Queens Borough President Candidates:
Everly Brown, a Democratic candidate for Queens borough president, is a developer, foreclosure consultant, financial consultant, investor, and community organizer. He has previously run for state Assembly, the City Council and the state Senate. He cites reforming the transparency of the borough president’s administration, creating a task force for education to evaluate and propose changes for Queens schools, and increasing funding allocated for community clean-up as some of his top priorities.
Melinda Katz, a Democratic candidate for Queens borough president, previously served in the City Council from 2002 to 2009, was the director of community boards in the Queens Borough President Claire Shulman’s office from 1999 to 2002, and served in the state Assembly from 1994 to 1998. An attorney, Katz was the chair of the Council’s Land Use Committee.
She has cited job creation, revitalizing vacant industrial areas, improving schools and affordable housing for seniors and families as some of her top priorities.
Peter Vallone, a Democratic candidate for Queens borough president, is a City Council member representing District 22 and the Chairman of the Council’s Public Safety Committee. He has served on the Council since 2001 and was formerly a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. He has been affiliated with the Tamiment Democratic Club, Astoria Civic Association, and Sharing & Caring. Vallone has emphasized crime prevention, increasing the number of police, reducing fines on small businesses, and fighting increases to property taxes and water rates as some of his top priorities.
Mayoral Candidates:
Sal Albanese, a Democratic candidate for mayor, is an attorney, former public school teacher, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College, and a former City Councilman who represented parts of South Brooklyn. Albanese has said living wage jobs, access to early education and increased accessbility to mass transportation in all five boroughs are some of his top priorities. The candidate said he would, as mayor, hire more police officers, focus on campaign and election reform, and fight to keep hospitals, libraries, parks and community centers open.
Bill de Blasio, a Democratic candidate for mayor, is the city Public Advocate and a former City Councilman representing parts of Brooklyn. He previously was a campaign manager for Hillary Clinton’s bid for the U.S. Senate, the regional director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and an aide to Mayor Dinkins. De Blasio has cited addressing economic inequality through strengthening the education system, expanding and protecting affordable housing, and creating strong jobs access in the five boroughs as one of his top priorities. The candidate has also said he would create a universal early education and after-school programs, reform the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk programs, and support legislation to ban racial profiling.
John Liu, a Democratic candidate for mayor, is the city Comptroller who represented Flushing in the City Council from 2002 to 2009. An actuary and management consultant by trade, Liu has said economic recovery is one of his top priorities and said he would grow small businesses and entrepreneurship and fund youth development and job training programs. The candidate said he would reform the personal income tax so those who make more than $500,000 annually pay slightly higher rates and those making less receive a reduction. As mayor, Liu said he would eliminate Stop and Frisk and implement community policing measures.
Christine Quinn, a Democratic candidate for mayor, is the City Council Speaker who has represented parts of Manhattan in the Council since 1999. She has been the executive director of the NYC Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, chief of staff for Tom Duane and a tenant organizer. Quinn said some of her top priorities include creating new manufacturing, technology and green jobs in all five boroughs, strengthening the public school system, decreasing a focus on “teaching to the test,” and expanding affordable housing. She also said she would work with the NYPD to improve relations between the police and communities.
Bill Thompson, a Democratic candidate for mayor, previously served as the city Comptroller for eight years, was a mayoral candidate in 2009, led one of the nation’s minority-owned municipal investment firms, was the chairman of Gov. Cuomo’s task force on Minority and Women Owned Business, and was the president of the now-defunct city Board of Education. He has named his top priorities as strengthening the education system, establishing a school-to-jobs pipeline that creates long-term, good-paying jobs, and expanding affordable housing. The candidate has also said he would increase the number of police on the streets and would work to bridge the gap between communities and the NYPD.
