KCP put the following question to candidates Steve Saperstein (R) and Mathylde Frontus (D) – opponents in the upcoming 46th Assembly district race covering Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and a slice of Brighton Beach.
Coney island is home to nine NYCHA public housing developments – several of which have yet to see completed repairs stemming for damage occurred in in 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. As an assemblymember what legislative and/or advocacy work will you do on the state level to oversee that any money given to NYCHA will go directly to work in these housing developments?
Steve Saperstein: “Several months ago, one of my students and family were featured in the Daily News because their apartment was so infested with vermin and roaches they were forced to evacuate. Learning about these struggles in the classroom and then visiting the developments myself, was deeply personal to me. I’m glad they were able to relocate but so many others are still suffering from deplorable living conditions.
“As the next Assemblyman, I’d like to make the developments in Coney Island the gold standard for NYCHA. It doesn’t make sense that our local politicians always operate with an “us vs. them” and “Republican vs. Democrat” mindset. Fixing NYCHA must be a bi-partisan issue.
“I will work very closely with state regulators to investigate corruption and mismanagement. One of the major issues that we have in public housing is the delivery of services and I will work on a purely grassroots level to make sure things are functioning properly. My office will have a dedicated staff member hyper-focused on resident advocacy and I will hold town halls in our NYCHA buildings so that I am constantly updated with the status of the residents. Our resident advocacy team will be responsible for managing and overseeing the progress made in our NYCHA buildings and ensuring that money is not being wasted and that all resources are being utilized efficiently.”
Also, do you agree that there needs to be a federal monitor over NYCHA and why or why not?
Steve Saperstein: “We need Washington on our side to work together and close the $32 Billion deficit. We can not trust our corrupt and inept state government to manage these crucial funds. Just look at the horrible job they’ve done so far. It’s time for some federal oversight (and some federal repercussions) to hold NYCHA in check.”
Mathylde Frontus (from her campaign Spokesperson Hank Sheinkopf): “Mathylde agrees there should be a federal monitor to ensure more accountability. Mathylde work in the Assembly to:
- Demand that the city test the quality of the air and water in Coney Island’s NYCHA buildings.
- Call for the criminal prosecution of top NYCHA officials who falsified documents and are responsible for our children’s lead poisoning.
- Will fight in the New York State Assembly for NYCHA to cover medical and living expenses for anyone who gets sick due to their negligence.”
