As a small business owner of 12 years, as well as an author, I am at ease in leadership positions that call for creativity and decisive action. I am a big picture thinker who combines compassion with pragmatism to create workable solutions for the community.

I am a mental health advocate, as well as a local community volunteer. I am on the board of Bogardus Plaza, a pedestrian plaza in Tribeca. My friends and neighbors know that they can rely on me. I bring independent thought and heart to whatever I apply myself to.

Right now, the country is so deeply polarized, it is not in a state I feel comfortable raising my daughter in. This is a metaphor for future generations. We must lead by example and rid ourselves of the toxicity of radicalism on both sides. There are two types of candidates, those who promote division and those that promote unity. I will be a unifier and a leader for District 10, and this country.

Public Safety, Federal tax reduction exclusive to small businesses, Landmark Coastal Resiliency that mandates community involvement and increases green space.

Federal Oversight of the unscrupulous homeless shelter operators that bring unnecessary violence to our communities. We need a physician in each shelter to examine those who are a potential danger to themselves or others and refer those that are dangerous to a state facility for psychiatric care. Shelters can no longer double as psych wards. 80% of homeless people are harmless, but up to 20% are potentially violent due to severe mental illness and drug addiction. Oversight will protect those inside and outside the shelters.

Bail reform in its current form is a failure. Judges must be given the ability to include dangerousness when setting bail.

Studies have shown that recidivism had increased because of this policy. Unfortunately, gang members are taking advantage of youth and pressuring them to commit crimes because of the lack of consequences this law allow for. It has not helped troubled youth as intended.

Clean slate is inappropriate for heinous crimes such those listed above. Small business landlords have a lot to lose when they take on new tenants, and they have the right to know if such blatant tendencies toward criminality are attributable to a renter. I do not support discrimination for housing by any means, but certain terrible crimes must be revealed before a tenant, or a community for that matter, take on a potentially dangerous person.

Rikers needs a lot of work, and the argument that their is a humanitarian crises there are well founded. That said, if half of the over $8 Billion the government is using to enact a senseless neighborhood mega jail plan was put to use to fix the physical infrastructure at Rikers, hire new management, and build a sorely needed mental health facility, the community would be better off. Prisons belong in remote locations, not where children play or small business operate.

There are certain vaccines that are absolutely necessary to maintain public health. The polio vaccine is just one example. As far as Covid vaccines go, we are at a point where most children have already had Covid. Their risk factor is small, and the CDC has admitted that natural immunity is equivalent or better than vaccinated immunity. The hospitals have not been overrun with Covid cases for a long time. For this reason, I support parent choice with regard to Covid vaccines. The vaccines do not prevent transmission as originally thought. If that was the case, my stance might be different. We must adapt with changing data analysis and updated science and avoid getting caught in a dogmatic frame of thought.

Yes, as stated, this is one of my cornerstone policies that will be implemented from the Federal level.

I do not. We already have more than our fair share. It is unfair to tax paying residents to be an attractive place for out of state homeless individuals to move to sue to the ease of services. It is self defeating.

Those that are involved in the criminal justice system must be evaluated by a physician and referred to a psychiatric facility if determined to be dangerous. This will prevent future violence against civilians.

Yes.

Outside. Homeless shelters cannot double as psychiatric facilities. The city is over burdened by our mental health crises and the state must do more to accommodate those in need of institutionalization. Mental health patients also benefit from green space and open areas on the road to recovery, neither of which is possible in NYC.

Absolutely. It must be enforced as well. It saves lives and improves the wellbeing of the severely mentally ill.

Yes, the severely mentally ill are in the need of the most help.

Given approximately 20% of the homeless population is severely mentally ill, the number of beds should be variable to the homeless population. Audits will discern the appropriate number annually.

While I am a supporter of vaccines, the Covid vaccine, at this point, should not be mandatory. People have many legitimate reasons to abstain, including having already contracted Covid and developed immunity. Covid vaccines should be encouraged for those who are considered part of an at risk population. Given the vaccine does not prevent spreading the virus, but only protection against severe illness, the is no logic to mandatory Covid vaccines. Everyone should speak with their doctors personally to make the best decision for themselves.

The right type of mask is helpful for the prevention of contracting, and the spreading of Covid. Given the acute Covid emergency is gone as it relates to hospitalizations, masks ought to be optional. People should use their best judgement as masking indefinitely is not practical and harms small children which are seeing speech delays after years of masking.

