Wfp Public Advocate Questionnaire

2009 Public Advocate Questionnaire Candidate Name: Office Sought: Contact phone number: Contact email address: The Office of the Public Advocate The office of the Public Advocate is a relatively new position in New York City government, and there have only been 2 individuals to hold this office. Would you use the office differently than its previous occupants, and if so, how? Communication to New York City Residents In a city of 8 million people, it can be challenging to communicate important information to New Yorkers that affects their lives and communities, such as public hearings involving local land use issues or programmatic issues involving children’s schools. Please explain how you would use the Office of the Public Advocate to ensure that city residents have timely and comprehensive access to information that affects them? Responsible Investing & Retirement Security. The Public Advocate has a seat on the Board of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), which invests billions of dollars in corporate America. Do you pledge to support policies which: A.

Challenge management at companies that engage in discriminatory, anti-union, anti-human rights or anti-environmental practices.

B.

Discourage investment in "predatory equity" funds that purchase rent-stabilized housing with the intent to evict tenants in order to increase rents, and mandate that current stakeholders get right of first refusal on purchases.

C. Promote "economically targeted investments” that accomplish the following goals: 1.

Investments in firms that work with labor unions to preserve and create good jobs.

2.

The creation of jobs targeted to low-income people.

3. The investment of funds in initiatives that promote retrofitting of buildings for energy efficiency (like the Working Families proposed Green Jobs/Green Homes NY Residential Retrofit Investment Fund). 4. D.

The investment of funds in the development of affordable housing.

Push for transparent disclosure of employee wage, salary, and benefits information for all companies that receive investment, from the mailroom to the CEOs.

E. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Land Use The Public Advocate appoints one representative to the City Planning Commission, which votes on land use and zoning actions under the NYC Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Do you pledge to appoint someone who will: A. Commit to consulting with Working Families and our affiliates on development before deals with the developers are struck. B. Support "mandatory inclusionary zoning" to require that all new housing projects include a minimum percentage of affordable housing units – like more than 200 cities across the county – with the expectation that half of all city built housing should be affordable. C. Support "industrial employment district" zoning provisions that protect manufacturing areas for industrial jobs by restricting incompatible uses, like hotels, superstores large-footprint office buildings and waste-transfer stations. D. Make the following conditions for receiving all city economic development benefits, including subsidies, use of city-owned land and city contracts: prevailing wages where already established by the State Department of Labor, living wages on all other permanent jobs created, and first-source hiring and job training requirements. E. Will you appoint representatives to local community boards and the City Planning Commission that support increased “mixed use” zones, which encourage a better mix of light industry, small stores and businesses, and residential development? F. What other ideas do you have to address this issue?

Balanced Economic Development Over the last twenty years, New York City has experienced the decline of middle class industries which has left the average New Yorker with a pay cut of nearly 8 percent. The average annual earnings for sectors that have been shrinking (including manufacturing, whole-sale trade, and telecommunications) are more than twice as high as those sectors that have been growing (like retail, restaurants, and home health care). To ensure the promise that hard work pays off, New York must take steps to diversify its economy. As the presiding officer of the City Council, the Public Advocate has the power to introduce and co-sponsor legislation. As the Public Advocate, do you pledge to support or take legislative action to: A.

Advance a "good jobs" agenda that ensures that companies receiving Industrial Development Agency (IDA) benefits meet the following conditions: maintain prevailing wages where already established by the State Department of Labor, pay living wages on all other permanent jobs created, maintain job training requirements, practice first-source hiring from the surrounding community, and include accountability measures like local government oversight of IDAs.

B. Support the "good food-good jobs" agenda of using appropriate City subsidies and land use planning tools to encourage the development of supermarkets that provide quality food and living wage jobs in underserved low-income neighborhoods. C. Support efforts to improve commercial rent regulation for small businesses? Protecting small businesses from unchecked and unreasonable rent increases – particularly as overleveraged landlords seek to pass on costs – will save community jobs. It is estimated that almost half of all New York’s 200,000 small businesses are owned by people of color or immigrants. D. Support passing a local ordinance guaranteeing a minimum number of paid sick days each year to New York’s workers, like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Currently, the majority of working poor in New York – 65% of poor workers and 45% of near poor – do not have a single day of paid sick time. E. Support petitioning the State Department of Labor to adopt and phase in a higher minimum wage for New York City, improving 1 million city jobs? New York City has the same minimum wage as the rest of New York State ($7.15 per hour), even though it has a much higher cost of living. F. What other ideas do you have to address this issue?

City Schools As the presiding officer of the City Council, the Public Advocate has the power to introduce and co-sponsor legislation. The Public Advocate also can conduct investigations and inquiries into the performance and practices of all city agencies and appoints one member to the Citywide Council on Special Education. Right now the Mayor appoints both the School’s chancellor and the majority of members of the central city school board and can also remove them at will, giving him almost absolute control over the system. As Public Advocate, would you pledge to advocate and support state action to: A.

