New York is a leader in the creative, tech, finance, and construction industry — and we’ve got union power, too. We must ensure the growth of good paying  jobs for local residents, because we know we don’t thrive as a city unless we create more jobs. 

I helped develop a local jobs program by working with tenant leaders at the Fulton and Elliot-Chelsea NYCHA campuses to connect people to jobs training and jobs programs. We can scale this thinking to work with the big employers in the tech, finance, and creative industries and coordinate with the NYC Training and Employment Coalition and our schools to create good paying jobs for local residents.

We can advance an ambitious progressive agenda without compromising the essential services our communities rely on, like parks and libraries. By asking those at the very top to contribute a fairer share, we can make strategic public investments in infrastructure, education, and community resources. These investments not only strengthen quality of life, but also drive economic activity, support local businesses, and create good-paying jobs across our neighborhoods.

Our mom and pop shops are burdened by the increasing cost of goods and rent. They should not receive an ever smaller share of the pie as they give our neighborhoods character while contributing to the local economy. I will advocate for a commercial vacancy tax, which would help small retail by penalizing landlords who leave storefronts empty while waiting for high-paying corporate tenants. By increasing the cost of holding vacant property, landlords would be incentivized to lower rents, fill vacancies, and accept small business tenants, thereby reducing blight, decreasing rental costs, and rejuvenating local retail corridors.

I’ll also work to repeal the Commercial Rent Tax, which is only applied to businesses in Manhattan between 96th Street and Reade Street. It’s an inequitable tax that penalizes businesses and undermines entrepreneurs from investing in our District.