Candidate Name: Bob Zuckerman

Council District: 39

Contact Person: Jen Handler - Campaign Manager

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? Yes.

Campaign Address: 513 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: 718-360-1460
Fax:
Address:
Email: Bob @ Zuckerman2009.com
Website: zuckerman2009.com

Endorsements: (Political, Community & Labor)

1. Action Shows Commitment!

    

   1. While in public office/prior to this campaign, what have you accomplished in regard to advancing disability rights? This can include work towards accessible housing, transportation, employment, health care, education, and including people with disabilities in the political process?

       

      As president of the Stonewall Democratic Club for three years, I ensured that our meetings and our events were held in fully accessible spaces. We always were inclusive of people with disabilities.

      As executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation, we have helped numerous people with disabilities with their tenant issues and have helped many people from the community find affordable housing.

       

   2. Will you commit to only attend / sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities (PWDs including providing written materials in alternate formats, providing assistive listening systems, and sign language interpreters as well as ensuring that locations are physically accessible)?

       

      I fully support and will encourage event organizers to take the appropriate steps to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most recently, for example, I attended a candidates' forum in Park Slope which was held in the basement of the church that was not accessible. I chided the sponsors of the forum for holding it in an inaccessible space.

       

2. General Questions

    

   1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?

       

      I have personally suffered from anxiety disorders so I have a first hand experience of what people with mental disabilities go through on a day to day basis. Additionally, my older brother has Asperger's syndrome, giving me even more insight into the issue facing those with mental disabilities. Lastly, I worked closely for two years at the LGBT Community Center with someone in a wheelchair, and ever since, have been acutely aware of the challenges facing people with physical disabilities.

       

   2. What type of jobs would you be willing to hire and to provide reasonable accommodation (e.g. flex or part time) for staff members with disabilities?

       

      I would be willing to hire in all positions individuals with disabilities and would be open to providing Flex time and part time to individuals.

       

   3. How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation through the City Council? What will be your strategy?

       

      My legislative approach would be to first attempt to craft legislation that I believe could have wide spread Council appeal. Before introducing the legislation I would work to build a unified and well instructed coalition along with creating the appropriate materials and designing the appropriate message with which to lobby the City Council Members.

      Before introduction I would attempt to gain the Speaker's support of the bill and also advocate for my colleagues to join me as co-sponsors of the legislation. In addition I would seek to get the support and co-sponsorship of the Chairman of the appropriate committee in which the legislation would be heard.

      However, if I cannot gain the Speaker's support or the Chair's support, I would not hesitate to push forward anyway with my legislation, especially if it is something that is important to the PWD community. I have never walked away from a fight, and I certainly wouldn't start in the City Council. If we get enough grassroots support for the legislation, we can try to force the Speaker's hand.

       

3. Housing

    

   1. What is your position on the development of supported apartments/homes and retirement homes for the persons with mental and/or physical disabilities in your district?

       

      I am fully supportive of such housing and look forward to working with the community to ensure its availability for those in need.

       

   2. What is your position on making DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) and SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) programs income eligibility comparable? (At present a individual senior or household income eligibility is $28,000. While the income for a younger disabled individual is capped at $19,284 and $27,780 for a household?)

       

      I am completely supportive of making DRIE and SCRIE income eligibility comparable.

       

   3. Visitability sets guidelines to ensure newly constructed multi-family dwellings have basic accessible/adaptable features to permit people with disabilities can visit, and for residents to "age in place," without having to move out when age and/or disability set in. Do you support incorporating the concept of "visitability" in the Building Code?

       

      YES, but only after a discussion and study of how it would effect the financing of future dwellings.

       

4. Transportation

    

   1. Will you support an expansion of affordable wheelchair accessible transportation in NYC, including taxis, livery service, express buses, and shuttles, more accessible subway stations, etc.?

       

       

      Yes.

