2025 NYWFP NYC City Council / Borough President Questionnaire

2025 New York Working Families Party NYC City Council / Borough President Questionnaire
This questionnaire contains issue sections that outline the WFP’s priorities for 2025. Your answers to our questions don’t have to be perfect — just honest. You are strongly encouraged to provide additional thoughts on any of your answers; there is a space for optional comments provided next to each response. You will also have an opportunity to expand on your responses during candidate interviews.

If you are unable to complete the questionnaire in one sitting, you can pause and continue by clicking on the "Save" button on the bottom of the screen and clicking the "save without logging in" link underneath the "login" prompt.

You will then be able to enter an email address where you will be sent a link to access your saved questionnaire at any time.

Note: This questionnaire was modified on January 15th
- All contact information must be exactly as it appears on your voter registration: Your responses will be used to complete Wilson Pakulas. If your information is incorrect, the Board of Elections will reject the documents, and you will not appear on the Working Families Party ballot line even if you have received our endorsement, gathered and submitted the required number of signatures from qualified voters, and done everything else correctly. Please ensure your name and address are entered below exactly as they appear on your voter registration.*
  
  I understand that the contact information listed here must be exactly the same as my voter registration information.
- Name*
  
  First NameMiddle Initial (only if the middle initial should appear on official paperwork such as a Wilson Pakula or Democratic Petition)Last Name
- She/HerHe/HimThey/ThemPrefer not to answerOther
- Candidate’s Personal Email:*
  Note: this should not be a public campaign, staff member, or governmental email address. Important election documents will be sent to the email address provided here. *
- Confirm Email Address:*
- Candidate's Cell Phone*
  Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.
- Candidate's Street Address (ie 123 Main St.)*
  
  Street Address
  
  Street Address Line 2
  
  City, Town, Village, or Hamlet (Parenthetical towns must be listed where applicable)State
  
  Zip Code
- County*
- YesNo
- P.O. Box #*
  
  Street Address
  
  Street Address Line 2
  
  PO Box City, Town, Village, or HamletState / Province
  
  Postal / Zip Code
- Name of Your Campaign Committee:*
- Campaign Address*
  
  Street Address
  
  Street Address Line 2
  
  PO Box City, Town, Village, or HamletState / Province
  
  Postal / Zip Code
- Campaign Manager/ Point of Contact Name:*
- Campaign Manager/ Point of Contact Cell:*
- Campaign Manager/ Point of Contact Email:*
- Campaign Website
  Please include full website (ex. www.johnsmith.com)
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Twitter/X
- Other Campaign Related Website or Social Account
- Name of the Office You Are Seeking:*
- District #*
- DemocratRepublicanConservativeWorking Families PartyNot registeredOther
- Primary Date (if competitive)
  
  MonthDayYear
  Date
- General Date*
  
  MonthDayYear
  Date
- DemocratRepublicanWorking Families PartyConservativeI am seeking only the WFP ballot lineOther
- Note: the Conservative Party platform is diametrically opposed to the Working Families Party platform and values; if you are seeking the Conservative Party endorsement, please explain in the comments section how that is not in direct conflict with the Working Families Party values and how you think voters will interpret such a contradiction:*
- YesNo
- YesNo
- YesNo
- YesNo
- Incumbent's Name*
- Name of Primary Election opponent(s) if applicable:
- Name of General Election opponent(s) if applicable/known:
- YesNo
- Please elaborate on your last election*
- YesNo
- We expect NYWFP-endorsed candidates to have done a full vet of their social media and public profiles before campaigning. Do you have a plan to mitigate and respond to material that could reflect negatively on your campaign, and commit to sharing any relevant concerns with NYWFP?*
- Anyone who aspires to have a governing role in New York City Council will have the challenging task of regaining the trust of New Yorkers after four years under the chaotic and harmful leadership of Eric Adams, while simultaneously using the levers of local government to protect New Yorkers and the city from the dangerous attacks of an emboldened Trump regime.
  
  The vast majority of New Yorkers are living paycheck to paycheck, and confronting a worsening affordability crisis. New Yorkers are deeply frustrated with a political system that keeps asking everyday people to keep waiting for relief that never comes. And they are tired of politicians who promise to deliver safety and material gains for working class New Yorkers, and instead use the levers of power to help their friends and donors. Their discontent was evident in the most recent elections, where close to half a million New York City residents who voted in 2020 skipped the presidential election in 2024, and Trump gained almost 100k new votes.
  
  This moment requires grounded, honest, courageous leaders determined to make New York City a bulwark against an aggressive and dangerous Trump administration, and equally committed to making sure that New York City is a place where working families can live and thrive.
  
  The Working Families Party is committed to helping elect leaders who will be focused on improving the lives of workers and their families, instead of leveraging the power of government for the benefit of the rich and well connected.
  
