Policy Priorities
We Must Be Bold
In the greatest city in the world, we deserve better than the bare minimum. We must build power for working families in this district and city, our community deserves the best-- not just what city council is willing to throw our way. Staten Island is a vibrant community with thoughtful, hardworking, and proud residents. That's why I'm fighting for affordable housing, free education for all NYC residents, and free, fast public transportation on Staten Island.
This page outlines some policy priorities that our North Shore community talks about every day. Those closest to the issues are closest to the solutions, and we must be listening and reacting to the needs of our neighbors.
Housing
A home is a necessity not a luxury. Developers should not be allowed to grow wealthy off the backs of working class New Yorkers.
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Create truly affordable housing, support the creation of social housing, and treat housing as a public good not a private investment.
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Commit to supporting a Rent Freeze for 2.1 million rent stabilized tenants.
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Redefine what “affordable” means by rethinking the Area Median Income (AMI). With so many developments being planned for the North Shore, we must ask "affordable to who?"
Education
A quality public education should be accessible to everyone.
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Support free city college, restoring the City University of New York’s (CUNY) history of free tuition.
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Support the REPAIR Campaign - this legislation demands that Columbia and NYU pay their fair share of taxes to be redistributed to the CUNY system, improving our public college system.
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Work with New York State Representatives to bring more funding to New York City schools.
Transportation
Staten Islanders deserve reliable, safe transportation, and we can do better.
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Support the North Shore Rail Line Plan, providing new modes of transportation that won’t put more burden on our bus system.
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A Staten Island - Brooklyn Ferry Connection would spare working class Staten Islanders hours in commuting, as well as allow for less car usage to and from the Island.
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Implement a bike share program on Staten Island
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Improved scheduling, coordinating bus times from the St. George Ferry terminal with ferry departures and arrivals.
Environmental Resiliency
Climate change is here, and it is necessary for our communities to protect our homes and secure our futures through action prioritizing climate resiliency.
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After Sandy caused devastation across Staten Island, it is clear that we must increase funding to the Bureau of Coastal Resiliency in order to support building infrastructure that will protect New Yorkers from current and future flooding.
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Invest in the revitalization of housing currently available, including NYCHA, and empowering homeowners and renters with the ability to retrofit their homes in order to withstand climate extremes in the future.
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Fund the protection of our parks, greenspaces, and wetlands. The presence of preserved greenspace is linked to higher rates of climate resiliency, cooler street temperatures, and provides us with a much-need connection to nature.
LGBTQ+ Issues
We cannot allow the federal government to strip away the rights of our neighbors for their sexuality or gender expression.
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Pass legislation protecting gender-affirming care in NYC as a legal right without sharing information about those seeking care to out-of-city agencies, especially from states with records of hostility to those seeking gender-affirming care.
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Ensure the expansion and investment of free PreP, PEP, and safer-sex products, normally offered through the city's Department of Health within the HIV/STD/I Prevention Units that are now at risk of defunding from their federal government grants.
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Preserve LGBTQ+ history through investment of memorials, museums, and education materials, ensuring that Transgender trailblazers are not erased from NYC history.
