Stuy-Town based housing activist and primary challenger Peter Harrison recently sat down with New York County Politics to discuss his campaign.
The grandson of Irish immigrants, Harrison was born in Ohio and grew up outside of Hartford, Connecticut. After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, he went on to get a master’s degree in urban planning with a focus on tenant organizing and community land trusts from Columbia.
In 2012 while studying for his master’s, Harrison took an interest in the community land trust Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) helped establish while mayor of Burlington, saying he became “obsessed with [him] at that point.”
After aiding Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, he volunteered as a canvasser, housing researcher, and policy advisor for U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens, Bronx) for her upset against Joe Crowley (D). Her victory gave Harrison hope that the Democratic party could still provide a vessel for progressive change at the local level.
“I started to think about if someone like AOC can really move the Overton Window, I might have that opportunity in New York-12 related to housing policy,” he said.
Harrison cited his expertise in housing issues to assert why he’s the best choice for the district.
“Over 72 percent of residents of the district are home renters,” he said. “Whether it’s knocking on doors in Stuyvesant Town or Queensbridge or high rises on the Upper East Side or duplexes in Greenpoint, talking as a housing activist and policy writer, we’ve got a message that affected somebody. It was a great starting point to talk about some of these other things that are related.”
Aside from housing, Harrison emphasizes a platform of “homes, workers, and cities”.
“I think cities are our best defense against economic inequality, racial injustice, and climate disaster, but they are not working for everybody,” he explained. “They are being preyed on by real estate developers, corporate monopolies, and extremist billionaires because the Democratic Party has abandoned the working class.”
Another major policy point is his Freedom of Movement in America plan, which would make all mass transit free and accessible.
“You’re not free in this country if you can’t afford three dollars to get on a bus to go to a job interview, or you can’t walk down the stairs to get on the train to go to a doctor’s appointment,” said Harrison, who hopes this plan will promote urbanization and decrease car ownership.
Other proposals include a four day work week, universal health care, free tuition on public colleges and universities.
Still, Harrison has made it clear that despite his differences with Maloney, which include her closeness to corporations and hawkish foreign policy votes, he deeply respects her, contrasting with fellow challengers Suraj Patel and Lauren Ashcraft.
“I voted for her in the past. This race isn’t a referendum on Rep. Maloney’s district or her legacy,” he said. “She’s been around for a long time and has absolutely done some good things. To try to deny that is disingenuous and disrespects not just her but people who have supported her and voted for her in good faith and for good reasons.”
The primary will take place on Tuesday, June 23.