  In 2021, New Yorkers elected the most progressive and most female city council in the city’s history. However, many of the priorities of the council were stymied by Mayor Adams, who forced multiple rounds of budget cuts, and vetoed or blocked some of the most important legislative accomplishments of the council. In order for progressive and bold council members to be able to deliver for their communities, we must elect a mayor who shares the same vision and commitment to use the levers of government to support working families, not advance the interests of the rich and well-connected.
  
  As we look to the primary elections in 2025, the NY-WFP will lean on the opportunities that Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) offers to engage and unify the multiracial mosaic of New York City around a vision for a New York where working families can live and thrive. The WFP will identify and champion a slate of mayoral candidates who embody a commitment to fight for New York’s working families, and we are looking to support city council candidates who will help build a functioning governing coalition.
  
  We are looking for bold leaders who will champion working families across the city; who come to the table with big ideas, grit, and ambition; who will bring to fruition ideas previously thought unachievable, while staying grounded and deeply connected to the communities that elect them. If that's you, please fill out the following questionnaire so our multiracial coalition of community and union leaders, neighborhood activists, and working-class New Yorkers can better assess your candidacy.
- 1. Tell us about who you are, why you are running, your core values, and overarching vision for New York City? What are the top three issues or policy priorities that animate your campaign?*
- 2. The WFP is a coalition of community organizations, labor unions and individuals fighting for a government that prioritizes the needs of working families. WFP’s political strategy is in service of advancing a policy agenda to improve the lives of workers and their families. Our policy priorities include increasing wages and worker protections; universal healthcare and childcare; affordable housing and tenant protections; fully funding public education from pre-k to college; protecting the rights and freedoms of all people, including immigrant New Yorkers; and enacting tax policies that make the wealthy to pay their fair share and put money back in the pockets of working families; and more. Why are you seeking the endorsement of the Working Families Party?*
- 3. The NY-WFP will lean on the opportunities that ranked-choice voting offers to engage and unify the multiracial mosaic of New York City around a vision for a New York where working families can live and thrive. What is your strategy to win with Ranked Choice Voting?*
- 4. One of the lessons of 2021 and from the 2024 presidential election is that a fractured multi-racial working class and progressive movement will lead to the victory of candidates that represent the interests of billionaires and corporations. How will you engage as a candidate in both your campaign and in the mayoral race to prevent fracturing a winning coalition that leads to the same result as four years ago?*
- YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- 7. Please list all endorsements from unions, organizations, and elected officials you have received up to this point.*
- 8. With so many Democratic voters sitting on the sidelines of the presidential race – and a significant number of New Yorkers shifting support to Donald Trump – it is very clear that people are frustrated with the status quo. New Yorkers deserve leaders who will listen to their frustrations and use the levers of government to meaningfully address their concerns. A successful candidate will have to:
  - Provide concrete and actionable solutions to make New York City more affordable and livable for working families.
  - Present a vision for public safety that acknowledges the sense of fear New Yorkers have, strengthens the city’s precarious safety-net, and provides evidence-based holistic solutions to keep New Yorkers safe.
  - Embody honest leadership and the courage to protect all New Yorkers in the Trump era–prioritizing the interests of working-class people above the demands of the wealthy and well-connected.
  Please explain how your campaign meets these priorities
- 9. Language is a powerful tool that can shape the way people make sense of their experiences. Over the decades, those in power have effectively promoted false ideas in our society, reinforcing systems of oppression, and concentrating more power in the hands of the very few. NYWFP wants our endorsed candidates to use racist or anti-immigrant language or messaging that reinforces right-wind analyses. Here is a helpful guide on talking about race, class, and inequality.
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- 11. Will you ensure your campaign and legislative office is free of sexual harassment, bullying, exploitation or other forms of abuse and misconduct? Do you commit to abiding by good labor practices with campaign and contract staff, including paying appropriate and timely wages and reimbursements, offering health care and time off, as well as supporting staff unions forming both in the legislature and on campaigns?*
  
