As the New York Mayoral race heats up, I’ve been involved in a number of different conversations about the candidates. After almost 11 years in New York, I have been witness to a lot of changes, some great, some met with lots of resistance, gentrification detested, protested, glorified and embraced, the struggle, the conquests, the hustle, the survival.
Having moved to downtown Brooklyn 3 years ago, I’m surrounded by the massive gentrification happening here. With new Barclay’s Center a few blocks away and the new City Point development rising, it seems everything around us is as well, most notably rent and groceries (you know, the stuff you need to live!) Causing the Jimmy McMillian mantra and name of his political party, “The Rent is Too Damn High” to constantly be on repeat in my head! But then he endorsed Anthony Weiner and reminds us of his ridiculousness!
With all of this in mind, the questions that need answering for me are “Who has my best interests in mind?” “Who realizes things are spiraling out of control in New York and agrees the concept of affordable living is almost non-existent?” ”Who agrees New York should continue to be a home for the same wonderful, driven, diverse, and creative people who made this city great and not a breeding ground for bigger, greedier and more corporate developments?”
On Monday, August 12th, my friend and host committee member, Merary Soto invited me to the Millennials for Bill de Blasio event at Butterfield 8 NYC. In trying to learn more about each candidate and in search of my answers, I attended. Much to my delight, it was as if everyone there had read the transcripts of my conversations about both the current and future state of New York.
In a charming and adorable introduction, Chiara, Bill’s 17-year-old daughter, reminded us about this dynamic time for New York City and how we deserve a person who is looking out for our best interests. She jokingly explained that her father “wasn’t just some boring, old white guy” and she truly believes in his message and mission.
Bill opened with a loving introduction of his children, Chiara and Dante and wife, Chirlane, sharing the story of their first meeting and his experience with “love at first sight”. I was enjoying everything they were sharing. The family unit was great, he shared a love story… things could only get better from here. And it did.
This evening he spoke with the same passion and determination as he did in a speech he made on May 30th at the New School. A speech in which the candidate sketched a powerful picture of the issue he has put at the center of the race: the city’s “inequality crisis.” “Right now, as we’re gathered this morning, one New Yorker is rushing past an attended desk in the lobby of a majestic skyscraper,” de Blasio began. “A few miles away, a single mother is also rushing, holding her two young children by the hands as they hurry down the steps of the subway entrance…” The first New Yorker is thinking about how to profit from the bull market in stocks; the second is trying to figure out how to pay her grocery bill.
De Blasio described New York’s rising inequality in terms that were not only personal but also analytical: the number of luxury apartments being built, soaring C.E.O. pay, declining middle-class incomes (the city’s middle class isn’t just shrinking, he said; it’s “in danger of disappearing”), and the stark fact that almost half the city’s residents live in poverty, or very nearly in it. (Bill de Blasio’s Vision, The New Yorker)
He went on to touch on the importance of early childhood education, affordable health care, specifically the 19 hospitals across the city which have closed due to financial pressures since 2000. He mentioned his recent role in protesting Brooklyn’s Long Island Hospital closing.
He closed with Stop and Frisk and the victory that had occurred. Earlier that day, a federal judge in New York City ruled that the police department has violated the civil rights of tens of thousands of minority New Yorkers with its practice of warrantless searches, better known as “stop-and-frisk.” de Blasio reminded everyone he intends to continue fighting to make sure Stop and Frisk is no longer practiced by the NYPD, stating that he believes NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has to go; a key difference between he and onetime front-runner, Christine Quinn.
De Blasio was warm, energetic and convincing. I was pleased with everything he and his family shared with us. On Tuesday, August 13th, the new Quinnipiac poll was released, showing that I was not alone in my new appreciation and support for de Blasio.
With strong support from white Democratic likely primary voters and voters critical of the so- called stop-and-frisk police tactic, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio leads the Democratic race for New York City mayor with 30 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
With four weeks to go, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has 24 percent, with 22 percent for former Comptroller William Thompson, 10 percent for former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, 6 percent for Comptroller John Liu, 1 percent for former Council member Sal Albanese and 7 percent undecided, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.
To learn more about Bill de Blasio, The Public Advocate for the City of New York and his vision for a fair and just New York, check out his website and Facebook page, where you can also contribute to the campaign and volunteer.
With Merary Soto and Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio
Meeting Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio
With Chirlane and Chiara, wife and daughter of Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio
