permanent solutions
Keep "right to shelter" but lower existing barriers to families seeking shelter
Keep "right to shelter" as already agreed to
"In situations like a pandemic, economic crisis and climate crisis, the effort should be to keep people in their homes. ... We know that for instance, housing a family in a temporary shelter costs $240 a night. That translates into about $53,000 a year....This is incredibly costly to the city, it is far more costly than just paying their rent."
"If I were mayor, we would end street homelessness in New York City. And we would do it by reimagining the right to shelter as a right to housing."
from Mayoral Candidates Meet Homeless New Yokers, Feb. 12, 2021
"We have to fundamentally change our approach. Shelters are a Band-Aid for this solution to a long-term problem. We have to put housing first.... That is why my plan includes increasing the voucher amount to something you might actually be able to rent in the city of New York."
from First Democratic mayoral debate, May 13, 2021
"Anything that is available that is at our disposal, we should be converting to permanent affordable housing. We should not be perpetuating the shelter industrial complex."
"There's a lot of housing that is already in certain neighborhoods that's old, that is deteriorating, that needs to be revamped and remodeled. I think we start there, but my goal is kind of to revolutionize the whole city and the architecture of the city."
"If you show up in New York City — you could be from Philadelphia, Newark, and claim that you are indigent, you have nowhere to stay — the city by federal court order has the responsibility to provide you with housing, food, medical care. We have to challenge that. People are taking advantage of this by coming in from surrounding cities that don't have a very good shelter system.… It's an overburden on our system."
"Everyone talks about how to solve the homeless crisis. But no one talks about giving homeless people a home with supportive services. What I would do as mayor is have a housing plan that actually builds low income housing for the people who need it."
"Everybody deserves the right to housing. Housing is a basic right. And it actually ends up costing us more when we don't provide people with the housing that they need and we focus on just temporary shelter."
"We need a housing-first strategy."
from First Democratic mayoral debate, March 2, 2021
"We need more permanent affordable housing, the sheltering system is not meant to be permanent."
"One big problem we have is that there are a number of homeless people who are reluctant to go to shelters because they're afraid and have safety concerns with respect to those shelters. So the city needs to do a better job at keeping homeless shelters safe.… What we really need to do is help these homeless individuals get back on their feet and get them back into the workforce, so that they will no longer need shelter from the city."
"If I were mayor, we would end street homelessness in New York City and we would do it by reimagining the right to shelter as a right to housing."
Should hotels remain residences for homeless people post-pandemic?
The city Department of Homeless Services came to use hotel rooms to house many homeless families as their numbers in shelter grew. During the pandemic, the agency also moved many adults from shelters into hotel rooms to thwart the spread of COVID.
Yes, hotel capacity is needed for temporary or permanent housing
Keep current city plan to phase out hotels for the homeless by 2023
No, end homeless hotels as soon as possible
Donovan cites the Times Square Hotel, converted into a 652-unit permanent supportive housing development for formerly homeless adults. Donovan promote "single-occupancy units for permanent supportive housing."
"We need to recognize housing is a human right and prioritize the provision of housing for everyone. That means really scouring our city for all the existing vacant spaces, particularly post-pandemic or mid-pandemic, including vacant hotel rooms, commercial spaces, office spaces, and really prioritizing making those spaces, converting those spaces into housing that can be provided for both the homeless people in the city and those that might be housing insecure."
from The Brian Lehrer Show, April 28, 2021
"Instead of spending $3 billion a year on homeless shelters, we should be investing in folks having housing first, having supportive housing. We should be taking the 100 hotels that have been shuttered and turn them into affordable and permanently affordable housing for our folks who need it."
"It's been used to solve an immediate problem but to continue to rely on this is, to me, a capitulation to this idea that we are going to have this continuing wave of homelessness."
"We're going to make sure that there's housing for all the city. The best way to deal with the housing crisis is to give housing."
