Councilman Eric Gioia ______

Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE)

50 Broadway 10 th Floor, New York, NY 10004 [email protected] (914) 589-7518

CITY WIDE CANDIDATE FORUM 2009

Candidate’s name : Councilman Eric Gioia ______

Campaign Address: Eric Gioia For New York, 34-12 36th Street, Suite 131

City: Astoria ______State: __NY ______Zip: __11106 ______

Campaign Phone:_718.706.5095 ______Campaign Fax:_212.937.2230

Campaign Email: [email protected]______

Office Sought: _NYC Public Advocate____ Party Affiliation: __Democra t_____

Name and title of person completing this form: ______

1. What principles and priorities would you apply during this period of budgetary constraints?

Government’s first obligation must be to protect our society’s most vulnerable . That is why I’ve worked so hard in the City Council to fight child hunger, to support hard- working New Yorkers by bringing federal dollars into our city, and to provide real opportunity. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished:

• I brought national attention to the difficulties faced by food stamp recipients by living on only $28 a week for food, the same amount of money that weekly food stamps allow. I lobbied Congress to increase funding for food stamps , and put the application online to make it easier for New Yorkers to apply. • I helped improve living conditions for homeless New Yorkers with AIDS , exposed worker safety violations, and took on predatory lenders who rip off working people

• I worked with residents and business to bring the first bank to Queensbridge , the largest public housing development in America, giving residents an alternative to high interest payday lenders and helping them begin to save and break the cycle of poverty.

In a period of budgetary constraints, we should follow two guiding principles. First, eliminate government waste. Obviously difficult choices have to be made under these conditions, and many around the table have to make painful cuts to valuable programs. It is incumbent that government do a better job of eliminating waste and mismanagement, and ensure that hard-earned tax dollars are actually going towards helping people. By adequately measuring the impact that programs have, we can do a much better job.

Second, protect proven programs that support hard-working New Yorkers and bring federal dollars into our city – namely, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Food Stamp Program. I have been a vocal champion of both these programs, and in this time of economic contraction, maximizing New York City’s participation is more crucial than ever. Both: • bring federal dollars into New York City’s economy, supporting local businesses and the people who keep them working, and • help give low-income New Yorkers the means to support themselves and their families, helping keep them from falling into deeper need. In tough times, we have to be smart, not only about what we must cut, but what we must preserve.

2. If you are elected what would you do to protect the non-profit organizations, their staff, and clients from funding delays and the resulting breaks in service, and to assure that program goals and quality are protected?

There are countless organizations, agencies, and meaningful programs that rely upon – and genuinely merit – support from the city’s budget. However, we often find that because of onerous paperwork and the significant delays for contracts to be prepared, signed and registered, only a select few are able to participate or benefit from the process.

As Public Advocate, I would push to open up the application process and making the process more transparent. This would protect the work of the non-profit community, which, too often, is hampered by the very mechanism intended to provide it support. Lastly, if we replace unnecessary red tape with a robust pre-qualification process, funds can be drawn down expeditiously so services and programs remain uninterrupted. However, as we cut red tape, it is equally important that we safeguard any city funds.

3. How do you propose helping the middle class stay in NYC and what barriers do you see?

To me, protecting the middle class isn’t just an academic issue – it’s personal. I grew up in Woodside, Queens, where my family has run a small flower shop for one hundred

2 years. I attended local public schools and became the first member of my family to graduate from a university, working my way through NYU as a doorman, janitor, and elevator operator. And when I look around the dinner table today, I see the obstacles the middle class face. My sister is a schoolteacher, her husband a corrections officer – those should be solidly middle class jobs and they’re not sure whether they can stay in the city. My parents, small business owners, worry about how to pay for retirement.

New York must be a place where the middle class can not only survive, but thrive. To do that, we must build good schools, create and protect housing that working people can afford, and keep every neighborhood safe and clean. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done in the Council, and that I’d expand as Public Advocate.

• It starts with schools: at the heart of every good neighborhood is a great school. In the Council I’ve protected teachers , getting them reimbursed when they spend money out of pocket for school supplies, secured funding for computers and technology in classrooms , and created sports leagues and extracurriculars so that every child has some place to go afterschool.

