NYC Mayoral Race: Yang Promises Fresh Leadership

New York City NY

17 June, 2021

2:49 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers are casting ballots to decide who will replace Mayor Bill de Blasio after eight years. The June 22 primary features eight Democratic candidates — Eric Adams, Shaun Donovan, Kathryn Garcia, Raymond J. McGuire, Dianne Morales, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang — looking to lead New York City. Patch sent out questionnaires to their campaigns to give readers a chance to make a more informed choice on their ranked-choice ballots. Here's what Andrew Yang had to say: Andrew Yang Age (as of Election Day) 46 Position Sought Mayor Party Affiliation Democrat Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.) Hell's Kitchen Family Wife Evelyn and two young sons, Christopher and Damian Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No Education Brown University (BA)Columbia University (JD) Occupation Entrepreneur, Author, Nonprofit Leader, and Former Presidential Candidate Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office I was honored twice by the Obama Administration as a "Champion of Change" and "Ambassador of Entrepreneurship." Campaign website https://www.yangforny.com/ Why are you seeking elective office? I'm running for mayor because New York City is in crisis and I believe I can help. We need a change from the failed leadership of the past that has dragged our city down. I am not of the special interests. If I'm elected mayor, I won't have an obligation to anyone other than the people of New York. This is a historic chance for change for New York City, to have a government that works for no one but us, our families, and our communities.I'm running to stop the rise in gun violence, to create prosperity in every neighborhood by sending the poorest New Yorkers $2,00 checks and by establishing a People's Bank to give overlooked small businesses affordable loans, and to build the most affordable housing in a generation. The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Nothing in our city works without safety – right now, New Yorkers don't feel safe. Whether it's walking on the street, taking the subway, or even in their own homes, we can't recover unless New Yorkers know they can live, work, and raise their families here without fear. When I'm mayor, stopping crime will be my number one priority both day and night. I will have daily briefings with my police commissioner on the state of crime in our city and deploy resources to apprehend violent criminals and stop the flow of illegal guns into the city. I'm proud that the NYPD Captains union and the FDNY Firefighters union have endorsed my campaign, and recognize that I'm the candidate who can deliver real public safety for us and our families.My proposals to keep New Yorkers safe include:- Creating a new Anti-Violence and Community Safety Unit staffed with the most experienced, vetted, and well-trained officers to get guns off the streets;- Creating new 24 hour, community-led Emergency Response Units (ERUs) in every borough that respond as soon as someone is arrested for a gun crime;- Doubling personnel in the Gun Violence Suppression Division;- Giving detectives more resources to do their jobs by adding an officer to each gun case;Investing in jobs programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program to keep young New Yorkers engaged and invested in our city. What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I am the only candidate who will deliver a change from politics-as-usual that have failed New Yorkers. While other candidates have spent decades climbing New York's political ladder, I have been running small businesses, founding a nonprofit, and kickstarting a national movement to get cash in the hands of millions of Americans. This is an opportunity for New Yorkers to elect someone who has not been part of the political machinery in New York for years and years, and whose only obligation will be to deliver for us and our families every day. When I'm mayor, I'll fight for safe streets, housing that's actually affordable, and a vibrant economy. If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency) How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently? New York City was caught off-guard by the worst public health crisis in a century. While there are certainly things the city could and should have done better - shutting down earlier, providing clearer guidance to New Yorkers - the early days of the pandemic were full of confusion and uncertainty. That being said I, like many public school parents, was frustrated by the slow pace of reopenings for our kids' schools. It was clear early on that schools were not major sources of community spread and that remote schooling doesn't work for kids, especially for students without means to access WiFi or the devices they need to complete their schooling. If I were mayor, I would have reopened schools faster so that kids could learn and parents could get back to work. Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. As mayor, I will launch the largest basic income program in the country. Through this program, 500,000 New Yorkers with the greatest need will receive a basic income that will help give them a path forward, with the goal of eliminating extreme poverty by putting cash relief directly into the hands of those who need it most. My administration will also create the People's Bank of New York City so our public funds can be reinvested directly in our people and our communities. The People's Bank will tie directly to the basic income program so that all New Yorkers who receive this basic income automatically become participants, and any New Yorker will be able to open an account with the People's Bank using just their IDNYC card. This will be a major way to keep money in the hands of communities, low-income families and workers who need it the most. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? In the two and a half decades I've lived in New York City, I have started businesses, led an education nonprofit that became number one in the nation, founded a national nonprofit that's created thousands of jobs, and launched a presidential campaign that grew into a full-fledged anti-poverty movement. Like many nonprofit leaders, I realized that my efforts to meet the challenges of the 21st-century simply didn't match the scale of those problems. That's why I ran for president and built a movement of millions of Americans hoping to transform our economic system - a system with too many jobs that didn't meet the changing needs of our 21st century economy. When the pandemic hit, my organization Humanity Forward distributed millions of dollars in direct cash payments to families in the Bronx and across the country. I personally advocated for stimulus checks with lawmakers in Congress, and even went to Georgia to help elect Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to give Democrats the majority in the Senate. I am proud of the work that I've done to make direct cash relief mainstream and look forward to being New York City's anti-poverty mayor. The best advice ever shared with me was: What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?