Jessica Lappin MBP

7/27/2019 Jessica Lappin MBP

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2013 NYC MBP Questionnaire

20 Jay Street, Suite 830 Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel (212) 796-4200 Fax (646) 349-3893website: www.gothamist.com
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Instructions: Gothamist plans to interview all candidates for citywide andboroughwide ofce in 2013. This survey will give us and our readers an

overview of each candidates positions on issues of particular import to ouraudience of young New York voters. For each question, please give a a shortresponse outlining your candidates position. You may include a link to longerposition statements at the bottom of each response, which we will include whenwe publish the piece. If you do not wish to answer any question, please specifyno comment. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Candidate Overview

What are the top challenges facing Manhattan right now? How will you use the

limited power of the Manhattan Borough Presidency to solve these problems?I was born and raised in New York City and have always been inspired bythe New York spirit. Time and again, we have overcome tough challengesand emerged ever stronger.

But success breeds new challenges, like how we keep Manhattanaordable and livable for poor and middle-class families. The way I see it,the top challenges facing our borough stem from the basic question ofhow do we grow and evolve while still maintaining the things that make usunique our tolerance and diversity, thriving arts and culture, mom-and-pop shops, and safe streets. We also have to ensure that no matter whereyou live, you can send your child to a good public school, have access toparks, and find a job that pays a living wage.

How would you distinguish your future administration from the present one runby MBP Scott Stringer?

I have a lot of respect and admiration for what Scott Stringer has done asManhattan Borough President. For example, when he was first elected, thevacancy rate at the community boards was upwards of 20%. Heprofessionalized the boards, diversified them, and instituted anindependent review panel that I would keep.

But there is still more we can do to modernize our boards and ensure they

are the proactive planning forums they were always meant to be.

First o, the boards should move from the analog to the digital age. Ihave proposed creating a Community Stat software program to help makethat happen. I have also suggested that we should create mentoringpartnerships between community boards and tech companies andstudents to teach board staand volunteers how to harness the tools thatalready exist to make boards more transparent and interactive. You canread other ideas on this suggest in my policy paper about community


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board reform on my website here: http://www.jessicalappin.com/images/FE/chain160siteType6/site112/client/COMMUNITY%20BOARD%20REFORM%20WHITE%20PAPER.pdf

Personal Questions

Do you rent or own your home?

We own our apartment.

Do you have a pet?

Sadly, my husband is allergic. So we are the only ones in our familieswithout either a dog or cat.

If you have children, do/did they attend public schools?

I am a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and proud public school mom.I have two young boys, ages 6 and 2. The older one is a kindergartenstudent at a public school on the East Side.

Have you ever been the victim of a crime?

I was mugged on Mothers Day in 2002 a few blocks from City Hall.

Safety and Crime

What changes would you like to see in the NYPD's stop and frisk policies?

The New York City Police Department has helped make us the safest bigcity in America. However, I am concerned that hundreds of thousands ofinnocent New Yorkers are stopped each year in violation of theirconstitutional rights. Thats why I am co-sponsoring the CommunitySafety Act, a package of City Council legislation that would reform stopand frisk by protecting against racial profiling, ending unlawful searches,and creating the ofce of NYPD Inspector General. I also marched withthe NAACP, labor leaders, and members of clergy last year to advocatefor changes in this policy.

Do you support the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana in New YorkCity?

I support the decriminalization of low-level marijuana possession so thatwe stop saddling young people with criminal records that can destroytheir lives. Its also clear that summons for marijuana possession aredisproportionately issued to African-Americans and Latinos.

Do you support an independent inspector general for the NYPD?


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I do support the establishment of an NYPD Inspector General. InspectorsGeneral monitor the FBI, CIA, LAPD and every major New York City agencyexcept for the NYPD. The NYPD deserves credit for dramatically reducingcrime rates in recent years, and the IG can help ensure this progresscontinues under a new administration.

Transportation, Bikes and Bike Lanes

How often do you ride a bike?

Occasionally, and I have members of my stawho bike commute regularly.

Do you support expanding or reducing the number of current bike lanes inManhattan?

I have supported establishing new bike lanes in Manhattan. What I oftenhear, however, is that many lanes were put in without sufcient

community input. Some seem to have worked better than others.Changing our streetscape should be done in consultation with localbusinesses and residents. When you bring people together, and involvethem in the planning process, you get a better outcome. If electedBorough President, I would focus on looking at our transportation networkholistically, including pedestrian safety, increasing bike commuting, andsupporting public transportation.

Do you support congestion pricing?

Yes, I voted in favor of congestion pricing.

Development

Do you support a ban or limit on chain stores in Manhattan, including Walmart?

Small mom-and-pop shops are a vital part of our economy and employ avast number of New Yorkers. We should be doing what we can to helpthem succeed here. And I certainly dont support bring Walmart intoManhattan, or subsidizing companies who do not treat or pay theirworkers fairly.

Do you support NYCHA's recently announced plans to build market rate

apartments on public housing parking lots and playgrounds?

