We have spent 6 months surveying and interviewing New Yorkers at a grassroots level to figure out what residents expect from their government.
The vision we saw for a new New York transcends today’s politics. Our non-partisan policy pillars are based on what we’ve heard everyday New Yorkers talking about: police, immigrants, the environment, transportation, and housing. NYC is succeeding on quantitative metrics, but most feel forgotten, ignored, and squeezed. We focus on solutions to these problems that unify us as proud residents of this city.
Immigrants
We have found that New Yorkers mad at the obscene costs and corruption involved with providing food and shelter to recent arrivals in the city share these concerns and frustrations with the migrants themselves. There is broad consensus that racist work permits that take months to obtain are not the way forward. Most of us in this city are immigrants and hard work is how our families got on their feet.
Work permits are a good long term goal, but there are many short-term solutions. Vouchers based work, promoted and organized by the city, can be used to get around federal employment rules, and get people working today. Looking around the city it’s clear that there’s plenty to be done. The money spent on food and shelter for migrants is perhaps better spent on improving our city while paying money that can be spent on rent.
Housing
The city continues to grow, expand, and change. We can’t pretend like it’s not happening. The main shift we see as necessary is ensure that what is built is built for all, not for the sake of capital. There are many approaches to creating such housing, but a definition, and a framework of what type of housing the city needs is crucial before we can decide how to finance it.
Our research shows that vacant commercial spaces are considered a blight by New Yorkers from across the city. We propose that commercial units that are vacant for 6+ months are allowed to be occupied by community board approved businesses or organizations, at a rent decided by the board, until a suitable market-rate leasee is found.
It has recently come to light that NYC’s population is decreasing. This should increase the number of available housing units, yet the opposite is occurring. Determining why this is and acting accordingly is crucial. It is possible that apartment warehousing is artificially increasing rents.
The Environment
Our research aligns with news coverage: New Yorkers are not a fan of being told what to do in the name of reducing arbitrary climate metrics. We’re already one of the most climate friendly cities in America.
Education programs have been massively successful, and diverting more climate funds to educating about helpful solutions is a better use of time and resources. We will need to adapt to a new world, but this will look different from neighborhood to neighborhood. We need to embrace this.
Transportation
Even the MTA admits they are a disaster at serving New York’s transit needs. Progress has been stunted and corruption weeds itself deeper and deeper with every project. We recommend the city advocating for a complete restructuring of the MTA which will allow it to meet the demands of a city in the midst of a shift in post-pandemic transportation needs. New Yorkers demand expansion of cheaper service that is more reliable.
Improving the MTA's favorability is possible with a modernization of MTA’s leadership structure.
For city-led transportation projects (such as sometimes controversial bus lanes) we again support local control, with individual neighborhoods getting decision-making abilities, to define the approaches that work for them.
Police
Safety is a right. Right now, people perceive the city to be more dangerous, regardless of what metrics tell us. Some people feel safer around cops, while others feel less safe around cops.
Community-led decision-making helps each neighborhood determine what makes people happiest, and what type of policing will allow them to thrive. Strong local control and local oversight of policing will result in preferred outcomes both for those supportive and critical of the NYPD.