The
New York City mayoral candidates at Saturday’s forum on public housing were,
for the most part, differentiated by their popularity among the audience
members, rather than by any unique opinions.
Although there were some slight variations, the five candidates, who
were all running as Democrats, generally agreed on ending the “stop and frisk”
policy, reevaluating Mayor Bloomberg’s “infill plan,” and creating a system in
which building repairs would be made quickly, by local workers.
The
event, called “What’s at stake for NYCHA communities?,” was hosted by the
Community Service Society and Union Local 237, moderated by New York Times
columnist Michael Powell. NYCHA stands
for New York City Housing Authority, which oversees the 334 public housing
sites around the five boroughs. The
candidates present were William Thompson, Sal Albanese, Bill de Blasio, John
Liu, and Christine Quinn, who arrived after the second question to a chorus of
boos and shouts of “she’s late again!”
Held at the
Salvation Army Centennial Memorial Temple, the first floor of plush red seats
was about two-thirds full when the panel began.
The attendees, mostly older men and women, many of who proudly donned “NYCHA
votes” buttons, were clearly passionate about the public housing that they
lived in or around.
As Powell posed questions, wild
applause for Thompson’s and Liu’s responses distinguished them as the
audience’s favorites. Quinn was frequently
attacked for her actions within the current mayoral administration, and despite
being named the frontrunner elsewhere, remained extremely unpopular with the
audience.
“She’s
gonna have to show she’s not like Bloomberg,” said Tyree Stanback, President of
the Lafayette Gardens Resident Association.
“Albanese came across as not understanding housing” he continued. “And all of them have this political stage
thing going on.”
Because the candidates’ plans for
public housing were so similar, Lisa Caplan, a longtime resident of the Lower
East Side, also felt it was impossible to tell which ones were genuine. “It’s really hard to feel out,” she shrugged.
“There’s so much rhetoric.” However,
because she lived near several NYCHA communities, Caplan was relieved that
there was unity with regards to the infill plan, which would have sold plots of
open land within developments to private companies. “I was glad to hear people say it wasn’t gonna
happen,” she said.
They may all have opposed it, but
the infill question became a breaking point in the candidates’ discussion. De Blasio took the opportunity to blame
Quinn, sarcastically thanking her for helping Bloomberg win a third term, which
allowed him to push the infill plan.
“Speaker Quinn is clearly the preferred candidate of the real estate
industry,” he continued. As Quinn
defended herself, a blonde woman in the audience leapt up, pointing and
yelling, and soon three security guards surrounded her. Her anger was enough for many others, who
began gathering their things and shuffling out of the auditorium.
Stanbeck
stayed until the very end, waiting to hear about his main concern, the lack of
timely repairs throughout the NYCHA system. He wore a gray polo shirt and baseball cap,
both embroidered with the name of the resident association, and was carrying a
stack of pamphlets that had been handed out at the door. A repair at Lafayette Gardens “takes two
weeks to a month” said he said, “but that’s for a vocal resident leader.” For an “average resident,” it might take
three to six months, or even a year if the repair requires a skilled worker
like a plumber or electrician.
De
Blasio called the situation “pitiful,” again blaming the Bloomberg
administration for wasting funds on an unhelpful computerized repairs
database. Albanese called for “decent
wages,” and other candidates echoed them, adding that repair workers should be
hired locally within each development.
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