• We also must make sure that middle class New Yorkers have affordable places to live. Too often, it seems like the middle class is getting squeezed out of the city. I passed a housing plan the Daily News called “a plan to save Queens,” which will provide home-ownership opportunities for the middle class – a Mitchell Lama for the 21 st Century. And we’re moving forward with Hunters Point South, the city’s biggest middle-income housing development, which will be a 21 st - Century Stuyvesant Town in Queens.

• And we must protect good jobs that reward an honest day’s work with a good wage. I know firsthand how important this is. My family’s run a flower shop in Queens for the past hundred years. Watching how much my parents poured into their small shop instilled in me a respect for – and understanding of – entrepreneurs and small business owners that I’ll always carry with me. Protecting union jobs is essential – were it not for the wages I earned working nights as a doorman, janitor, and elevator operator, I wouldn’t have been able to pay for college. In this next century, we need to have a vibrant economy that expands beyond traditional manufacturing to include green collar jobs, creative jobs, and the service sector.

4. How would you improve our criminal justice system?

As an attorney and City Councilman, I’m extremely familiar with the challenges of our judicial system. Too often, our justice system turns into a “revolving door,” with too few resources spent to truly improve the lives of all those people, families, and communities impacted.

We need to begin by stopping crime before it starts. It’s not just about combating crime but preventing it, and developing holistic solutions. That’s why I’ve been a leader in devoting resources towards education, schools, and communities. We should be providing young people with hope and opportunity long before they ever get tangled up in the criminal justice system.

• I brought $5 million to New York City public schools to provide students with computers and internet access so that they will be prepared to enter the 21 st century workforce • I won funding and worked with local schools to create and fund after-school programs for every child in my districts – starting new baseball and basketball leagues, arts programs and college prep classes • I brought funding for security cameras to public housing, leading to a significant decrease in crime in those areas.

Futher, to keep our city safe and rehabilitate communities, I am a strong believer in the need to develop new solutions and break this vicious cycle . In addition to funding prosecution of criminals, we must ensure that the criminal justice system has adequate resources for social workers, parent advocates, investigators, administrative support and community organizers. Mental health services must be a part of treatment, and public defense vigorous.

New York is a far safer place than it was a generation ago – I still remember growing up in Woodside when my mom wouldn’t walk to the subway station by herself. Keeping our city safe is integral to our economic and civic well-being. However, we must remember that all New Yorkers have fundamental legal, civil and human rights, and establish a model of holistic advocacy that brings interdisciplinary resources together to truly make our city better.

5. What is your opinion of Mayoral control in our school system? What role do you think parents should have? How would you prioritize the role of social workers?

It was the education I received at public schools like P.S. 11 and I.S. 125 that allowed me to get where I am today. I believe strongly that every child in New York City should be given an education that allows them to pursue their dreams.

As we continue to seek to improve schools, I have a number of ideas that, as Public Advocate, I will propose, including

• expanding the school day • making pre-K universal, and • ensuring that all students have access to breakfast in school.

Regarding mayoral control, I believe that we need greater transparency in our educational system. It's difficult for parents and others to make an adequate assessment of the system

4 without full access to the facts. A parent is the most important teacher in a child's life, and we need to make sure that parents feel invested and involved in the system. The MTA model of governance – with no one in charge and no accountability – doesn't work on our subways and doesn't work in our schools. That's why we do need mayoral control, but with appropriate transparency and involvement from stakeholders like parents, teachers and principals.

In addition, we must increase parent, student, and community input at the local school and district level. School Leadership Teams should be strengthened, District Superintendents empowered to solve local problems, and every member of the school community should be respected and honored.

Social workers are an important part of ensuring every child receives a quality education, and that no matter what a child’s home or family situation, he or she is equipped with the support needed to succeed.

We must also rapidly expand school construction to alleviate overcrowding, including targeting federal stimulus dollars. Additional support structures like an executive-level “community schools director” could help to strengthen partnerships between schools, social services, and community programs. Finally, I don’t believe that charter schools should be an excuse for a non-unionized workforce.

6. How would you ensure quality health care to people who are under insured and uninsured? NYC public hospitals were at one time on the cutting edge of care. After decades of funding cuts, the quality of care has suffered. What steps would you advocate to return our city hospitals to a higher level of care? How would you prioritize the role of social workers in this setting?

