504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for City Council Mark Weprin's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Mark Weprin

Council District: 23

Contact Person: Dirk McCall, Campaign Manager - 917-921-8308

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

Campaign Address: 73-20 Bell Boulevard, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364
Email: dirk @ markweprin.com
Website: www.markweprin.com

Endorsements: UFCW - Local 1500, Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, Working Families Party, League of Humane Voters, Saul Weprin Democratic Club, Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, County Line Democratic Club, former Mayor Ed Koch, Assemblymembers Michael Gianaris, Jose Peralta, Grace Meng, Bill Scarborough, Barbara Clark and Ann Margaret Carrozza. Former Queens Borough President Clare Shulman. NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Queens County Democratic Organization.

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?
  
  I have worked to strengthen and expand Access-a-ride, including helping extend it across the country border between Nassau and Queens counties. I have worked to install access ramps and protect/expand parking for people with disabilities, as well as working to increase fines for people illegally parking in handicapped accessible parking spots. I have been very active in working on issues facing the blind, including working on legislation on seeing eye-dogs in restaurants.
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 will ensure events I sponsor are accessible to people with disabilities.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  My college roommate was blind and I have worked closely with him on issues concerning the blind.
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 consider people with disabilities for any and all open staff positions and would make reasonable accommodations.
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 would work with the 504 Democratic Club, the Disabilities Network of NYC and the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities, from whom I have received awards. I work closely with both QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community) and Queens Center for Progress on disability issues in Queens.
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 have supported them and will continue to do so.
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 support making these programs 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?
  
  I would be supportive of visitability and would be interested in seeing the proposal to incorporate it into the Building Code.
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 support both greening the taxi and car service fleet, but also feel they should be accessible to all people.
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? 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 - we need both better enforcement of the regulations and to ensure that AAR is responsive to clients. More vehicles are also needed. I support the issuance of a "smart card."
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.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I am not currently a member of the NYC Council and have not had the ability to recommend members to the Borough President for appointment. I would be happy to consider any and all applicants with disabilities for positions on community boards.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  This is a good idea.
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 would be happy to consider funding organizations serving people with disabilities and programs to increase services to people with disabilities.
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 put the Department of Transportation in charge of ramps and repairs and set a year from receiving the charge as the timetable for action.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  The City should send a letter to business owners encouraging them and offering incentives. A program should be designed most likely through the Department of Small Business Services and the Mayors Office for People with Disabilities.
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?
  
  No answer.
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?
  
  The Mayor and his team need to make this happen.
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 hold regular hearings and ensure that the office is working to achieve the goals set by the office.

Date: June 5, 2009

Printer-friendly version of this questionnaire
(Link opens in a new browser window)

For other candidates running for City Council positions, go to the Questionnaires section