Return checks and balances to the city school board. The Mayor should retain the ability to appoint a large number of city school board members, but a slight majority should be appointed by other elected officials: a) b) c) d) e)

The Mayor appoints 5 members Borough Presidents appoint 5 members The Public Advocate appoints 1 member The Comptroller appoints 1 member The City Council President appoints 1 member

B. Support greater transparency at the Department of Education (DOE) by: a) Empowering an independent body (like the IBO) the authority to audit school performance and finances. b) Mandating that all DOE contracts be open to a competitive bidding process like all other city agencies. C. Increasing parent, student and community input at the local school and district level, including strengthening the School Leadership Teams, empowering District Superintendents to solve local problems, and mechanisms to provide meaningful local input on school closings and openings. Do you pledge to use the powers of the office of Public Advocate to: A. Support targeting federal stimulus and/or state funding at constructing more schools and school seats in districts with the most crowding. B. Support exploring the reorganization of existing administrative staff to establish executive-level “community schools director” positions in schools – which could

be an expansion of the Parent Coordinator role – focused on strengthening partnerships with social services and community programs. D. Support unionization of teachers and other school professionals at charter schools. C. Support giving more weight to student-centered indicators – like absence rates or school safety – in the formula the DOE uses to create “school report cards”? Currently test-score associated indicators make up 85% of the report card grade, while “school environment” indicators make up only 15%. D. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Preserving Affordable Housing. Close to half of New York’s tenants (42%) live in “unaffordable housing”, paying more than one-third of income for rent every month. More than a quarter are paying more than half of their income for housing. Without action, New York will become a city where only the affluent can afford to live. As the Public Advocate, do you pledge to support or take legislative action to: A.

Advocate that building owners who receive future city development benefits for affordable housing construction (e.g. subsidies, use of city-owned land and city contracts) should enter into a contract to maintain “permanent affordability” of their rental units as opposed to “term of lease” agreements.

B. Support and explore a role for the city in ensuring that the 90,000 units of affordable housing purchased by private equity firms with the intention of deregulation – now at-risk of imminent foreclosure – remain affordable. C. Support state legislation to protect tenants by strengthening existing housing code, significantly increasing penalties for code violations, and expanding enforcement capacity. A good example of a more successful system would be the enforcement of parking tickets and fees collection of the Parking Violations Bureau. D. Advocate for the state legislature to extend rent stabilization to cover four unit buildings in the future and preserve all current apartments and tenants in expiring affordable housing programs, including Section 8, Mitchell Lama, J-51, 421-a, and the low-income housing tax credit. E. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Affordable Transportation The MTA’s projected budget deficit of $1.44bn in 2009 and $2.39bn in 2010 has led to proposals for 23% increases in fares and deep service reductions that will affect working

and middle-class New Yorkers the most. To protect against future fare hikes and service reductions, the MTA needs sustainable, dedicated revenue streams for capital programs that take pressure off the farebox. As Public Advocate will you pledge to: A. Oppose fare increases and service reductions. B. What is your position on the following revenue options that have been put forward to help provide sustainable MTA funding: a)

Establishing a payroll tax on the 12 counties in the MTA service region, . 33% of wages paid and projected to generate $1.5bn on annual basis.

b)

Institute weight-based vehicle registration fee on vehicles in the 12 counties in the MTA service region ($100 annual fee for vehicles 2300 lbs or less plus 9 cents per additional lb; expected to generate $1bn annually), providing revenue and incentives towards more fuel-efficient cars.

c)

Placing new tolls on 12 city-owned bridges ($8.30 toll entering on East River bridges, no toll exiting; $3.80 entering on East River bridges, no toll exiting) would raise $830 million annually. If all city residents were exempted from toll payment, it would raise $376 million annually.

d)

Increased Central Business District parking fees & fines, which is projected to raise $125 million annually.

e)

Increased taxi fares by 25% and dedicating the entire surcharge (except for tips) to mass transit, which is projected to raise $340 million annually.

f)

Increase existing bridge and tunnel tolls: Small increases to existing MTA bridge and tunnel tolls -- Queens-Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels, Triborough, Henry Hudson, White Stone, Throgs Neck, and Verrazano bridges by 50 cents; Marine Parkway and Cross Bay bridges by 25 cents -could raise $147 million annually.

C. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Green Jobs A.

Legislative language under consideration by the NY City Council would mandate energy benchmarking and cost-effective retrofits in buildings over 50,000sf every ten years. This legislation should be developed to support quality work and prevailing wage jobs; and to ensure that retrofits are not used to undermine the affordability and stability of housing. Will you pledge to support efforts to

improve proposed legislation requiring the retrofitting of building over 50,000 square feet by: a) Protecting renters from Major Capital Improvements (and, for nonregulated tenants, rent increases not related to increased expenses) as a result of retrofits; and protecting renters from displacement or evidencegathering through retrofit work; b)

Requiring that project investments include provisions for maintaining prevailing wages where already established by the State Department of Labor, paying living wages on all other permanent jobs created, maintaining job training requirements, and hiring from low-income and economically marginalized communities.

c)

Creating a funding stream to pay for the work, as well as a simple exemption process for owners who can prove that they lack access to upfront capital needed for mandated retrofits; to avoid incentivizing cashstrapped owners to avoid mandates by sabotaging their buildings?

