| Arts | LGBT | |
| Disability Issues | Parks | |
| Education | Security and Public Safety | |
| Environment | Seniors | |
| Health Care | Traffic and Transportation | |
| Housing | Women's Issues | |
| Labor |
Arts
We need to recognize the important role that the arts play in our economic and cultural lives and support the creativity that has made Manhattan the cultural center of the world. The arts are only important in policy-making when someone exhibits strong leadership on their behalf. I will be a champion of the arts, fighting for stable public funding, so organizations don't have to wonder whether they'll exist next year, and encourage private philanthropy for the expansion of programs and infrastructure. We need to return the arts to prominence in our schools, and further utilize private talent to expand educational programs. And we need to address the issue of affordability, which is one of the greatest challenges our cultural institutions face. As it becomes more and more expensive to live in Manhattan, we will witness a talent drain across the creative fields. I do not want to see Manhattan lose its place as the favored home to the arts.
Disability Issues
We've come a long way over the last few decades in our efforts to make public space and services accessible to all New Yorkers, but we are far from achieving full equality. In the coming months, I will launch an initiative called "Access Manhattan" focusing on disability issues. Our buses are almost entirely accessible to the disabled, and we should strive to make our subway - the core of the City's mass transit network - equally accessible. We must ensure that this work is progressing on schedule. It won't happen overnight, but it won't happen at all if we don't oversee the work and demand demonstrable progress. Access-A-Ride is a good program, but chronically oversubscribed, and in need of further expansion. The City's taxi fleet is largely not accessible, and there are not sufficient penalties in place for drivers that refuse to pick up disabled passengers. No building plan will make it through my office without a thorough review of its ADA compliance and an appropriate consideration of the quality of life the project provides for disabled citizens. And, as we struggle for equal rights for domestic partners and an end to racial disparities in healthcare, we must also fight for mental health parity in health insurance coverage. We must do these things, not simply in response to a Federal law or a court order, but because it is the only right thing to do.
Education
Strengthening our City's public schools isone of the most important tasks facing every elected official at the City and State level. We need to work hard to ensure that the "sound, basic education" mandated in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision is realized in each and every one of our schools, and be certain that all students enjoy basic safety and dignity in their learning environments. During my tenure as President of the District 2 School Board, we created two new schools for our district. These were small schools, but they helped alleviate crowding, and, more importantly they were intimate environments in which students could learn. We need more small schools in every neighborhood in Manhattan, and we should support programs like charter schools that will help us accomplish this goal. Wealso need to pay our teachers more, so that we can hire and retain the best in the field. Our teachers earn far less than those who teach in suburban schools even though our teachers face tougher challenges.
Environment
One of the biggest environmental challenges facing our City is air quality. The City Council has made progress, passing laws requiring the use of cleaner burning fuels in City vehicles. But at a time when we lead the nation in rates of asthma - particularly childhood asthma - we must do more. We should explore moving the municipal transportation system to green technology, hybrid taxis and natural gas buses. And we need to encourage the federal government to put regulations on the emissions of the ocean freighters and other ships that enter our ports and whose contribution to total air pollution in the Greater New York area remarkably ranks second overall, after cars. New York City has unique power needs, needs that will only continue to grow, and we will always need to create new energy. But rather than just looking for places to build new power plants, we should promote innovative solutions for energy creation, like the proposed turbine farm in the East River off Roosevelt Island. And we must ensure that City agencies are complying with legislation requiring them to purchase Energy Star products, to make certain we're conserving as much energy as possible. We also need to support recycling and ensure that the City's program is run efficiently and profitably so that we never again find ourselves in a situation where there is talk of the program's elimination or suspension.
Health Care
Each year, well over 25% of New Yorkers are without health insurance for some period of time. In the absence of strong leadership at the federal level, we must take action in our own communities to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers. First, we need to ensure that every New Yorker knows about the public health programs available to them - many free or at low cost for the unemployed or those earning low wages. We must deal with the exploding costs of prescription drugs, and explore creating drug discount cards for New Yorkers. And we must make sure that the costs of drugs are consistent throughout the City and not more expensive in poorer neighborhoods as some studies have shown. New York City still has the oldest, largest, and most heterogeneous HIV epidemic in the western world, and we need to recommit attention and resources to the problem to stop the recent spike in increases, and return to decreasing rates of infection and death. We need to empower the City's health services to respond quickly to new causes of the epidemic, combating, for example, the abuse of crystal methamphetamine. And we must work hard to end the demonstrated racial disparities in coverage and care that plague both the system and those that it serves. Anything less is unacceptable - access to affordable and quality health care is a basic civil right, and every single person that lives in New York must receive quality health care regardless of race or income.