"My goal is to look at a lot of the zombie homes that we have in New York and work to increase the number of firms that we utilize for construction to rehab those zombie homes to provide affordable housing for the homeless. I also want to look at commercial space because you have a lot more people that are working from home in this moment."
"The issue with the hotels right now is that they're being treated as a stopgap and we need to figure out what structures can actually be converted into housing ongoing and then have that be a more longstanding solution."
from Future of Family Homelessness and Poverty Forum, May 20, 2021
"The homeless hotels must close and we shouldn't be placing particularly single homeless men in residential areas."
"Shift from a shelter strategy to a housing strategy also means instead of paying to rent hotel rooms we purchase suitable empty commercial spaces and convert them into 10,000 permanent supportive housing units."
from Gotham Gazette, March 2, 2021
"Right now, if you go into Times Square, many of the hotels are COVID-19 homeless hotels. We'll never get tourists to come in, we don't have hotel rooms. So we have to return the homeless to the shelters."
"I want to take the vacant properties that the city owns, I want to give them not to revenue developers, but back to community based organizations with a subsidy that would be directed to reward low income housing and finally align the housing and homeless crisis because right now we are spending billions managing people in dangerous shelter conditions."
Should the NYPD play a role in response to people living on the streets and in the subway system?
Starting last summer, the NYPD removed itself from homeless outreach response in city streets and on the subways, leaving responsibility to the city Department of Homeless Services.
Yes, generally
Yes, specifically when public safety risks arise
No, NYPD should not be involved in homeless response
Adams's campaign proposes refunding the Transit Homeless Outreach Unit, a partnership between the NYPD and the city social service agency. The proposal also includes "more active oversight of units that could have a more significant presence, such as the midnight train unit that is meant to focus on sleeping and intoxicated passengers."
from The Subway Safety Plan, May 18, 2021
"I've been consistent in saying that we need a police service, not a police force, so we do need to improve the training that officers are given so that they're prepared to adequately deal with people who have mental illnesses. EMTs and mental health experts can accompany police officers when they're working with homeless individuals to make sure that people get the help that they need."
"The NYPD had a Homeless Outreach Unit that was closed when De Blasio took a billion dollars out of their budget but the city has not replaced what the police used to do.... They have to restore the homeless outreach unit from the police because nobody is doing it now."
"There may be occasions when a police officer would be present but they should not be the primary actor. They should be standing a ways away as a tertiary or or support staff while someone else who's better trained to actually intervene with a person who's having an issue is leading and making sure that the issue is being addressed the right way as opposed to having someone who's not trained for that kind of that kind of activity."
from Caring & Compassionate New Deal for NYC forum, March 17, 2021
"We do need to respond when the MTA says we need more cops in the subway, that does not mean we're not sending mental health professionals into the subway as well, so that we can get people the services they need and into supportive housing to deal with their mental health issues, as well as with their substance abuse issues. We can do both"
"We've been cycling mental health issues in and out of the underground subways for decades. And the truth is, every time there's a call for more police, we end up not solving the problem. This is got to be the new way of looking at it. And that means investing in mental health professionals to make sure that people get supportive housing."
"We need to have trained mental health workers out there helping to convince these mentally ill homeless folks to get into supportive housing and off the street. And a police officer is also likely to aggravate situations and not help."
"I know that we need a totally different way to respond in this city and so my plan calls for an alternative to 911 but it goes well beyond that as well. It is really investing in the teams that we need to respond but also creating real infrastructure for mental health care around this city."
"I've called for the creation of a community first responders department that would be staffed by people who are trained and skilled at intervention and the escalation in these situations: mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse"
"There's a lot of police officers that are very good at dealing with folks that are in distress and that are dealing with mental health issues, but the fact is that they're just not trained to do that. And a lot of times, it ends with the wrong person going to jail, it ends with someone ending up hurt."
"The role of policing is supposed to keep people safe. Being homeless is not a crime, it's a condition that we created. So the response to a condition that we created should not be to bring in the police."