F. Would you support or introduce legislation calling for more investments in an equitable green economy by: a) Rehabilitating, including with energy measures, the 7500+ residential units owned and held vacant by New York City, and transferring ownership of those units to non-profit groups as deeply affordable housing? b) Creating a large-scale program to install solar thermal collectors and/or solar walls to provide heat/hot water on residential and commercial buildings? c) Supporting the inclusion of youth participants Jobs to Build On and the Summer Youth Employment Program in such programs? G. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Fiscal Fairness New York City faces a structural revenue problem. While the projected budget deficit of $4.3 billion in 2010 will be largely reduced by the federal stimulus package, ballooning deficits in the out years should be addressed now. To return the city to sound financial footing without placing too great of a burden on working and middle-class New Yorkers, New York City must a develop a more progressive revenue structure. As Public Advocate will you pledge to:

A. Ensure there’s adequate funding for public services by support other progressive revenue options that would help ease the pressure to increase regressive taxes. What is your position on the following revenue options? a)

Support restructuring the NYC PIT system by adding new income brackets and new rates at the high end. These actions could raise millions of new city revenue to protect city services and provide working- and middle-class tax relief.

b) Support revising the Coop/Condo property tax abatement program so very high-valued buildings don’t receive the benefit (projected to raise $128 million by the IBO). c)

Support having private colleges and universities in the city – like similar programs in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, New Haven, Hartford, Cambridge and Ithaca -- make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) of 25 percent of the foregone property tax revenue(projected to raise $75 million annually by the IBO).

d) Support eliminating the property tax exemption for Madison Square Garden (projected to raise $14 million by the IBO). B. Oppose efforts to repeal the sales tax clothing exemption and sales tax increases which place the greatest burden on New Yorkers with the least ability to pay? C. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Affordable Transportation The MTA’s projected budget deficit of $1.44bn in 2009 and $2.39bn in 2010 has led to proposals for 23% increases in fares and deep service reductions that will affect working and middle-class New Yorkers the most. To protect against future fare hikes and service reductions, the MTA needs sustainable, dedicated revenue streams for capital programs that take pressure off the farebox. Will you pledge to: A. Oppose fare increases and service reductions. B. What is your position on the following revenue options that have been put forward to help provide sustainable MTA funding: a)

Establishing a payroll tax on the 12 counties in the MTA service region, . 33% of wages paid and projected to generate $1.5bn on annual basis.

b)

Institute weight-based vehicle registration fee on vehicles in the 12 counties in the MTA service region ($100 annual fee for vehicles 2300 lbs or less plus 9 cents per additional lb; expected to generate $1bn annually), providing revenue and incentives towards more fuel-efficient cars.

c)

Placing new tolls on 12 city-owned bridges ($8.30 toll entering on East River bridges, no toll exiting; $3.80 entering on East River bridges, no toll exiting) would raise $830 million annually. If all city residents were exempted from toll payment, it would raise $376 million annually.

d)

Increased Central Business District Parking Fees & Fines: Increased parking fees and fines for parking violations is projected to raise $125 million annually.

e) Increased taxi fares: If NYC increased taxi fares by 25% and dedicated the entire surcharge (except for tips) to mass transit, projected annual revenue would be $340 million. f)

Increase existing bridge and tunnel tolls: Small increases to existing MTA bridge and tunnel tolls -- Queens-Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels, Triborough, Henry Hudson, White Stone, Throgs Neck, and Verrazano bridges by 50 cents; Marine Parkway and Cross Bay bridges by 25 cents -could raise $147 million annually.

C. What other ideas do you have to address this issue? Support for Labor Would you pledge to use the visibility of your position to publicly support union organizing drives, contract campaigns and strikes? What have you done in the past that demonstrates a record of commitment to those struggles? Term Limits What was your position on the Mayor and the City Council’s actions to extend term limits? Please explain why you took this position. Voting As the Public Advocate is a member of the Voter Assistance Commission – the purpose of which is to encourage voter registration in New York City – how would you promote voting in low-income communities that traditionally experience low voter registration turnout?

Additional Which two or three of the issues mentioned in this questionnaire will be your highest priorities once elected? What other major priorities will you have? Support for Working Families Consider the advice of the Working Families Party regarding your appointments. If you are endorsed by Working Families, will you mention the Working Families Party on all your campaign literature? If you are elected, will you meet regularly (once every six months) with Working Families Party leaders and members to follow up on issue concerns? If you are elected, will you participate in an annual Working families policy forum for elected officials?