NYCHA represents a significant portion of our citys aordable stock andhas serious fiscal challenges. Unfortunately, the federal government haswalked away from its responsibility to reimburse the city dollar for dollarfor what it spends. Right now, we get roughly 70 cents on the dollar.The state and city should also fund NYCHA at a higher level. While I fullyappreciate the financial problems facing NYCHA, an initiative like thisshould be done with the buy in, input, and support of local tenants.


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Otherwise, it shouldnt be done.

Do you support the "public-private" model of park development used under theBloomberg administration?

I support creative solutions like public-private partnerships for park

development as long as the process is transparent and the expectationsfor both the city and the private funding are clear. We need to make surewere asking who is responsible for funding the park 10, 20, 30 yearsfrom now? Who is responsible for maintaining the park? Who isresponsible in the event of damage from a serious weather event? Ifthere are answers to these kinds of questions, then I think public-privatepartnerships can be a real force for good. The new FDR Four FreedomsPark on Roosevelt Island is a successful example of public-private parkdevelopment. Forty years after the idea was conceived, this world-classmemorial opened last October thanks to a determined group of citizens,$11million in City Council funding, and private donations.

That said, most parks arent ripe for a public-private partnership like theone we built around the FDR Memorial. And private money should neverbe absolutely required to build or maintain a public park.

How would your development policy dier from the one put forward by ScottStringer? In particular, please comment on your position regarding:

a. East Midtown Rezoning

Midtown Manhattan needs to maintain its iconic status as one of the bestbusiness addresses in the world. To do that, we need more modern classA ofce space. To that end, the city should be working with thestakeholders in our East Midtown Community to collaboratively rezoneparts of the central business district.

Unfortunately, this process is moving too fast and without the input ofthese stakeholders. City Planning shouldnt rush to action without a fulland detailed examination of this proposal.

If it does move forward, it has to be done in a way that preservesresidential neighborhoods adjacent to the central business district. Thenewly created Grand Central Subarea boundaries should be moved. Moredetails are needed on the District Improvement Bonus. Which projectswould be funded and in what order? The rezoned area needs more openspace. A thorough transportation study should be done to address

impacts. And lastly, important landmarks should be protected.

b.Hudson Yards Redevelopment

Borough President Stringer approved this project, which is expected togenerate 23,000 jobs and 5,000 aordable housing units.

c. SPURA Redevelopment


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I think SPURA is a great model because the community was involvedearly on in the process, which makes all the dierence in the world.

d.Chelsea Market Expansion

I voted in favor of the revised project when it came before the City Council.

The original plan was scaled down and will create 1,200 local jobs, 150units of aordable housing, and preserves space for food vendors.

5.Columbia and NYU, among other schools, have launched large expansionprojects aecting large swaths of Manhattan. What changes, if any, wouldyou like to see in their plans, and what restrictions, if any, should be put onthe ability of schools to acquire and redevelop land?

Manhattans universities are economic drivers that keep our city at thecutting-edge of academics, innovation, and cultural development. I wasan early and enthusiastic supporter of the Cornell-Technion project in mydistrict on Roosevelt Island. They had a choice of where they could go and

I wanted them in Manhattan, because this project is a $2 billioninvestment that will bring 30,000 new jobs and incubate hundreds of newtech start-ups. Its also been largely uncontroversial, because thesurrounding community was involved from the very beginning of theprocess and I think has had an opportunity to have their concerns andquestions listened to and addressed. I think its important for institutionslike Columbia and NYU who want to expand to view the surroundingcommunity as a partner in the process.

6.Where do you stand on the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station project?Should it move forward?

I have been a longstanding opponent of the proposal to reopen the East91st Street Marine Transfer Station for commercial and residential waste.This site is not only situated in the heart of a residential community, but itwould cut through Asphalt Green - a park and recreational facility thatsees 675,000 visits a year. I voted against this in the City Council and lastyear became a plainti in a federal lawsuit to prevent it from movingforward.

Transparency and Good Government

1. Scott Stringer made transparency and good government signature issues for

his administration- what will you do to further increase performance in theseareas?

I have always been a reform-minded progressive Democrat and believe thedrive for greater transparency requires all of us in government to lead byexample. Thats why I created a uniform application process fordiscretionary funding, supported member item reform, and put my budgetallocations up online before the City Council did it as an institution. Iwould continue to bring sunlight and greater transparency to the budget


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process and to our community boards by standardizing term limits forboard leadership, and having boards livestream their meetings online.You can read my recommendations for community board reform here:http://www.jessicalappin.com/images/FE/chain160siteType6/site112/client/COMMUNITY%20BOARD%20REFORM%20WHITE%20PAPER.pdf

2. Should New York judges continue to be selected by Democratic Party bossesin each borough?

I support moving to a well constructed merit selection system for judges.Ultimately, thats the best way to ensure we get the highest caliber, andleast political, judiciary.

Documents

Jessica Lappin MBP