"The reality is a big part of our safety problem in the subways is a mental health and homelessness problem, where we have the tools and resources to ensure that we have the proper outreach workers helping get folks who are mentally ill, or and or substance addicted out of the subways and into housing."
Should NYC's next mayor close the 30th Street shelter, the main point of entry into the system for single men?
Men entering the shelter system for the first time must first stay at a massive facility in Manhattan's Kips Bay, where chaos and safety code violations abound.
Yes, completely close within the next mayor's term(s)
Close but keep ready and available to handle surges in demand
Keep the 30th Street shelter open as is
"The lack of safety there is one of the contributors to persistent chronic homelessness by people who do not want to enter the shelter system.... We have to think differently about this. So I think that we need to think about putting homeless intake centers or homeless crisis centers around the city."
"We have to expand the individual housing opportunities for the folks that are being warehoused in these shelters and also do a concerted effort to expand the number of affordable units that are available for families."
from Curbed, April 22, 2021
"People don't even feel safe going into these systems. So I want to eradicate homelessness and no longer allow homelessness to be big business."
"We need this facility on East 30th Street. We need as much space as we can for our homeless population. This is the main intake center for single adult males and we need the facility."
By 2024, big NYC buildings will have to meet energy efficiency targets or face fines. Which one of the following should the next mayor prioritize to make sure they don't fall short?
NYC's Climate Mobilization Act requires owners of large buildings to ensure they meet tough energy efficiency standards tied to the letter ratings posted at their entrance. Some landlords, condos and co-ops complain that they will be hard pressed to meet the mark.
Help owners finance upgrades
Institute a cap-and-trade program that lets owners buy credits to offset their emissions
Revise the law's timeline or penalties
None — Local Law 97 is solid as is
Adams pledged to "provide tax credits for innovative waste management and energy-efficient design."
from Twitter, April 22, 2021
"The city has to offer owners some financial models, some proofs of how this can work."
"Not only am I going to accelerate implementation of Local Law 97, get the tools and resources like PACE to every building that needs it. But we're also going to lead with our public buildings. We're going to make sure that public housing is a model around the world for sustainable, green housing."
from City & State NY, April 23, 2021
Garcia called for "incentivizing electrification and carbon savings--not slapping building owners with fines."
from Twitter, Dec. 29, 2020
"A lot of these landlords are not making millions of dollars off of these premises. For the smaller and midsize ones, we have to support them financially."
Yang "will use the City's own buildings as demonstration projects for how landlords and building owners can meet the emissions reductions requirements and will advocate for state and federal tax credits to offset costs."
"The problem with the law currently is that it's an unfunded government mandate. It's very difficult to be a property owner in the city as it is and to all of a sudden impose additional fines without providing significant support is a problem."
"The owners, so far in the lockdown, when it comes to rent many of them have received no rent for either commercial space or residential space.... So they're desperately going to need help with this."
What should the next mayor's top priority be for neighborhoods in the most vulnerable flood zones?
Superstorm Sandy devastated low-lying coastal neighborhoods, which remain at risk of rising seas and storm surge. Many proposed interventions to protect these areas are incomplete or not even started.
Limit new development and enable owners to sell properties to the city
Invest in elevating and fortifying homes and other buildings
Construct protective infrastructure such as seawalls and restore wetlands
No new action
Chang said "city will likely have to buy" properties in flood-prone areas.
"I support flood buyouts and resettlement strategies for high-risk areas in addition to other adaptation and resilience efforts."
from NY1, April 13, 2021
"One long-term solution to our climate crisis is for governments around the world to buy back the most vulnerable land along our coastlines."
Stringer called for expanding home buyout programs and replacing urban highways with parks.
from NY1
Wiley called for "transition of City-owned social infrastructure to become climate-ready, by investing in infrastructure to allow public schools, libraries, hospitals and Community Care Centers to act as climate-ready community hubs."
from Waterfront Alliance survey

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl