Gothamist 2013 NYC Mayoral Questionnaire 20 Jay Street, Suite 830 Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel (212) 796-4200 Fax

Fax (646) 349-3893 website: www.gothamist.com Candidate Overview 1. Why should young people in NYC vote for you instead of the other candidates? New York City staked its claim as the capital of the middle class generations ago. Here, people with nothing more than tenacity and perseverance can emerge from a challenging start with an opportunity for a life in the middle class. But the fact is, todays young people who work every day to make a living are struggling. Housing prices are through the roof. Health coverage is exorbitant and for 1.2 million New Yorkers, its literally unattainable. Manufacturing jobs that once buttered the bread of thousands of families have all but disappeared. To maintain New Yorks place as the capital of the middle class and to keep the promise of prosperity for our young people we must meet todays challenges with fresh and visionary ideas. You can read my proposals in my two policy books, Keys to the City, at www.AnthonyWeiner.com. 2. How would you distinguish your future administration from the present one run by Mayor Bloomberg? Some New Yorkers have done very well under Mayor Bloomberg tenure. But while we celebrate Mike Bloomberg as a businessman, his policies have not been very progressive at all. Middle class aspirational life, in just about every element, is under stress. If you were to ask a young family that wanted to build a life here, where can you nd an affordable home? Are there public schools in your area that you feel comfortable letting your kids walk to? Are there good middle class jobs available and affordable healthcare for your family. These issues are solvable, but we need a new approach. Personal Questions 1. Do you rent or own your home? Rent

2. Do you have a pet? 1

Yes.

3. Will you move to Gracie Mansion if you win? Yes

4. Have you ever been the victim of a crime? Yes.

Safety 1.What changes would you like to see in the NYPD's stop and frisk policies? The abuse of Stop and Frisk has made us less safe. I would introduce Focused Deterrence in hot spots by aggressively targeting the 1% who commit crimes and offering them rehab options if they turn away from criminal behavior. We can also require the NYPD to wear lapel cameras to prevent mistreatment of citizens and false accusations against cops. In addition, we can add 250s to CompStat reports to create a full accounting of stops which can improve community / police relations. New York can remain the safest big city in America without accepting the false choice between targeting entire communities and lowering crime. 2. Would you replace Ray Kelly as police commissioner? Yes. 3.Do you support the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana in New York City? I support ending arrests for small amounts of marijuana. These arrests serve no purpose; they worsen NYPD/community relations, create criminal records that ruin lives, and waste the time and energy of officers who should be ghting serious crime. 4.Do you support an independent inspector general for the NYPD? 2

There should be direct line of responsibility between police chief and mayor, and an inspector general blurs that line. 5.Would you change the way the NYPD handles protests in the city, including the present free speech zones? No. 6.Do you favor an increase in funding for the Accident Investigation Squad, and directing AIS to investigate all accidents which include a serious injury (rather than just deaths)? No. 7. Should people be allowed to drink alcohol on their own stoops? What about in public parks? Yes, stoops, public parks, and also in beaches.

1. How often do you ride a bike? Often. Ive logged a lot of miles on Citi Bike this summer.

2. How will you change Mayor Bloomberg's bike lane policy?

I believe in adding bike lanes, where it makes sense and removing them where they dont. I want to expand the amount of bike riding without shutting New Yorkers out of the process. 3. How often do you ride NYC subways and buses? Most days. 4. Should livery cabs be allowed to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs? No. 3

5. Do you support congestion pricing? No. Instead, I would mitigate congestion by discouraging truck deliveries at peak times and limit alternate side to cut down on idling. 6. Should the new Staten Island ferries be required to have outdoor decks? No, but I hope they do.

7. Do you favor adding platform gates on New York City subways? No.

Health 1. Will you change or repeal any of the following Bloomberg administration policies? a) Salt ban. No. b) Soda size limits. No. c) Smoking in public parks. No. d) Restaurant letter grades. Yes. e) Styrofoam ban. No. Disaster Preparedness 1.Should residents be allowed to rebuild their homes in ood-prone areas like The Rockaways? 4

Yes. 2. What specic measures should the City take to prevent widespread destruction from Sandy- level storms? Preventative measure like groins and jetties should be built to keep the sand in place and the tide at bay. We need to restore our dunes and preserve our marshland. Development 1.Do you support a ban or limit on chain stores in New York City? We should make the marketplace more competitive by ghting for our small businesses by lowering the tax burden on outerborough job creators and making chains play by the rules. 2.Do you support Walmart building stores in the City? No. 3.Do you support NYCHA's recently announced plans to build market rate apartments on public housing parking lots and playgrounds? No. The Section 202 program created special housing for seniors and the disabled. The problem is the scarcity of lands on which to build these special apartment buildings. We should use the footprints of HHC hospitals and existing public housing. We should also have supermarkets and other retail in the ground oor of NYCHA complexes, so they can make money and because too many residents live far from these necessities. 4.Do you support tax breaks to keep corporations in NYC? What about for movies being lmed in NYC? Yes. While some displacement of jobs is inevitable, simply writing off the losses to globalization misses the true story. We need to compete more effectively against regional foes. There is no doubt that some employers may see Hyderbad or Manila as venues to nd low-cost workers, but most of our losses have been to less exotic places like Jersey City and Westchester. We should watch them like hawks, while lowering the tax burden on outer borough job creators. 5.Do you support the "public-private" model of park development used under the Bloomberg administration? Yes. But I would want them in all corners of all ve boroughs. 5

6.How would you modify the Bloomberg administration's waterfront development policy? The conversation should not be about the how many big waterfront buildings are being built in the city. In my administration, well have a swift change of focus. We need less of a celebration of shiny edices and an expanded conversation about how we make life livable for New Yorkers. Education 1. How can the city reduce the number of teachers in "rubberrooms"? If teachers are ineffective to the point of being placed in a rubberroom for years, then thats a massive nancial drain that our city schools cannot afford. We need to reexamine the contracts and use these funds to pay great teachers more for taking tough assignments. 2. Would you continue to allow schools to distribute "morning after pills" without parental consent? Yes. I support distributing both preventative contraception and birth control pills in our city schools as a part of having a comprehensive sexual education policy. 3. How would you change the present administration's Charter School policies? The cycle of closing traditional public schools and replacing them with charter schools is a self-fullling prophecy. Im agnostic on Charter schools. But we need a level playing eld. As mayor, I would seek to mediate the conflict among parents, teachers, and charter school operators. I support adding more charter schools where space is available. Miscellaneous 1. Do you support or oppose term limits for NYC politicians? I oppose. But I respect the will of voters as expressed in the referenda. 2. Should short-term vacation rental services like AirBnB be legalized in New York City? No.