Fighting for our Future

Education

This pandemic has exposed significant disparities in our education system. It has shown us how broad the technology gap is for the young people that we expect to switch to remote learning seamlessly. It has shown us how little of an investment we have made as a city in ensuring our young people are receiving a comprehensive learning experience.
For years I have been calling out the inadequate level of resources that go to our local schools. I have noted that it is inequitable to allow our city’s neediest to continue to go on without a proportionate level of support from City, State, and Federal funds.

We can do more and we must do more. I will work to shift the city’s education funding formula to ensure our young people have what they need

Youth Services

The support our young people need must come in the shape of direct education funding, but it must also come in the form of capital funding and funding for programs that will keep them safe and help them become well-rounded members of our community.
We need funding to improve the community spaces that our young people use, particularly our parks and playgrounds. We need to develop a community center right here in Southeast Queens where our youth can find the community support they need to further their education, develop social skills, and hone their talents.
Funding is needed to support our effective gun violence prevention programs that empower leaders to engage in real leadership development and prevent gun violence in our community.

Protecting our Legacy

Supporting Homeowners

Black homeownership has reached an all-time low across the nation and we have seen signs of that decline right here in Southeast Queens. As a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, I know that an increase in foreclosures is not just a market indicator, it is the displacement of a family.

I will aggressively work to support our current homeowners by increasing access to foreclosure prevention programs and by cracking down on predatory real estate schemes, particularly those that target our seniors and often lead to them losing their homes.

Responsible Development

We have witnessed an increase of new residential buildings in our district. While, we are primarily a community of homeowners, it has been discouraging to see how few units of these new developments are set aside for our young people who are returning home from college or for families preparing to make the transition to home ownership.

I will work to increase the required ratio of affordable housing units within new developments so that members of our community do not have to leave the community to live and raise their families.

Property Tax Reform

The New York City property tax system is broken. The homeowners in our district pay a lion’s share of the City’s property taxes while others enjoy years of tax abatements and credits. Our City government has, for the last two years, been discussing reforms to our property tax system.

I am ready to join that fight and will work to prioritize a fairer and more transparent property tax system that prioritizes relief for our low-income and senior homeowners.

Community Beautification

I walk the streets of our community daily. And I have regularly had to engage with neighbors who are tired of the excessive dumping of waste that occurs on our street corners.

I will work to increase funding for community beatification projects including a large-scale anti-dumping campaign and the creation of new green spaces.

Empowering our Communities

Supporting our Frontline Workers

Southeast Queens is home to some of the hardest working and most community-oriented New Yorkers. More frontline workers working in healthcare and public transit live in our neighborhoods than anywhere else in the city. We all can and should be incredibly proud of our community.
I am committed to standing with our Unions and fighting for these workers as they battle for hazard pay, for access to much needed personal protection equipment (PPE), and for the right to work and build a future for themselves and their families. There success is all of our success.

Community led Economic Development

I am incredibly proud to be from Southeast Queens and even more proud to be a champion for the local businesses that we have, especially those that have invested in our community. However, I believe that we can do more to shape our community for generations. We will invest in an innovative and community-led local economic development plan that encourages more of our neighbors to open businesses in our neighborhood and provides them with the support they need to succeed.

I will prioritize establishing a vacant commercial property tax to force landlords to give Southeast Queens businesses and entrepreneurs a chance. I will also work to ensure that our community gets its fair share of the economic dollars and incentives that other districts receive across the city and state. I will make sure that the dollars we use to bring the types of businesses we operate in our community need most, those for us and us.

Transportation Equity

It is no secret that Southeast Queens is a transit desert. Some of our neighbors spend hours going to and from work every day. These same neighbors pay the same amount of taxes as other New Yorkers do but do not enjoy the same benefit of an inequitable public transportation system. We deserve access to consistent and affordable public transportation.
I will expand the express bus service to our neighborhoods, expand the Atlantic ticket benefit to include trips from Southeast Queens to Penn Station, and work to support public transportation alternatives.

Ensuring Accountability

City Services

It has been my job to hold city agencies accountable and I will continue to do so as your next City Councilman. Whether it was getting stop signs or speed bumps installed, getting our streets cleaned up, or our parks updated, I have consistently recognized the value in having a responsive government and worked to ensure that no complaint or concern went unaddressed.
I will prioritize being responsive to the needs of our community members.

Police Reform

For too long, communities that look like ours have been screaming for police reform. We have experienced unwarranted police surveillance, police violence, and often a lack of accountability for officers who violate their charge to serve and protect.
Recent legislation on the state and local levels means we now have the disciplinary records of every officer who has been allowed to serve and have failed to carry out their duties. The New York Police Department, and its officers, must be held accountable when they fail to provide the services that our community needs.
I will push for an empowered Civilian Complaint Review Board and more transparent and community-led disciplinary proceedings.