504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for City Council Brad Lander's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Brad Lander

Council District: 39

Contact Person: Nancy Leeds, Campaign Manager

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

Campaign Address: 456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: 718-725-8969
Email: brad @ bradlander.com
Website: www.bradlander.com

Endorsements:

Elected Leaders and Public Officials: Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Daniel Squadron, State Senator Liz Krueger, State Senator Diane Savino, Councilmember Sara Gonzalez, Councilmember Rosie Mendez, Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilmember Anabel Palma, Carmen Farina (former Superintendent, District 15), Ruth Messinger (former Manhattan Borough President), Randy Peers (Chair, Brooklyn Community Board 7), Ron Shiffman (former New York City Planning Commissioner)

Organizations & Labor Unions: Working Families Party, Communications Workers of America District 1, New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, United Auto Workers Region 9A, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500

Neighborhood Leaders: (Cobble Hill) Margaret Kelley, Dorothy Siegel, Liz Velikonja, Dr. Tucker Woods, M.D., (Carroll Gardens) Chris Curran, Carmen Farina, Owen Foote, Brad Kerr, Lisa Pines, Vicki Weiner Eric Weingartner & Jennifer Schultz; (Park Slope) Rabbi Andy Bachman, Reverend Dr. Daniel Meeter, Matthew Goodman & Cassie Schwerner, Kedin Kilgore & Kimberly Neuhaus, Adam Mansky & Chloe Wasserman, John Shapiro, Paul Sonn & Martha Lees, Rebeccah Welch; (South Slope) James Bernard, Louise Finney, Steve Flax & Pat Cassidy, Barbara Kancelbaum & Ken Weine, Carol & Peter Marsh, Jackie Sherman, (Windsor Terrace) Steve Banks, Joan Botti, Channa Camins, Deborah Capone, Steve Coe & Maggi Knox, Amelia Costigan, Joe Giamboi & Eva Sierra Giamboi, Sarah Goodman, Anita Nager, Randy Peers, Christine Rico; (Borough Park) Yeruchim Silber, Yitzchok Fleischer, Menashe Silber; (Kensington) Nick Bedell, Greg Cohen & Viviane Arzoumanian, Mandy Harris & June Reich, Ellen Honigstock and Elliot Kipnis

LGBT Leaders: Ana Bermudez & Jackie Deane, Ricky Blum, BC Craig, Cindy Greenberg, Irene LoRe, Marilyn Neimark & Alisa Solomon, Georges Piette, Valerie Berlin & Amy Rutkin, Phillip Saperia, Dan Tietz, Erica Weinstein, Shelley Weiss

Small Business Leaders: Deb Capone, Neil Carlson & Erin Carney, Bobby Gagnon, Irene LoRe, Paul Parkhill, Tara Silberberg, John Tucker, Bob Usdin

Environmental Leaders: Aaron Naparstek, Owen Foote, Ryan Lynch, Anita Nager, Jeff Sandgrund, David Seideman

Public School Parent Leaders: Jessie Allen (PS 58), Nick Bedell (BNS), Deborah Capone (PS 154), Ruth Cohen (PS 321, CEC 15), Dena Davis (CEC 15), Carmen Farina, Rachel Fine & Martin Dunn (PS 321), Martha Foote (PS 321), Norm Fruchter, Natalie Green Giles (PS 29), Jennifer Jacobs (PS 39), Nina Chan Jalowayski (PS 29), Margaret Kelley, Kathy McCullagh & Paul Tainsh (BNS), Amy Sirot (PS 29), Mary Vines (PS 107), Wesley Weissberg & David Goldberg (PS 321)

Arts, Culture, and Creative Leaders: Trisha Arlin, Caron Atlas, Neil Carlson, Esther Robinson, Amy Sananman, Arthur Strimling, Billy Wimsatt, Karen Wolfe, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

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 executive director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, I developed several hundred units of permanently affordable, accessible housing for low and moderate income people. Many of these units were specifically set-aside for people with disabilities.
  
  As director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, and a leader in Housing First!, Housing Here & Now, and the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, I have been a leader in successful advocacy campaigns that have resulted in the creation of thousands of units of affordable housing, and will result in tens of thousands more in the years to come. The majority of these units are/will be in newly constructed buildings, which will be fully accessible to people with disabilities.
  
