Candidate for City Council Jimmy Van Bramer's 2009 response

Candidate Name: Jimmy Van Bramer

Council District: 26

Contact Person: Brian Fritsch

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

Campaign Address: 45-18 Skillman Avenue, Sunnyside, NY 11104
Phone: 718-313-0569
Email: jimmyvanbramer @ gmail.com
Website: www.jimmyvanbramer.com

Endorsements: Working Families Party, United Auto Workers, The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, Joe Conley - Chairman of Community Board 2, Stonewall Democratic Club, Queens Library Guild - Local 1321, State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick

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?
  
  Through my work with the Queens Libraries I have taken a leadership role in making all public libraries in Queens accessible for people with all types of disabilities. That includes not only the installation of ramps and elevators, but expanding the libraries' collection of large-print and Braille books, as well as other media for those with disabilities. I feel it that is critically important that public institutions like the libraries take the lead on improving the quality of information available for everyone in New York City.
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 will. It's very important to me that the needs of everyone who would like to participate in an event are met.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  In addition to my experiences at the library, I've had close relationships with family members who are disabled. At an early age, my interactions with my cousin, who is blind, made me think about the way everyone has a wide variety of needs that are often very different from our own. As a result I feel more keenly aware of the role libraries and, on a broader level, the local government's policies directly impact the lives of disabled members of the community.
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 qualified applicants for any and all staff positions that I may have.
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 already have many contacts with the disabled community through my work with the libraries and will always be open, transparent and responsive to anyone in the community with a concern or issue. Additionally, I will actively reach out to other disabled members of the community to make sure they also have a voice.
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 in favor of them. Everyone has a right to safe, adequate housing. Supported homes allow people who have lived in the area to remain here even in the face of increased development and in that way they will help retain the character of the neighborhood.
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 in favor of this position because I believe that it will improve the quality of life for many people currently living in sub-standard conditions.
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. This is not only an issue of convenience, but also a matter of health and safety for citizens.
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, definitely. I believe that public transport must be increased throughout New York City. A lack of investment in the 1990's is hurting the MTA and other services now, and I believe the city council has a duty to ensure that all citizen have adequate access to public transport.
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 support any legislation for both green and wheelchair accessible community car service, and would fight for accessibility to be included in any legislation that did not include it.
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?
  
  I would investigate this matter thoroughly and work with citizens and AAR to ensure that improvements are made.
4. 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, I believe it would improve accountability.
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 do.
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.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I would be happy to appoint anyone who has a strong, vested interest in improving the community to the board.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  I will do everything I am able to make sure the needs of those with disabilities are met. If someone is willing and able to serve on the board, I would to whatever is necessary to accommodate them.
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?

I will do whatever is necessary to make sure that programs for people with disabilities are fully funded.
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?
  
  Greater agency should be given to the MOPD to work with repair teams on this issue. Working to stay in concert with regularly scheduled repairs as much as possible, the repairs should be done in a timely fashion. Other cities in New York State such as Binghamton and Albany have recently received grants and federal money to act on this issue, and New York City should also try to garner increased funding from outside sources to expedite this process.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  Cost or space issues are most frequently sited as reasons for businesses not being accessible. Tax breaks or other incentives could help defray the cost of some building updates that would improve accessibility at many stores.
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?
  
  Everyone needs to be better educated about how to act in these situations. Clear, easy to execute directions must be mandatory in all multi-family buildings. Training should be carried out on a regular basis.
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?
  
  Rerouting responsibility through the MOPD is important. The City Council must be receiving reports from the MOPD on a regular basis to ensure that all applicable programs are routed through the MOPD and time is allowed for modifications that must be made.
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 MOPD should be subject to the same review processes and oversight by the City Council and Mayor's Office that all other commissioner level offices are subject to.

Date: June 5, 2009