PACE Queens City Council Candidate Questionnaire 2013 Candidate s name: Paul D. Graziano Campaign Address: 146-24 32nd Avenue City: Flushing State: NY Zip: 11354 Campaign Phone: 718-358-2535 Campaign Website: www.paulgraziano.com Campaign Email: paulgraziano2013@gmail.com Office Sought: City Council, District 19 Party Affiliation: Democrat Name and title of person completing this form: Paul Graziano (Candidate) Before PACE s specific questions, here are some broad underlying principles from both our sister chapter, NASW-New York State Chapter, which covers the rest of New York State other than New York City, as well as our own priorities. NASW-NYS is concerned about a range of issues that affect the quality of life for all people in New York State, the ability of social workers to provide quality services, and the allocation of public funds for these services. NASW-NYS supports the development and maintenance of services and the allocation of public funds to meet the basic human needs of all New Yorkers and the maintenance of critical human rights protections needed to assure their equitable treatment. NASW-NYS is committed to ensuring that every New Yorker has access to the resources and services necessary to maintain at least a minimum standard of living through social safety nets such as the welfare grant, Medicare, and Medicaid. NASW-NYS advocates for a health care system that provides access to health and mental health care for all New Yorkers, without discrimination based on type of diagnosis, type of health plan, or financial status. NASW-NYC s priorities include addressing issues related to social work licensing in New York State, advocating for funding for student loan forgiveness, as well as assuring that the public, including government, human service programs, and the media, understand the value and contribution of professional social workers. 1
NASW-NYC believes that the issue of poverty continues to be a major problem in New York City, yet, it is not being adequately addressed. We see the response to poverty as too often being swept under the rug. One remedy to this is for NASW-NYC and members of the social work profession to bring issues relating to poverty more fully to light. Thousands of social workers in New York City work with people who live in or near poverty and are intimately aware of the challenges that low income creates for individuals, families and communities. While poverty is a major issue in its own right, we also believe that understanding the relationship between poverty, diversity and multiculturalism in the City is essential, along with the oppressive nature caused by all of these factors, in combination. The intersection of these issues in the lives of the people of New York also needs to be our concern. We would add to these points that world climate change threatens the well-being of all the world s people, and expect that candidates for public office will develop policy platforms on state and local environmental issues such as fracking while promoting national and international measures as well. In addition to our interest in your policy platform or legislative history in regard to these issues, please provide a brief answer to these specific questions: Income 1. New York City has one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. However, the level of income disparity is alarming, with poverty and homelessness at record levels. How would you advocate for all New Yorkers to enjoy the benefits of the wealth generated by our society? I believe that redistribution within the current New York City budgetary process is an essential part of equalizing income disparity. Hundreds of millions - if not billions - of dollars from the budget are used to give developers, corporations and other nonperson entities tax abatements, tax breaks and other monetary gifts at the expense of funding for other critical agencies (Homeless Services, Senior Services, Health/Mental Health Services, Child Protective Services, Family Support, etc.). 2. What is your view of the current New York City tax system? Progressive taxation is critical to the well-being of our society, particularly within New York City. Raising tax rates among the wealthy - particularly real estate transfer taxes on transactions of $2 million or more and upper bracket income taxes - must be used to provide supports and services for those less fortunate. 2
Labor 1. How do you define a living wage in New York City? What, if any, policy changes do you propose or support regarding wages in NYC? I believe that the living wage should be AT LEAST the minimum wage, as per scaling for inflation, which according to many economic experts would be almost $22 an hour. Given that New York City is such an expensive city to live in, I believe that the current minimum wage is not sufficient to help the more than a million residents who are at or below that level of income to survive. Permanently pegging the minimum wage in New York City to inflationary indexes will insure that low-income wage-earners will not see a decline in their incomes. 2. Do you support a paid sick leave policy for New York City workers? Why, or why not? Yes. Given the fact that most workers at some point in their lives will have their own illnesses to worry about, they usually also have to worry about the health of their dependents. As a nation that should be concerned about continued productiveness of their society, there's no reason not to support paid sick leave. Additionally, I support a Paid Maternity Leave, as the United States is one of only seven countries in the world that does not have this on the books as an entitlement. Health 1. In January 2014, the Affordable Care Act of ObamaCare goes into effect, in which all Americans are expected to be enrolled in health insurance. What do you envision as NYC government s role in implementing the Act and assisting City residents in accessing health care? New York City government should do everything they should to comply with the Affordable Care Act as well as provide active outreach to make sure that more vulnerable populations don't fall through the cracks. 