New York’s public education system should strengthen and fully fund public schools, not divert resources away from them. Charter expansion often comes at the expense of neighborhood public schools by draining funding, space, and support services, particularly in working-class communities and communities of color that already face underinvestment.

I would prioritize policies that protect public education as a public good and ensure that every child regardless of zip code has access to a fully resourced, high quality public school.

Aging with dignity means that our elders can stay in their homes, afford their medications, access quality health care, and live without fear of eviction, isolation, or poverty. In Lower Manhattan, that means protecting rent-stabilized apartments, strengthening SCRIE and DRIE so seniors and people with disabilities can remain in their communities, and fully funding NYCHA repairs so longtime residents aren’t forced out of public housing they helped build.

Aging with dignity isn’t a luxury, it’s a promise we owe to the generation that raised us.

If there is a federal incursion whether through militarization, funding blackmail, or attempts to override our sanctuary laws, I would use every legislative, legal, and organizing tool available to defend our state sovereignty and our communities. That means advancing state level protections that codify immigrant rights beyond federal reach, strengthening legal defense funds for impacted families, and ensuring the Attorney General aggressively challenges unconstitutional federal overreach in court. It also means closing loopholes that allow local cooperation with unjust federal actions and making sure state resources are not weaponized against our own residents.

I believe deeply that safety and justice are not the same thing as punishment and incarceration. As someone who organizes in working-class communities, I know our neighbors want safety but we also know that over-policing and mass incarceration have not delivered it. They have destabilized families, criminalized poverty, and disproportionately harmed Black and Brown communities.

I will champion a public health approach to safety by investing in what actually prevents harm: stable housing, guaranteed income, youth employment, quality schools, and accessible mental health services. I will fight to direct state funding toward community-based violence interruption programs, restorative justice initiatives, and non-police crisis response teams so mental health emergencies are handled by trained clinicians and peers instead of armed officers.

New York’s housing crisis is not accidental, it is the result of policy choices that have prioritized speculation over stability and profit over people. I believe housing is a human right, and I would approach this crisis with the urgency it demands.

We must dramatically increase the supply of deeply affordable housing, especially for households earning 30–50% of Area Median Income and below. That means fully funding public housing capital needs, expanding social housing models, strengthening Mitchell-Lama–style permanently affordable housing, and ensuring that any state subsidy prioritizes long-term affordability, not 30-year deals that expire and fuel displacement.

We must also expand eligibility for SCRIE and DRIE so seniors and people with disabilities can age in place without fear of rent increases pushing them out.

The state must directly confront homelessness and housing insecurity. That includes fully funding rental assistance programs, increasing vouchers to reflect real market rents, ensuring timely payments to landlords to stabilize tenancies, and investing in supportive housing with wraparound services. No one should be sleeping in shelters while vacant units sit unused.

New Yorkers were promised a just transition under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a transition that would lower bills, create union jobs, and center environmental justice communities. What we are seeing instead is hesitation, delay, and an “all-of-the-above” energy narrative that too often sounds like “fossil fuels forever.” That is not what working families signed up for.

I support the full and implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Weakening it or delaying tools like cap-and-invest is not a technical decision, it is a political one. And when political decisions hurt frontline communities and working-class ratepayers, we have a responsibility to push back.

To make healthcare truly accessible and affordable for all New York City residents, we need sustained investment in community-based healthcare. Expanding federally qualified health centers, school-based clinics, and mobile health units, especially in NYCHA developments and underserved neighborhoods, would improve access to primary care, preventive services, and chronic disease management while reducing strain on emergency rooms.

Mental health care must be fully integrated into our healthcare system. This means increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates so providers can expand services, investing in culturally competent and trauma-informed care, and strengthening non-police crisis response models that prioritize treatment and stability over punishment.

Lowering prescription drug costs is essential to affordability. New York should use its purchasing power to negotiate lower prices, support public or nonprofit drug manufacturing, and cap out-of-pocket costs for essential medications so no one has to choose between their health and paying rent.

Healthcare access must also explicitly include immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities. Coverage should be available regardless of immigration status, language access must be guaranteed at every point of care, and patient data must be protected so people can seek treatment without fear.

I will always stand with workers organizing for dignity, safety, and fair pay. As a proud recipient of the John S. Murphy Scholarship from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, where I majored in Labor Studies as an undergrad and where I am now a graduate student, I understand that labor rights are not abstract policy debates. They are about power, protection, and the ability of working people to shape their own futures. My academic and lived experience have grounded me in the history and strategy of collective bargaining, labor law, and worker led movements.

Workers deserve elected officials who don’t just say they are “pro-labor” during election season, but who show up when it matters. I will be that partner on the picket line, in the legislature, and at the bargaining table because when workers win, our entire community wins.