Anthony Weiner, a Democratic candidate for mayor, represented parts of Queens and Brooklyn in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, served in the City Council for six years and was an aide to then-U.S. Rep. Chuck Schumer. Weiner said, as mayor, he would focus on training teachers and increasing their salaries, increase access to early education, cut income taxes by 10 percent for those making $150,000 or less a year, reduce red tape for small businesses by fighting fines and fees, create a single-payer healthcare system in the city, and mandate that at least 20 percent of all new housing is for the middle class and another 20 percent is for those living in poverty.
John Catsimatidis, a Republican candidate for mayor, is the chief executive officer of the Red Apple Group, has been a board member of the Police Athletic League for nearly 30 years, and has been affiliated with the Board of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, and the St. Francis Food Pantries. He serves as a member of the Pension Board of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW. Catsimatidis said he would focus on supporting the NYPD, job creation and strengthening schools. The candidate said he plans to cut the city’s dropout rate by increasing vocational programs, among other initiatives.
Joe Lhota, a Republican candidate for mayor, has formerly served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and as the deputy mayora nd budget director for Mayor Giuliani’s administration. He has also been the executive vice president of Madison Square Garden and Cablevision and was an investment banker. He has cited job creation, supporting emerging industries, and reducing taxes, regulations and fines for small businesses as some of his top priorities. The candidate also said he would focus on reforming government and supporting the NYPD.
City Comptroller Candidates:
Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat running for comptroller, was the former governor of New York who has also served as the state’s attorney general and as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Spitzer said he would most like to focus on ensuring a vigorous oversight of the city’s finances and providing financial stability for its long-term economic health, as well as using the city’s financial power as a way to take on special interests. He said he would focus on responsible corporate governance and reducing CEO pay.
Scott Stringer, a Democrat running for comptroller, has been the Manhattan borough president from 2006 until the present. Previously, he represented parts of Manhattan in the state Assembly from 1992 to 2005. Stringer said he would use the office to examine city spending to root out waste and inefficiency and would work to grow pension funds through responsible investments. The candidate also said he would emphasize strengthening oversight of city contracts to prevent fraud and abuse and would work to create jobs.
Five Democrats Vie For Public Advocate
Five Democrats are running for public advocate in the primary: Catherine Guerriero, Letitia James, Reshma Saujani, Daniel Squadron, and Sidique Wai.
Guerriero, a professor of education and politics at Columbia University’s Teachers’ College, said she would focus on job creation, affordable housing and strengthening the school system. The Staten Island resident, who previously served as director of strategic planning for the Archdiocese of New York and director of government relations for Catholic Charities, said she would also focus on protecting union members and small business owners.
James, a councilwoman representing parts of Brooklyn, said her top priority would be education and emphasized that she would focus on college-preparedness. The candidate, who was previously a public defender with the Legal Aid Society, said she would also fight the emphasis on standardized tests in public schools, as well as focus on jobs with fair wages and benefits, affordable housing, consumer protections, and access to health care and public safety.
Saujani, who served as the deputy public advocate under current Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio, said she would prioritize education – including increased resources for teachers and schools. The founder of the national nonprofit Girls Who Code, Saujani said she would create the state’s first-ever advocate for seniors, provide free legal housing services to protect tenants and help families avoid foreclosure, and designate a women’s advocate to fight for equality pay and combat sex trafficking. Additionally, she said she would focus on expanding the small business, technology and manufacturing sectors by appointing a jobs and economy advocate.
Squadron, a state Senator representing Manhattan, said he would fight to make the city more livable and affordable. The candidate said he would focus on increased funding for and accountability in public schools, strengthening parents’ roles in the public school system, and protecting foster children. Squadron said he would work to remove illegal guns from the streets and ensure the city is prepared for the next hurricane.
Wai, the administrative staff analyst and advisor to the city Police Commissioner, said he would focus on creating affordable housing, specifically so police officers, teachers and other city employees could afford to live in the neighborhoods where they work. The candidate said he would support local businesses and create jobs by building new transportation and infrastructure through advancing green technology. Additionally, Wai said his priorities include increasing access to health care.