2. We share a commitment to the public and individual health of this city s residents. How would you ensure that the health care needs of all New Yorkers are met, especially pertinent in consideration of the closure of St. Vincent s Hospital in Manhattan and the recommended closure of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn? In Queens, we have seen the recent closing of three local hospitals in the last decade, putting tremendous pressure on those that remain. This has decreased the quality of care that they are able to offer. As this seems a trend throughout the city, it is up to the City Council and Mayor to strengthen the healthcare system, perhaps by providing more satellite clinics in neighborhoods that don't have adequate services. 3
One option can be the return of public health clinics, which can be enforced through legislation and mandatory funding streams. 3. What is your position on protecting a woman s right to reproductive choice? Do you support women s access to emergency contraception? My support for women's right to reproductive choice is 100%, as I have already expressed to Planned Parenthood of New York City and NARAL. I also support women's access to emergency contraception. Housing 1. How would you describe the current housing situation in New York City? What housing policy changes, if any, do you propose? What is your view of the gentrification of many city neighborhoods? Some of my policies that I would pursue include: Arrest landlords who discriminate based on ethnic background of applicant. Inclusionary Zoning has been a failure. Replace "80/20" (80% Market-Rate housing/20% Low- and Moderate Income Housing) tax incentive with new law requiring that all buildings over 16 units must include permanent affordable housing units, with the percentage of units increasing with the number of total units built. Eliminate the "credit" loophole that allows builders of luxury apartments to place it in another part of town, under a technicality in the "80/20" law. Eliminate the Erstadt Law so that legislators in New York City, and not those in Albany, determine housing regulations in New York City. Make apartment improvement increases (such as new windows, etc.) a temporary surcharge and not a permanent rent increase. Require landlords to open their books when they demand increases based on lack of profits. By passing some or all of this proposed legislation, gentrification - which will continue regardless, as all neighborhoods in New York City transform over time - will have less of an impact on existing populations. Criminal and Juvenile Justice 4
1. What is your opinion on New York City s current Stop and Frisk policy, and what, if any, changes in this policy would you propose? Do you feel that the present practice of Stop and Frisk is an effective deterrent to crime? End 'Stop and Frisk' citywide, as it has created a civil-rights crisis in New York City. 2. What, if anything, should be done on gun control? Further advocacy at the State and National level must be pursued by city government to stop the flow of illegal firearms into New York City. Education 1. What is your position on the heavy emphasis of standardized testing in New York City schools? What is your stand on the controversy regarding teacher evaluations? The Department of Education has created a stifling atmosphere for students, parents and teachers, including over-reliance on standardized testing, and must be abolished immediately, as a decade has passed with no true increase in educational achievement, only a system that rewards conformity over intelligence. A reconstituted Board of Education, with emphasis on local control by school district, should immediately be created in order to focus on what each area of the city needs versus a "one size fits all" approach. As someone who has many friends who are educators, I find that teacher evaluations are being used to remove good teachers from the classroom if they deviate from the Bloomberg administration's agenda, rather than their actual ability to educate our children. Hurricane Sandy Aftermath 1. What are your plans on how to address the needs of the victims of Hurricane Sandy? The Bloomberg administration has done a woefully inadequate job of helping the homeowners and renters who were affected by Sandy, particularly in Far Rockaway and Staten Island. Hundreds of individuals and families are still displaced in temporary housing almost eight months later. Additionally, areas of the city that should never have been built on in the first place due to being wetlands, low-lying areas or otherwise environmentally sensitive are being considered for rebuilding - not a wise course of action with sea level rise an inevitability. As an urban planner, I believe that it is incumbent upon city government to take immediate responsibility and not continue to promote development in Zone "A" areas, and to compensate and permanently relocate as many persons as possible to higher elevations. Social Services Provision 5