  I oversaw the development of the FAC Center for Community Development, a not-for-profit office space and community center in Park Slope, which is fully accessible and is used frequently for community meetings.
  
  In my 10 years as director, the Fifth Avenue Committee provided assistance to hundreds of people with disabilities with a wide range of supports, including advocacy in housing court and at fair hearings, assistance with benefits such as DRIE, SCRIE, IT-214, etc.
  
  Under my leadership, the Pratt Center has been the leading advocate for "bus rapid transit," a new model of high-volume public transportation that will offer new transit opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. One of the best features of BRT is that it is fully wheelchair accessible. Just this year, the NYC DOT and MTA agreed to a major expansion of BRT in New York City in the years to come.
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)?
  
  Yes, I commit to make every effort to insure that events I sponsor are fully accessible to people with disabilities. When I am not the event sponsor, but am invited to an event that is not accessible, I commit to urge the organizers to make the event accessible.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  At the Fifth Avenue Committee and Pratt Institute, and in my life generally, I have had the honor of working with many people with a wide range of disabilities - from a development consultant who is blind but nonetheless is better at spreadsheet analysis (with a voice driver) than almost anyone I know, to several friends and colleagues with Turrets syndrome, to many people with mobility impairments whose tireless energy often surpasses mine. My commitment to supporting disability rights begins with that of my mother, a public elementary school counselor who (over decades) has pioneered innovative educational approaches at every grade level to help the kids in her school understand, appreciate, and value people with 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 will be willing to, and enthusiastic about, hiring people with disabilities for any and all positions. I would work to provide reasonable accommodation, including flex and part-time work, as well as appropriate office, technology, and furniture, for staff members with disabilities. This is not only legally required and morally right - it will also increase the ability of my office to understand and appreciate the full range of community members.
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?
  
  I will stay in regular contact with the disability community (including the 504 Democratic Club, as well as advocacy and service organizations around the city) to identify, discuss, prioritize, and strategize around legislation. Together, we will work to pass critically needed bills, using a range of strategies depending on the situation. I believe that it is critical to build broad and deep coalitions of support, that include a wide range of community and advocacy organizations from across the city (including unusual allies from a diverse range of communities), as well as within the Council. The successful legislation that I have helped to pass in the Council (e.g. inclusionary zoning, 421-a reform) always depended on a strong coalition of advocates working closely with Councilmembers.
  
  Where possible, I will work to gain the early support of the Speaker of the City Council, as well as the support of the Chair of the relevant committee, in order to help insure swift passage. I will work hard to build strong relationships with my colleagues (I am pleased to be supported by more City Councilmembers than any other candidate in the race), and seek to build coalitions with them, to include them as co-sponsors of the legislation and as part of the advocacy coalition, so that we can strategize and work together toward passage.
  
  Where necessary, I will not be afraid to act alone, or with only a small number of my colleagues, on a piece of legislation that is important, but does not yet have the support of leadership or a critical mass of Council support - so long as there is strong advocacy support for the effort. In these cases, we will rely on research, media, and advocacy support to advance the issue, in order to raise its profile and build more in the Council.
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 strongly support the development of supported housing for people with disabilities in my district. I have overseen the development of hundreds of such units, and advocated for many more. I look forward to working with community organizations, affordable housing developers, and the disability community to finding sites, securing resources, and building this housing.
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 strongly support making DRIE and SCRIE income eligibility comparable. In addition, I will work to expand eligibility for both programs, so that more households can benefit.
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?
  
  I support incorporating the concept of "visitability" into the Building Code. I believe the most effective way to do this will be to begin with a broad coalition of stakeholders, including representatives of the disability community, architects, developers, contractors, planners, community representatives, and others who can help identify the most cost- and time-effective ways of doing this.
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. In addition, as noted above, under my leadership the Pratt Center has been the leading advocate for "bus rapid transit," a new model of high-volume public transportation that will offer new transit opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. BRT are "buses that run like subways," with dedicated lanes, payment of fares before boarding, signal-light timing, and other features that enable them to run at speeds and volumes that are 20 - 50% better than normal bus service.
  