       

   2. Efforts to secure a 100% accessible fleet of medallion taxis have been hampered by opposition from Mayor Bloomberg and the taxi industry. The current emphasis is on creating a 100% "green" fleet. What would you do to assure that taxis and community car service vehicles are both "green" and universally designed for wheelchair access?

       

      I would create incentives for taxi fleets that switch over to wheelchair accessible taxis. Those incentives would be devised with input from taxi fleet owners, the New York taxi driver's alliance, and disability advocates.

       

   3. Access-A-Ride (AAR) users experience unnecessarily long trips, causing workers to be late for work, have their pay docked and possibly losing their jobs. AAR leaves consumers stranded, lies that a vehicle is coming and penalized riders as a "no-show" when the vehicle never arrived. Riders who complain report they are subject to retaliation. What would you do to improve the quality of AAR? Would you support the issuance of a "smart card" so that Access-A-Ride users can use accessible cabs/livery service at a reduced cost and receive better service?

       

      YES. The AAR service is extremely expensive and poorly operated, yet remains a vital service to the elderly and disabled. As a councilmember I would empanel a taskforce to create and execute recommendations that would either replace AAR with a new service or correct the serious problems the program has long produced.

       

5. Civil Rights

    

   Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

    

   YES. I have been a civil rights advocate in New York City for 13 years.

    

6. Community Board

    

   1. Do you support requiring all Community Board meeting and function be accessible, including requiring sign language interpreters and large print format material?

       

      I believe that if so requested the Community Board should have to make those services available.

       

   2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?

       

      I will calculate the number of individuals living with disabilities in my district and seek to appoint the appropriate proportion to the Community Board.

       

   3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?

       

      Yes.

       

7. Discretionary Funds

    

   Will you use your discretionary funds to support organizations serving people with disabilities or service organizations seeking to make their programs accessible to people with disabilities?

    

   YES. I will assess all organizations that request funding from my discretional budget. If an organization serving with disabilities is found to spend taxpayer money wisely, I will support them.

    

8. Accessibility

    

   1. Under Mayor Bloomberg, the City settled with the United Spinal Association and agreed to install pedestrian ramps, on all corners which presently don't have one. However, no provision was made to repair and/or replace existing ones which are unsafe. How would you ensure that pedestrian ramps are provided or repaired? What would you establish as a timetable?

       

      I would introduce a bill requiring a survey of all pedestrian ramps to be completed in a reasonable time frame and requiring that all pedestrian ramps that are found to be in poor condition fixed within 30 days of its examination.

       

   2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?

       

      First, the Department of Small Business Services should produce a "best practices" pamphlet that spells out the ways that businesses can be more accessible. Second I would produce a website and pamphlet that would direct individuals with disabilities to those stores that have taken the steps to become more accessible. Finally, I would use my Council newsletter to highlight businesses that have become more accessible.

       

   3. How would you ensure that emergency evacuation for PWDs provisions are put in place to improve survival rates of PWDs in the event of fire, attack, blackout, or other emergency situation?

       

      I would create a list of addresses of PWDs that 911 would have to cross reference after routing the Emergency services to alert them that a PWDs lives in this particular home.

       

9. Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

    

   1. Mayor Bloomberg elevated the Director of the (MOPD) to a Commissioner without any increase in budget or responsibilities. How would you ensure that city departments/agencies coordinate through MOPD?

       

      First, I would ensure that appropriate oversight hearings were being held specifically on this topic. Second, I would request quarterly reports from the commissioner's office to alert me to funding gaps or deficiencies and recommendations on streamlining and strengthening the coordination through the MOPD.

       

   2. How do you believe the City Council should enforce and do oversight regarding the work of the office and be certain of the implementation and its efforts?

       

      The City Council should be required by Council rules to hold a hearing on this issue at least 2 times a year. The Council rules can be amended to require that such a hearing is held. A resolution may have to be introduced and passed in the Council to strengthen its resolve around this solution. I would be willing to introduce this resolution.

       

Date: May 27, 2009