  YesNoUnsure
- 12. Mayor Adams has been an extremely divisive public figure. How will you make sure you represent all New Yorkers, and how will you make sure that the communities that are most often forgotten know that you will serve them well? How will you build a winning coalition in a New York electorate that has been voting more conservative?*
- YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- 15. Please share a couple of ideas on how you would approach the City's budget to ensure that New Yorkers are able to access crucial services. How will you protect New York's most vulnerable communities in the event of a budget deficit, especially with potential cuts imposed by the federal government?*
- 16. Please share a couple of ideas on what your vision is for expanding access to childcare, strengthening public schools, and investing in CUNY.*
- 17. More and more New Yorkers are stuck paying rents so high that they have hardly any money left for transportation, food or childcare. At the same time, many low-income home owners struggle to stay in their homes because of property taxes and rising costs. Last year, 1 in 8 kids enrolled in NYC schools was homeless. Please share a couple of ideas on what solutions you will prioritize to address the housing crisis in NYC.*
- 18. Please share how the homelessness crisis has impacted your district and a couple of ideas on how you will work to address this crisis. *
- 19. The social safety net intended to help mentally ill New Yorkers has failed and suffered from decades of disinvestment. Please share a couple of solutions you will prioritize to address the mental health crisis facing so many New Yorkers. *
- 20. Where do you believe that safety and security come from for New Yorkers? What role does the NYPD play in this? What budget and policy changes will you prioritize in the name of New Yorkers’ safety? *
- 21. As a local elected official, you will have a significant impact on land use in your district and city wide. What are your specific priorities for land use in your district and your broader vision for land use citywide? What, to you, is a progressive vision for land use in New York?*
- 22. Trump has threatened to enact the largest mass deportation program we have ever seen. He has also promised to severely limit access to gender-affirming care and roll back civil rights protections for transgender people. Trump has promised retribution against those he considers political enemies. The previous Trump administration rolled back the ability of unions and workers to organize, as well as federal enforcement of wage and safety standards.Can we count on you to stand up for immigrant New Yorkers, protect the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ people, defend New Yorkers' rights to dissent and fre speech, and to protect workers' right to organize?*
  
  YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- 23. Labor unions across the city have taken bold direct actions in the past few years to stand up to employers in the fight for better working conditions and fairer wages. Time and again, history has proven that the only way for workers to beat exploitation in industries is by standing together and fighting back with collective action like strikes and other workplace actions. Do you commit to supporting striking workers by walking picket lines, signing onto support letters, posting on social media, writing letters to employers, among other actions?*
  
  YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- 27. Local Law 97 is the world’s leading city-level climate and jobs law. Even before its first requirements took hold in 2024, it had already created thousands of jobs and cut utility bills by reducing energy waste as buildings upgraded to high energy efficiency. Despite the fact that the law is practical, affordable, and reasonable, and delivers enormous benefits, the real estate lobby is spreading misinformation to get Mayor Adams and Councilmembers to roll the law back. Intro 772, would gut Local Law 97, costing tens of thousands of jobs, massively increasing pollution, and raising utility bills city-wide. Are you committed to opposing any and all rollbacks to Local Law 97, including Local Law 772?*
  
  YesNoUnsure
- 28. With New York City facing a severe housing crisis, Intro 1107 threatens to reverse the gains achieved under Local Law 18 by weakening enforcement against illegal short-term rentals, jeopardizing housing stability, and opening the door for private equity firms to flood the market, driving up costs and making future homeownership even harder for working families. Given these dynamics, will you commit to protecting Local Law 18, opposing Intro 1107, and prioritizing the needs of tenants over the interests of tourists and private investors to ensure New York City remains a place for long-term residents?*
  
  YesNoUnsure
- Please feel free to elaborate on any of these policies
- YesNoUnsure
- Feel free to elaborate
- 30. The Council Progressive Caucus has a mission statement that calls for investments in holistic public safety infrastructure and plans to prioritize this issue in their budget advocacy. What are some examples of holistic public safety initiatives you would champion on the council?*
- - Universal Childcare (UCC in NYC) - Int. 0201 - Sponsored by CM Gutiérrez and CM Riley
  - Community Land Act - Ints. 0902, Int. 0078, Res. 374, Res. 0327, Int. 0782- Sponsored by CMs Rivera, Restler, and Nurse
  - Abolishing the Criminal Group Database - Int. 0798 - Sponsored by CM Stevens
  - POST Act, Ban the Scan, and Bills Concerning Surveillance Technology - Int. 168, Int. 480, Int. 233, Int. 217, Int. 425 - Sponsored by CMs Farías, Won, Hudson, Hanif, Rivera
  - Secure Jobs Act - Int. 0909 - Sponsored by CM Cabán
  - Street Vendor Licenses for All - Int. 431, Int. 0024, Int. 0047 - Sponsored by CM Sanchez, CM De La Rosa, CM Krishnan
  - Sex Worker Protection Act - Int. 0149 - Sponsored by CM Cabán
  - Stop Illegal Evictions Act - Int. 621, Int. 622, Int. 623, and Reso. 0246 - Sponsored by CM Nurse
  - Back Home Act - Int. 607, Int. 608, Int. 609, Int. 749, Int. 750, Int. 751, Int. 817, Res. 307 - Sponsored by CMs Krishnan & Gutiérrez
  - The Stop Shelter Evictions Act - Int. 210 - Sponsored by CM Hanif
  - Third Party Transfer Reform - LS 2444 - Sponsored by CM Sanchez
  - Public Bathroom Package - Int. 267, Int. 272, Int. 694 - Sponsored by CMs Joseph & Nurse
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- YesNoUnsure
- Please feel free to elaborate on any of these bills
- Should be Empty:

2025 New York Working Families Party NYC City Council / Borough President Questionnaire