  One of the best features of BRT is that it is fully wheelchair accessible. At the Pratt Center, we have strongly advocated to make this even more effective, by building accessible, enclosed mini-stations, with ramps from the sidewalk up to a platform at the level of the bus, so that people with disabilities can more easily board, and so that loading and unloading can be smoother and easier. This year, the NYC DOT and MTA agreed to a major expansion of BRT.
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 work with taxi, limousine, and car service owners and drivers, the Taxi Workers Alliance, representatives of the disability community, and transportation advocates to design a solution that includes building upon existing "best practices" in making taxis and car services accessible for people in wheelchairs, and then design effective incentives (most likely tax incentives) for car owners who adopt the best practices. Over time, I would work to move toward universal acceptance of these features.
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?
  
  Access-A-Ride is an essential service for many seniors and disabled New Yorkers, making it possible for them to live independently, but it is currently badly managed and operated. I would work with advocates and other stakeholders, together with other Councilmembers, to investigate the issue, through hearings, research, or a task force/commission, in order to understand the problem and develop and implement solutions. I support issuance of a "smart card" or similar technology, so that AAR riders can use any accessible taxis or liveries at a reduced cost, without always waiting for AAR vehicles.
Civil Rights
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

Yes.
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?
  
  Yes. The City will need to provide necessary resources to the Community Boards to achieve accessibility, instead of cutting the boards deeply (as the Mayor is currently proposing), which make it impossible.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I will conduct outreach to all constituencies and communities within the district, including people with disabilities, to encourage them to apply. One of my main criteria for appointments (in addition to commitment to the community, and a willingness to both advocate and listen in an effort to achieve consensus) will be diverse representation of all of the communities.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  Yes.
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 plan to establish a clear, fair process by which groups can apply for discretionary funding, including goals and priorities. Organizations serving people with disabilities, or other groups seeking to make programs accessible will be included in those goals and priorities.

I will treat discretionary grants like a good philanthropic foundation treats its grants: with clear and transparent benchmarks, reporting, assistance, and compliance - with renewal only if goals are met. I will make information about member items publicly available, including the group, amount, goals, and results. These grants should not be something hidden from view, but instead something we can all be proud of - critical support for vital community-based not-for-profits who achieve results.
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?
  
  The City should begin with a census, made available to the public via online GIS technology, of all corners, identifying those which do and do not have pedestrian ramps, and noting the condition, so it is clear which ones are in need of repair. Citizens should be able to use both 311 and online reporting to note ramps/corners in need of repair. If DOT will not do this citywide, I will work to make in happen in the 39th Council district. I would work with Community Boards, other elected officials, and citizens, to keep a running list of those corners in need of repair, and follow up diligently with DOT to get a timetable for repairs, and to insure that the repairs are made.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) should establish a comprehensive program to encourage businesses - including small businesses - to be as accessible as possible. This would include an online directory and a "seal of approval" for businesses that are accessible, and technical assistance (either from SBS directly, or from BIDs/LDCs that have contracts with SBS) for business seeking to become more accessible. SBS should also consider offering a tax incentive (perhaps via BID assessments) for businesses which meet accessibility standards.
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?
  
  In the Council, I would introduce legislation that would require the NYPD, the FDNY, the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, and the Department for the Aging to create an opt-in list of people with disabilities in the event of emergencies. This list would then be used by police, firemen, emergency responders, and volunteers to insure that in the event of emergency, everyone is assisted.
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?
  
  A series of City Council oversight hearings should be held to address the elevation of the MOPD. The Commissioner should be asked to outline for the Council how this elevation increased the responsibilities of his office, and what resources are being provided to meet these responsibilities. Now that this is a Commissioner-level position, other City departments and agencies should have increased responsibility for coordinating relevant issues with and through MOPD. As noted above, I would like to see this begin with an emergency response networking, which MOPD coordinates with NYPD, FDNY and OEM.
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 must hold regular oversight hearings of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, in order to understand and oversee its general operations, its budget, and any potential need for changes or for new legislation. In preparing for these hearings, Council staff should do advance research, including not only looking at official information (e.g. the Mayor's Management Report) and following up on commitments made at prior hearings, but also working close with advocacy and service organizations to identify issues and questions.

Date: June 3, 2009

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