Health care should be regarded not as a privilege, but as a right. I am heartened to see our federal government exploring systemic change to both reduce the number of uninsured, provide better services, eliminate waste, and help save individuals’ time, money, and dignity. At the same time, there is far more that we can do within the city.

To start, the rate of eligible children who are insured through the State’s CHIP program is far too low. As Public Advocate, I’ll actively identify children and families that quality and go to them in their schools and places of work to get them signed up .

We also need to do far more to maintain the high quality of care that New Yorkers of every income level deserve. I was proud to sponsor Manny’s Law, ensuring hospitals live up to their obligation to give everyone care, regardless of need or citizenship status , and provide publicly funded charity care to low-income patients, rather than to the collection agencies going after them. I’ve also co-written a bill to require that pharmacies maintain translation services to protect New Yorkers who speak languages other than English from taking incorrect and potentially dangerous prescriptions.

Social workers play a key role in our health care system by engaging in dialogues with patients, helping to target what services are necessary, and providing holistic assessments of families. Many times, these services can actually save money in the long run, and are an essential part of a well-functioning health care system.

7. The student loan forgiveness program for master level social workers, who work in critical human services specialty areas in which there are staffing shortages, including gerontology, mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, is now funded at $2 million. Would you support raising the appropriation to encourage social workers to work in these critical areas?

I’m proud to have been the first member of my family to graduate from a university, but I’m very aware of how the high cost of continued education can become a substantial barrier. I worked my way through NYU as a doorman, janitor, and elevator operator, and I’m still paying off my law school loans.

For these reasons, I am a strong proponent of expanding the student loan forgiveness program to social workers who are working in either non-profit organizations or public sector related jobs for defined amounts of time in the aforementioned categories. The only way this city can attract talent and serve communities where social workers are desperately needed is to develop real incentives.

8. Would you be willing to create scholarships or loan forgiveness to support the recruitment of bi-lingual social workers, social workers of color and social workers into critical fields such as gerontology, child welfare, etc.?

Yes. Our city is one of the most diverse places in the world, and if we sincerely want to assist those in need, our service providers must reflect the various constituencies present within the City of New York.

9. What is your position on protecting a woman’s right to reproductive choice?

I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose, and have been a proud advocate to protect that right in New York, and to receive endorsements in the past from both Planned Parenthood New York and NARAL Pro-Choice New York.

In fact , I wrote the law that required pharmacies to disclose whether they had emergency contraception available . And when our investigations found that pharmacies weren’t complying, I exposed them, leading to an increase in the availability of emergency contraception from 55% of pharmacies in 2002 to 94% in 2007. I’m proud that that law is now model legislation being copied in other municipalities.

10. What is your position regarding same sex marriage?

I am in favor of same-sex marriage, and a strong advocate for equal rights for all New Yorkers. Every year, I march in the St. Pat’s for All Parade, which I am proud to say goes through my council district in Sunnyside, Queens.

Part of standing up for civil rights and equality means listening to all New Yorkers and addressing their problems. One such issue I learned about was the horrible housing conditions that the City provided for homeless New Yorkers living with AIDS. I conducted an investigation and revealed the conditions, leading to three laws being passed by the City Council to provide quality housing.

11. What is your position on services for undocumented immigrants in New York City?

I believe that providing essential services is a human rights issue, and I support the City’s policy of providing access without reporting for all New Yorkers. As I said, I was proud to sponsor Manny’s Law and conducted investigations to ensure it was being honored in hospitals.

12. In light of the current focus on serious ethical lapses among elected officials at all levels of government, what is your position on strengthening ethical standards?

The scandals that seem to break in newspapers almost every day in both City Hall and Albany are a travesty and an outrage. They do more than waste public funds – they erode public faith in our elected officials, and in government itself. Ethical standards at all levels must be strengthened. One reform I’ve proposed is to establish increased transparency and accountability standards in the City budget, based on the Sarbanes- Oxley financial reforms. Under my proposal, the City Council Speaker, Finance Chair, and Finance Director would have to personally certify the accuracy of the budget, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn should be held personally responsible for its validity, with criminal penalties for fraud.

In addition, whistleblower protections should be vigorously defended so that public employees can come forward to expose corruption and abuse without fear of retaliation. As Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, I conducted an investigation into the City’s whistleblower protections that resulted in a strengthening of whistleblower protections and a massive public education campaign among City employees.

6/22/09