Public Advocate Letitia James and I have history. We’re both veteran Brooklyn pavement pounders – me in search of good stories to tell and Tish politicking with her own brand of intelligence, charm and public policy making.
And to say that Tish and I haven’t banged heads once or three times in the 15 or so years I’ve known and covered her would be an understatement. For the most part, Tish has gotten the best me. She’s quick-witted and hits her talking points like the political pro that she is. I, on the other hand, despite my last name, is as slow-witted as a stoner on a three-day binge. But I’m no stoner. I’m methodical and resourceful – two good traits for a reporter. So I do have my share of wins covering Tish, and I’m proud of them.
But right or wrong, win or lose in the public arena, I’ve always admired Tish’s humor, toughness, beauty and unique style even if she does play me like a church organ every so often . She is a Howard University-schooled attorney, who came up of age politically as an underling to former Bed-Stuy political boss Al Vann and the still powerful Vanguard Independent Democratic Association.
James is also a legitimate political pioneer in politics as she’s the first black woman to hold citywide public office and her star remains on the rise. As public advocate she’s next in line to become mayor should an act of God or an indictment disable the current mayor, and there’s talk of her running for Attorney General if Eric Schneiderman challenges Andrew Cuomo for governor.
The following interview took place in the office of her Chief of Staff Ibrahim Khan, who has his own charm and graciousness.
KCP: The Mayor’s NextGen NYCHA plan to sell public housing parcels to private developers with the proceeds going the cash-strapped public housing authority for repair and maintenance work kicked off last week with three projects. The Ingersoll Houses project, in your old Council District in Fort Greene, is building senior housing for the LBGT community on current green space, while the Van Dyke Houses in East New York, and a development in the Bronx are building private affordable housing. What do you think of the rollout and the overall plan to sell off public housing property to developers?
LJ: My position is the model at Ingersoll to create 100 percent affordable for seniors. I like that model, that’s the model I pushed and that’s the model NYCHA adopted. In regards to Van Dyke and the other public housing in the Bronx, it raises some concerns in regards to income eligibility. We’re still having some negotiations with the Administration in regards to NextGen. It’s unfortunate that its being done piecemeal, but I will continue to advocate on behalf of the residents of Van Dyke.
That’s interesting because you didn’t support the similar plan that the Bloomberg Administration proposed…
That’s because I don’t want to use public housing land and promote more gentrification. I think NextGen has several goals and objectives. One is to house individuals who are double upping in overcrowded apartments and individuals in oversized apartments. For instance, you have individual adults living in apartments with three bedrooms. If they can move to a newly constructed building in and around a neighborhood they are associated with and are familiar with that’s a good policy objective. The second policy objective is to raise funds for the infrastructure needs of public housing, and three the policy objective is to increase work and business opportunities for individuals who live in and reside in public housing. There are three policy objectives that I support.
You recently issued a release citing a Harvard study that found Airbnb was discriminatory towards people of color and other ethnic groups. What’s you take on all this?
As was reported I abhor discrimination so Airbnb needs to adopt some recommendations to address rampant discrimination within their system and it’s been documented that there are a number of individuals who have changed their profile from someone who is ethnic to someone who is not, and when changed their profile picture to someone who was white. So we have to remove pictures and other ethnic identification such as ethnic sounding names, and do all we can do to minimize and the influence of race and biases in the system.
It seems the City government overall is coming down hard on Airbnb every which way, but what about the argument that the new shared economy also brings high-paying tourists into communities of color looking for that authentic American urban experience and giving a much-needed boost to the local economy? Also what about some complaints that the City is fining residents over their use of this new shared economy service to help make ends meet before proper regulatory laws are in place?
It is a new economy. There are some individuals that are unemployed, and seniors citizens I know in Brownstone Brooklyn who rent out to through Airbnb. That’s how they pay their mortgage. In fact, there’s a few on my block. I don’t think the regulations would apply to them. But I am concerned, particularly about those multi units that are taking affordable units off the market.
I think we need to be clear about who the regulations are applied to and make sure these individuals that live in these buildings and who rent out an apartment room to someone who they know, that they can continue to do just that and continue to make ends meet. Before government imposes any penalties or fines on any individuals we need to make sure the laws are clear and make sure Airbnb is not in the business of discriminating against individuals.
I know going back to your City Council days that foster care reform has always been an issue near and dear to your heart. How’s that initiative going?
“unfortunately the foster care system is still broken. We initiated litigation against the administration and the governor to his credit appointed a monitor and we’re in the process of identifying that monitor over the entire system because we are a creature of the state. Ultimately the old foster care system is under the jurisdiction of the State of New York. The City of New York continues to be a challenge and we put forth some recommendations to the city to restructure the Administration of Childrens’ Services and to keep children safe.
Speaking of State oversight, the City under Mayor de Blasio seems to often have an acrimonious relationship with the state. For example, right now the mayor is having his problems getting mayoral control of the city’s schools approved by the state. What’s your views on that?
We do have our challenges and I hope going forward we look at mayoral control and make sure the voices of parents are heard and they are at the table. That is my concern. That the voices of parents are heard and are respected, and that they are advised and part of policy making in the City of New York in regards to public education.
Who are you for in the upcoming presidential election?
I’m with Hillary all the way, but let me say this. I have been a part of movement building and I think Bernie has created this incredible movement that all of us should take advantage of and I applaud Bernie Sanders for energizing the millennial and getting them involved in the political system. We need to maintain that, cultivate that, grow that, expand that and support that because they are the next generation of leaders and although I did not support him for president, I support him on the ground and building a movement for change. That includes making sure that women’s rights are respected and making sure we have a Supreme Court that understands that individuals have the right to organize in respect to the labor movement, and ensuring we have the Voting Rights Act and we should expand the franchise and not suppress individuals right to vote which is a fundamental right that my ancestors died for.”
While ensuring the right to vote sounds good, the City is knee-deep in its own scandal in which over 160,000 voters were purged from the rolls, and KCP reported that Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan and others knew about the purge in July 2015, and that Brooklyn Commissioner John Flateau actually asked to see the rolls with a breakdown by assembly district. What do you think should be done about that fiasco?
It is unfortunate that in Brooklyn, Brooklynites were purged from the rolls. we need some accountability. I know audits have been scheduled but we need to get to the bottom of this so it won’t happen again. Individuals who voted for a very long time showed up for polls and their names were not there. It’s important to understand Mr. Ryan and Mr. Flateau were not in place or commissioners at the time the purging took place. Under their leadership I’m confident we’ll get it right going forward.
So you don’t think the Board of Elections should be a cleaned house from the top to bottom?
No. I think what we should do is examine the practices and policies and resources they need, and most importantly I think Albany should enact measures to increase access to the ballot. unfortunately, the Republican-led senate refuses to pass same day registration, early voting, using technology and the list goes on and on in what we can do to improve the rights of voters. I can order a sandwich using my smart phone, why can’t I use my smart phone in order to vote?
Lastly, you’re a heartbeat away from becoming mayor if something happens to Bill de Blasio as you’re the next in line. Any thoughts on that?
That heartbeat is still beating and he’s the mayor of the City of New York. I respect Mayor Bill de Blasio and I look forward to continue working with him and look forward to my re-election.
