During the corona virus pandemic, de Blasio and then Schools Chancellor, Carranza, upended New York City’s middle and high school’s competitive admissions process. The reason given was that students admitted to screening schools, which used standards requiring good grades, attendance and test scores would disenfranchise certain students and were not a fair and transparent process. This method would be replaced with a lottery-based system to choose candidates. That policy went into effect for the 2021-2022 school year.
This policy is nothing more than the furtherance of the mayor and City Council’s radical Socialist agenda.
Why shouldn’t a student who works hard to achieve good grades deserve the opportunity to advance. It helps build their self-esteem and nourishes their need to be academically challenged. Conversely, a student that is struggling should be afforded all the resources necessary to succeed without having the stigma attached to not being able to grasp the lesson as quickly as other students. Each student is unique, and although it is incumbent on us to educate all students, not all students learn at that same rate and should not be penalized for it.
Students aren’t the only ones being failed by the de Blasio administration. We have a growing number of people with mental illness that can be found walking the streets in our communities. Some are just quietly wondering the streets, while others are aggressive, abusive, and violent. We cannot address our homeless population until we focus on the needs of people with mental illness. As a director for a hospital network, I have worked with mental health specialists to provide outreach programs designed to treat mental illness. I have always believed that people with mental illness are not problem people, they are people with problems. Proper treatment can cause a significant drop in our homeless population making placement in permanent housing a reality. Right now, all the city is doing is warehousing human beings without any treatment or training. It’s nothing short of abuse.
de Blasio and radical City Council’s failure to treat our mentally ill population, their irresponsible decision to close Rikers Island, releasing inmates with violent criminal backgrounds onto our streets, while reducing police resources has caused violent crimes and shootings to rise substantially. New laws no longer permit the NYPD to enforce quality of life crimes such as public urination, panhandling, and excessive noise complaints have caused a serious decline in our quality of life.
Now more than ever, we need common sense in City Hall. That is why I’m running for City Council. I’m deeply concerned about the future of our neighborhoods and our children. Public safety, quality of life, are my number one priority. That is why I am endorsed by all the law enforcement unions, including the PBA.
I have the local experience needed to find common sense solutions to these issues and give all of us the quality of life we deserve, so our children and grand children can raise their families here, too.
