New Yorkers deserve a strong, independent voice in City government. As a leader in the community and the City Council, I have been a dedicated advocate for my constituents and all New Yorkers, keeping government accountable and defending our right to full participation in the democratic process. Whether advocating for parents and children as a School Board member, exercising tough oversight over the City's child welfare and homeless services as Chair of the Council's General Welfare Committee, or leading the effort to oppose the Mayor's term limits law, I've never shied away from a tough fight or making tough choices.
Throughout my career in public life, I've gotten results for New Yorkers. I've found that this takes persistence, creative thinking, and the ability to assemble broad coalitions of support - qualities New Yorkers should demand of their Public Advocate.
I've stood up to make sure that the most vulnerable New Yorkers don't fall victim to a weakened economy. In this past budget cycle alone, I successfully fought to restore 125 subsidized childcare classrooms across the City and to prevent $3 million in potentially devastating cuts to child welfare personnel. I was at the table when it mattered, speaking up for the voiceless. And when I saw that landlords were discriminating against tenants with Federal housing subsidy vouchers, known as Section 8 vouchers, I wrote and passed a law to make the practice illegal. It took four years of relentless pursuit, but now families across New York City who depend on Section 8 can find a place to live.
Government is often resistant to change, but the Public Advocate must be willing to do what it takes to get results. This is a philosophy that has served me well on the Council and one that I will bring with me to the office of the Public Advocate.
The job of the Public Advocate is, most fundamentally, that of a watchdog-ensuring that all New Yorkers receive the City services they deserve and have a voice in shaping the policies of their government. As an ex-officio member of all Council committees with the power to introduce legislation, the Public Advocate is also an important participant in the legislative process, uniquely positioned to advance an independent, reform-minded policy agenda. Through the office's powers of appointments, the Public Advocate also influences City planning and development, the budget process, and the management of retirement funds-safeguarding our future, charting a course towards economic recovery, and strengthening the fabric of our neighborhoods.
My priorities as Public Advocate will reflect my values: a belief in efficient and transparent government, dedication to helping New Yorkers, and the willingness to make hard choices. Through exercising the specific powers of the Public Advocate's office and my position as an independent, citywide leader I will advance this set of key issues, and advocate for New Yorkers each day.
This fall New Yorkers turned out to vote in record-breaking numbers for a historic presidential election that shattered long-standing barriers and showed an extraordinary faith in our democracy. Despite this profound level of voter engagement at the national level, New York City residents feel more and more isolated from government in City Hall. Local government is failing to seize the opportunity to turn this civic enthusiasm into meaningful democratic involvement at the local level. Government agencies intended to serve and protect New Yorkers are too often unresponsive to their needs, or don’t have the resources to do better. City Hall is struggling to maintain the public’s trust and confidence, and is not living up to its end of the social contract. We can do better.
One of the most fundamental responsibilities of the Public Advocate—and one that I take very seriously—is to review the performance of City agencies and develop proposals to improve services. The Public Advocate is, therefore, arguably the best-suited elected official in the City to help bring about key reforms to engage our residents, increase governmental accessibility and make City government more accountable to the people.
New Yorkers deserve a strong, independent leader in City government who will represent those who are too easily overlooked by City Hall — someone who advocates for our City's children, our working families, and our poor. Over the past several years as Chair of the General Welfare Committee in the City Council, I have focused on making New York City a better, more livable and humane place for all residents. This has included successful efforts to increase affordable housing, protect low-income families from discrimination, decrease barriers to obtaining Food Stamps, improve child welfare services, and address the growing problem of homelessness. Especially in this time of economic crisis, the Public Advocate must be a voice for those without lobbyists or special interest groups. As Public Advocate, I will fight to advance the needs of underserved New Yorkers and protect our most vulnerable residents from bearing the brunt of the recession.
STRENGTHENING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Employment trends are clear: more and better paying jobs of the future require higher levels of schooling. President Obama has set a goal that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Over the last seven years, New York City schools have raised expectations for students, and more students are graduating from high school. It is undeniable that this progress is due to the hard work of New York City’s educators, students and their parents, and to the framework of Mayoral Control. But there is more to be done. The graduation rate of New York City students still lags behind the State average. Even within the City, there are wide differences in graduation rates across high schools and across ethnic and racial groups, with African American and Latino/a students graduating at significantly lower rates than their white counterparts. New York City’s public education system must prepare every child for success upon graduation from high school. Our investment in public education is our collective future.
As a public school parent, City Councilmember and former School Board member, I know firsthand that no other City service needs the Public Advocate’s independent oversight and assistance more than public education. As Public Advocate, I will use the office to build on the successes of Mayoral Control and also bring about much-needed reform.
CREATING JOBS, REBUILDING OUR ECONOMY
New York City is experiencing its most serious recession in decades. Unemployment has risen to 9.5 percent, now matching the national average, and the City's Independent Budget Office forecasts that New York City will lose over a quarter of a million jobs from the third quarter of 2008 to the middle of 2010. While we cannot know the exact pace and shape of our eventual recovery, it is clear that New York City needs a new economic approach that creates and sustains good jobs, draws heavily on our City’s unique, existing assets, and diversifies our economy—freeing us from our reliance on Wall Street. The Public Advocate is a citywide elected official with a seat on the City’s largest pension board, the power to introduce legislation, the responsibility of overseeing the performance of City agencies, and a seat on the Independent Budget Office Advisory Board. I will be a Public Advocate who plays a key role in charting the course of the City’s economic recovery, and, in turn, serves as a leader in creating the living wage jobs that New York City’s residents need and deserve.
Read more here: Advocacy for New York City