1. How do you envision the City government's role in social services provision, as the Mayor oversees the Human Resources Administration as well as homeless services? The City Council should strongly advocate for a complete overhaul of Human Resources and Homeless Services as they both seem to be doing a very inadequate job. While there may be Mayoral control over these agencies, the Council can play a significant role by shining sunlight on areas that desperately need improvement, such as services for homeless families and homeless teenagers living on their own, support services for single adults, etc. 2. Many of the City s non-profit contracts are set to expire. What steps would you take to ensure quality continuation of services in this economic climate? For example, would you support cuts in the following: a. after school programs? b. child care programs? c. senior centers? d. public libraries? e. music and arts school programs? I would not support cuts in any of those areas. As I stated above, there are areas of the budget which give massive amounts of scarce dollars to corporations and developers, who do not, in turn, give back to the city. I think the first thing to do is to go after that capital and return it to the people most in need of services that the city can provide, either through government or funding to non-profit organizations. Finally, considering the current policies of the Bloomberg administration at the Department of Education, which essentially uses a form of extortion on the PTAs of wealthier schools to pay for music, art and after school programs and leaving the rest of the schools without these programs at all. Social Work Professional Issues 6 1. The student loan forgiveness program for master level social workers, who work in critical human services specialty areas in which there are staffing shortages, including gerontology, mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, is now funded at $2 million. Would you support raising the appropriation to encourage social workers to work in these critical areas? Absolutely. Future social workers should not go into the profession burdened with debts for their professional education - which focuses on public service - particularly since wages in the profession are extremely low, both comparatively and as a real dollar amount.
2. The current New York State Social Work Licensing Law requires that all NYS social workers take and pass (at 75%) the Social Work Licensing Exam by 7/1/16. How do you feel about the efforts to grant exemptions to certain agencies, delaying raising the level of services available to the needy? Extensive efforts have been made to eliminate cultural bias in the examination and to have it reflect an ability to practice in the field. Do you favor using supply and demand to solve the problem of the shortage of licensed workers? I believe that workers in these agencies should be given all of the support that they need to enhance their education and to prepare for the licensing examination. My mother was the Director of the One Year Residency (OYR) program at Hunter College, which enabled Bachelor level social workers in these agencies to obtain their MSW while continuing to work fulltime. As she related to me, providing these students with extra support such as scholarship funding, intensive faculty advisement, group support and test preparation services made a significant difference in their ability to complete their professional training and pass the licensing exam. 3. Schools of social work can potentially be a resource in forming social policy. How willing are you to support other initiatives designed to reinvest in social work in NYC, such as see a possibility for collaboration between schools of social work and city government? I am very much in favor of collaboration between academic and professional training programs and city government and agencies. My mother directed two such programs, one with the NYC Department of Mental Health and the other with the collaboration with the Department of Aging, to train Bachelor level social workers who were already engaged with these populations and enable them to receive the MSW while still working. These programs were extremely successful, both from the point of view from the agencies, and from the point of view from the graduates, as her research has found (questionnaires of graduates about success rates, how the programs have helped them grow professionally, etc.). General City Council Questions 1. What committees would you prefer to serve on? I would prefer to serve on the Land Use, Finance, Parks and Recreation, Education, Aging and Women's Issues. 7
2. Is there any current legislation or a relevant issue that interests you in particular, given the Queens neighborhoods you seek to represent? My background is in neighborhood preservation, which is the #1 issue in the 19th Council District, as it affects all aspects of life in northeast Queens. As an urban planning and historic preservation consultant, during the past decade I have rezoned almost all of northeast Queens to help curb overdevelopment and inappropriate construction, as well as gained landmark status for individual buildings and entire neighborhoods in order to protect their historic character. I would like to continue this work, as there is much more to do, throughout my Council District as well as in the rest of New York City. Quality of life issues, particularly for senior citizens (as northeast Queens in general is a NORC) is extremely important as well in my Council District, as is primary and secondary education. 3. Please share any future aspirations you may have. My present - and future - aspirations are to be Councilmember for the 19th Council District for two terms. 8