ISSUE POINTS
EDUCATION
New York City is home to some amazing schools – public, private, and charter.
As a father of 4, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of education, and I am proud to have found the best possible schools – public, parochial, and private – for my children.
I’m a two-time PTA president and a long-time community activist, I’ve heard parents’ concerns about ensuring their children get the best possible start through quality education. I also understand that families need to have options, and access to the schools that work best for their children.
Charter schools provide options for families whose children may not be getting what they need from their local public schools but are unable to afford private schools. Charter schools are public schools, they are helping our system.
Tillard will work to increase funding to public schools, while also helping to make sure students in our communities have access to quality private and charter schools, as well.
Great schools produce great leaders, and I want to make sure all children are able to thrive.
As a parent who helped my son navigate virtual learning through the first year and a half of the COVID pandemic, I saw first-hand how hard his teachers worked to ensure students received the instruction they needed. All teachers deserve our deepest gratitude for all they have done, and they deserve to be compensated at a higher rate for the work they do, day in and day out.
TRANSIT
Residents rely heavily on the bus and subway services offered by the MTA. Safety and accessibility are top priorities for residents when traveling to work or within the neighborhood and city. No one should fear entering a train station, riding on a subway car or taking the bus through our community. I believe we need a police presence at our subway stations that is both continuous and fair.
I support increased funding for free transit rides for all schoolchildren.
New York City has one of the highest riderships in the world, and residents rely on our subway system to take them around the city. Updating basic infrastructure including subway signal improvements, and additional service for all bus and subway lines that run through our communites
Bike lanes must be connected and protected. This includes access to bike units in NYCHA properties in our neighborhoods.
HOUSING
Housing costs are rising dramatically. Whether you’re a homeowner, renter, or NYCHA resident, all residents deserve equitable and fair protection. Tenant and homeowner rights go hand in hand.
I will work to make sure all housing options are protected. I’ll fight for affordable rents and defend renters’ rights. Homeowners should be provided the help and resources they need to protect their piece of the American Dream. This campaign is about equity across the board, and that means increased funding for repairs/security/upkeep for our NYCHA properties.
Civic service means fostering a sustained, open dialogue with everyone from business owners, to block associations and tenants’ rights groups, to impromtu stoop meeting with neighbors.
I won’t turn a blind eye against predatory developers who want to change the character of our community. I will challenge fraudulent practices and support taxing developers at an equitable rate.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime is up over 30% in New York City. Police accountability and transparency is something I champion 100%. We do not live in a police state. We live at a time where common sense approaches--not naïve proposals--must be enacted to keep the public safe. Defunding the police is a catchy protest message, but public safety is ensured when sound policy, community engagement, trust, and transparency are placed above the needs to score protest points. I do support weeding out bad apple police by banning the hiring of officers with misconduct records.
Residents deserve to be and feel safe as they walk to the bus or subway, take their children to and from school, or sit in the park enjoying the weather.
We need to look at the strengths and weaknesses of cash bail reform legislation and be willing to go where the evidence leads us. Judicial discretion unfortunately doesn’t always deliver on a level playing field. Yet, I would never codify that all defendants awaiting trial be given the presumption of universal release. Too many Americans have had to carry the undue burden of being guilty until proven innocent.
Criminal reform does extend also to the jails. I support keeping Rikers Island open, but there must be a major capital investment in overhauling an outdated facility that too often serves as a revolving holding cell for those who can’t afford bail, those dealing with mental illness, and those who are drug addicted and can’t afford private treatment.
Sadly, rarely does a weekend pass by in our neighborhood where there isn’t a fatality from a gun. I’m against ghost guns. I advocate increasing the criminal penalties on use of guns without registered serial numbers.