Housing
No New Yorker should ever fear losing their home because they can't afford to pay half their income to rent. Right now a million people in New York pay more than 30% of their income to housing, and many pay 50% of their income. Half of every dollar they earn goes to their landlord. That is unacceptable. The situation is dire. I don't want to see Manhattan become the exclusive domain of the wealthy. Not only can increasing numbers of people no longer afford to live in Manhattan, there very well may not be enough places for everyone to live. Population growth across the City is far outpacing the development of new apartments - we need new low and moderate income housing, and we need it now. And we must safeguard programs like Mitchell-Lama that have allowed many New Yorkers to hold onto their homes for decades. If we don't act immediately, not only will we have failed to provide a better opportunity for those struggling to hold onto their homes, we may contribute to an even more marked increase in homelessness.
LGBT
Throughout my career, in law and in public service, I have fought to ensure equal rights for all Americans, particularly those in the LGBT community. As Borough President I will continue to champion marriage equality, lobby the Clerk to issue licenses to same sex couples and fight for changes in State law. I will advocate for expanded HIV/AIDS funding from both the public and private sector to assist research efforts at our local hospitals and help those who are seeking treatment. I will also work with the City to increase access to HIV prescription drugs. We must act now to combat a near epidemic of crystal use, securing DOH funding for prevention programs and treatment. We must also immediately confront the insufficiency of our current shelter and support system in addressing the growing population of homeless LGBT youth. It isessential to ensure that gender identity is included in all anti-discrimination legislation the City passes, and I will make sure that no citizen is ever excluded from protection against discrimination. That includes in the schools, where we must constantly preserve and protect safe learning environments for students at risk for harassment, guaranteeing schools where each student is afforded the dignity they deserve.
Labor
Labor has always played a pivotal role in the fight for equal rights and equal opportunity. Unions were vital in guaranteeing the well-being of workers in the 20th century, but in the first few years of the 21st century we’ve seen many of the gains previously won come under attack. Efforts to curb overtime pay, privative Social Security and hinder unionization attempts are just a few examples of the Bush Administration’s attack on working people and labor. I’m a strong believer in the old adage that all politics is local, and in the face of such hostility we need to do a better job of supporting labor and ensuring the rights of working people here at home.
We need to fight for a living wage and fair contracts for all workers in our City. $5.15 was not enough for a minimum wage, and neither is $7.00. We need to raise the Federal minimum and we need continue our campaign in Albany. Here in New York, the City can set an example by ensuring good contracts for municipal workers. Our firefighters continue to work without a contract and our teachers have been without a contract for over two years. We need to pay these heroes of our labor force more so that they earn enough to afford to live in New York - at the very least they must receive salaries comparable to what they could earn in surrounding communities.
We have seen an explosion in the numbers of chain stores and big box stores across Manhattan in the last few years, and this expansion is connected to continued loss of the diversity that makes Manhattan so special. Manhattan means more than Wal-Mart and Red Lobster. We should not lay out the welcome mat for businesses that pay low wages, offer no benefits, and bulldoze local businesses, decimating neighborhoods. And we should ensure that the City’s pension fund is never used to support such businesses.
I will support striking workers and picket lines during my time in office, as I have in private life. And I will fight with workers in non-union jobs to ensure that employers are acting in accordance with the law and support all organizing drives, ensuring that unions are recognized as soon as the majority of employees sign cards.
Ultimately the issues for which we are fighting – better jobs, stronger schools, public transportation, extended day care, affordable housing and health care - are important to everyone regardless of union membership. It is important to recognize that we are all fighting in solidarity for a better Manhattan.
Parks
While Central Park may be among the most prominent parks in the world, it's important to remember that there are over 1,700 individual parks across the five boroughs, and each of these is important to its community. With few exceptions, most of Manhattan's parks do not have endowments, and are thus dependent on fluctuations in the City budget. We know that every park can succeed, becoming a safe, clean and compelling public space, but we must devote the time, energy and resources to restoring those whose grounds and infrastructure have fallen into disrepair and securing those that are in good shape. We have the largest municipal park system in the United States, but per capita, we have fewer acres of green space than any other city. We must recommit ourselves to building parks, particularly waterfront parks and a full esplanade encircling the island, with bike and pedestrian paths. I look forward to the day when a bike tour of Manhattan can travel the island through a system of greenways along the water. The City's recent move to close entrances and limit access to cars in Central Park is a promising step towards a car-free Central Park. We must also work to preserve community gardens whenever and wherever possible. We should encourage unique reuse proposals, whose development of public space build upon some of Manhattan's most original pre-existing structures - like the plans for the High Line on Lower Manhattan's West Side. Parks are New Yorkers' backyards and we are committed to nurturing them.
Security and Public Safety
Despite our tremendous police and fire departments, New York – particularly Manhattan – is still prone to another terrorist attack. We need to do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of everyone living and working in Manhattan. We must continue to strengthen the FDNY and NYPD with state of the art equipment and adequate resources. And we must focus on leveling off the discrepancies between what New York sends to Washington in taxes, and what we get back in terms of aid, particularly in the realm of public safety. Wyoming receives nearly five times the money, per capita, that New York does in Homeland Security funds. There is simply no excuse for the Federal government to not adequately protect our city which remains an obvious target. At the same time, we must not lose sight of domestic security. Crime rates across the board are at the lowest that they have been in decades, and we must keep them there.
Seniors
Many of our City's seniors live on fixed incomes and can't afford skyrocketing rents. This is a major issue and I will fight for projects that include the development of affordable housing dedicated to seniors. Our public transportation must be made more accessible to both the disabled and the elderly, and a seat at the table must be reserved for senior citizens whenever we discuss expanding or improving our City's transportation systems. I place a particular priority on the expansion of car and van service for those unable to utilize the city's trains and buses. We need to do more to make prescription drugs affordable. Drug prices shouldn't fluctuate excessively from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the City must continue its crackdowns on those vendors who charge excessive rates to customers who can't go elsewhere. We need to continue our support for senior centers, and help them secure funding for additional programs and capital projects. We must work to ensure that critical meals on wheels programs are preserved, and responsibly managed. We must help seniors secure legal assistance, and continue to crack down on those who perpetuate fraud against unsuspecting citizens. And lastly, the City needs to ensure the proper supervision of nursing homes to prevent further instances of despicable abuse against the elderly.
Traffic and Transportation
Traffic is a nightmare across the City and nowhere is it worse than in Manhattan. Traffic congestion is a drain on our economy, and the leading contributor to air pollution in the area. We urgently need a new approach to traffic management and I will lead an effort to deal with this difficult problem. We must be sensible about traffic impact when developing. The proposed 75,000 seat Jets stadium at the intersection of the Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority will lead to a disastrous surge in the traffic, and I will oppose any project that will significantly increase the number of cars on our streets. We're not going to get rid of all automobile traffic, nor should we. But we should encourage the use of hybrid automobiles, including in our taxi fleet, to help offset pollution and fight diseases like asthma. We should increase funding to bicycle and pedestrian projects, and strive for car-free parks. And we must confront an MTA that is increasingly hostile to New York City, particularly Manhattan. New Yorkers suffered through a round of fare hikes last year - it was far too soon to even consider raising prices as the MTA did at the end of 2004. And what has the MTA proposed in exchange for the fare hikes? Threats of more hikes and service cuts. We should be aggressively developing expanded subway service and transportation alternatives, not cutting them. The East Side of Manhattan needs a 2nd Avenue Subway and if we are going to develop the Far West Side sensibly and include housing we will need to expand rail access to that area. Even though City transit carries 84% of statewide riders, New York City gets only 63% of state aid – a difference of $350 million. We need to address these discrepancies immediately, and fight hard for the mass transit projects New York desperately needs. We need to expand our network of ferries, and better use our waterfront for transportation alternatives, particularly on the East river. Together, we can make New York City the national leader in visionary and effective mass transit.
Women's Issues
I am committed to protecting women's health and safety, and to making sure that equal opportunities are available for all New Yorkers. Firstly we must be vigilant in securing a women's right to choose, protecting women and clinics from harassment and violence. We must ensure that emergency contraception is widely available to women across the City, and that all City hospitals and health clinics are complying with legislation requiring that they make this contraception available. We must expand screening programs for breast and cervical cancer, and ensure that every pregnant mother in Manhattan receives exceptional pre-natal care. We must support women owned businesses, and must enforce equal pay scales, particularly for companies that do business with the City. We must ensure that girls have the same opportunities as boys to succeed in the City's schools, both in the classroom and in athletics. We must fight hard against acts of violence against women, from domestic violence to stalking to workplace harassment, which can disastrously affect a woman's life and erode the fabric of equality and respect towards which we all struggle. Lastly, we absolutely must work to create more affordable child-care in the City (and ensure that the wages for child care workers allow them to provide for their own families as well), to give working mothers the freedom to pursue their families livelihood.