I do not believe in socialized Medicine, but a single payer system with an public and private option is something worthy of consideration. We cannot entirely remove the incentive to innovate by leaving health to the government. There is a reason people fly from all over the world to see doctors in a he US.

Yes, it should be incumbent upon elected officials to keep decisions accountable to the public.

Absolutely. It’s in our national best interest to nurture the minds of our hardest working and brightest students.

I did not. My four year old had to wear a mask for two years in school despite being in class with vaccinated teachers, being in the lowest risk population to become seriously I’ll, and having had Covid. This was particularly frustrating to parents of young children like myself and encouraged me to protest. NYC was an international outlier in the extension this policy as the science did not match up with the policy. To make only toddlers mask was wrong to this day.

School safety agents are a must as childhood mental health is in crises due to the pandemic. Bullying and antisocial behavior has been a disturbing problem as of late.

In any industry, a higher salary attracts quality employees. We ought to focus on the quality, rather than the quantity of teachers. Smaller class sizes are helpful, but not of the teachers aren’t great at what they do. Higher incentive for advanced degrees and empathetic personalities are would benefit students more than anything.

Parents should have the right to voice their opinions. If their are certain subjects they deem inappropriate for their children, they have the right to enroll their children in schools that suit them. Some parents choose to homeschool. Ultimately, schools should prepare kids to function in a well adjusted manner in society. This means exposing, and age appropriate times, the all that real world has to offer. A good parent understand this and any extreme or intolerant views will ultimately do a disservice to their children.

Yes, it has always been that way. We need parents to be active in all aspects of their kids development.

Nobody should be ever be singled out as an oppressed because of the color of their skin. This country, like all countries, is not perfect. There have been horrible atrocities committed in the past, and should absolutely be taught factually. We must teach history the way it happened, but to label certain kids as oppressors when they are innocent is inappropriate and unhelpful.

As sexuality is on a spectrum, and everyone is unique, there is no need to hold out on lessons that help kids feel comfortable with who they. Schools should always be nurturing environments for all sorts of personalities and sexual preferences. I believe all of this should be covered in sexual education in middle school. That said, I don’t have a problem with you get kids reading books exposing them in an age appropriate manner, to different life style choices. Diversity is party of life.

I do not. Land lords have the right to evict their tenants if rent is not paid or any major breach of contact materializes. NYC already has some of the most pro-tenant laws in the country, but the good cause eviction bill is overkill and can easily put small landlords out of business.

Courts must respect breaches of contract that are eviction worthy. Society cannot function if tenants don’t pay rent. Small landlords ought to be Federally compensated due to the inappropriate duration of emergency rent free status justified because of Covid. So many small landlords were taken advantage of and compensation is appropriate. I will fight for that.

As stated, contractual agreements must be honored. Laws exist to keep society orderly. They ought to be enforced.

No. A landlord has the right to know who is living in their property and communities benefit from a level of transparency provided through this process as well.

No. Not while the subways are unsafe.

Yes. All vehicles must be accountable to obeying traffic laws.

Given the amount of reckless bikers that lead to traffic issues, a bike license is something worth considering.

Shelter curfews are a must. NYC has always been loud, and there is nothing we can do about sirens, but excessive honking ought to have consequences.

No, but I would support strict speed limit enforcement s d sped bumps around schools to avoid injury.

I support a women’s right to choose. This is between a woman and her doctor.

I will always support same sex marriage and will fight to codify it in Congress.

Richard Torres

Not officially, but I support the full rights of the LGBTQ community, many of which are my friends for along time.

I’ve attended pride parades on many occasions.

A multitude of marches for LGBTQ rights as well as women’s rights.

Yes. It will exist anyway and it benefits the health of those employed to decriminalize it.

I will always fight for upholding the division of church and state. Our country was founded upon this very notion and I take it as fundamental to a free society.

Absolutely.

I already have some.

Yes, same sex marriage and well as interracial marriage ought to be enshrined in Federal law.

I support legal immigration and programs to help those that have emigrated legally access the social services they need, including translators and job placement if necessary.

Refuse.

Yes.

I am against it.

I will lower Federal taxes exclusively for small business to promote growth and property. It’s hard enough to run a small business in NYC during normal times, after Covid, the small businesses that did survive are dealing with lower foot traffic due to a public safety crises. They need our help.

Mayor: Adams (we need him to follow through), Hillary Clinton followed by Joe Biden. Governor, Suozzi.

Yes.

Yes.