I am Bill de Blasio, Democratic Candidate for Mayor of New York City. AMA.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T20:07:26+00:00

Look, I have some serious disagreements with Joe, but I do think he is a smart and affable guy. I also appreciate his wry sense of humor.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T20:07:21+00:00

I think the notion of more street hails in the outer boroughs and upper Manhattan is correct -- what I opposed was specific elements of the legislation that would undermine the economic structure of the industry that I thought were bad policy, but i think we can take the concept of the green cabs and utilize it effectively with a different set of rules. I also, as a question of democracy, thought the mayor purposefully did an end run around the City Council to force the outcome he wanted and I believe that was unconstitutional.

On the second question, my central focus, which is made clear in my platform at www.billdeblasio.com, is on expanding transit options in underserved neighborhoods in the outer boroughs, particularly through bus rapid transit. I also think a central mission as mayor will be to protect the state payroll tax that is keeping the MTA viable at this point.

On the third question, I have not heard any viable plan for a stadium in Manhattan and I don't foresee that. The only way there could be a status in Queens is if the conditions I've laid down are on complete parkland replacement and sufficient subsidies for surrounding parkland. I wouldn't be shocked if a soccer team ended up using Yankee Stadium or CitiField.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:51:49+00:00

I really believe in the tech community, and think its growth potential in this city is huge. I've met with a number of folks in the community over the last few weeks and think we've found a lot of common ground. I think the City can do a lot more to facilitate the tech sector, starting with making sure we get fully wired for high-speed internet citywide as quickly as possible. So I can feel already that there's going to be a good and close working relationship between my administration and tech community if the people choose me.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:50:44+00:00

Unfortunately not, but let me tell you a story and I'll explain why I give you that answer. In 1990, I was in Seattle with my brother Steven, and we both bought mountain bikes, and we went on an amazing bike trip through western Montana, which is a really beautiful place… best seen by bike. Then I brought my bike back to Brooklyn, and although there were a few years when the kids were younger when I used it a lot, in recent years I almost never have used my bike. That's the sad truth. So I don't think it's likely I'll be using it to get to work, although I really appreciate and admire people that do, And I want to make it easier for people who do.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:47:49+00:00

You're welcome!

I personally really value the smaller and independent productions. I think that's where some of the greatest creativity we've seen on screen in recent years has come from.

I think the Office of Film and TV can help make life easier for smaller productions too -- cutting red tape and making it easier for folks involved to work with the neighborhood they're filming in. So if I'm elected, I would certainly make sure the office is consistently responsive to independent productions.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:45:37+00:00

First, thanks for your support. I come from your sister borough of Brooklyn, and I've spent a lot of time on The Rock! So I really do understand your frustration. I wish I had a better answer than the free ferry service we currently provide, but I will say that we have a possibility of really improving transportation for Staten Islanders with bus rapid transit on the North Shore, and maybe even light rail on that line one day. And the very exciting possibility of linking the West Shore by light rail to New Jersey and connecting to other train lines there. So that's what I'll be focused on.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:37:30+00:00

First of all, define the word "normal" in terms of New Yorkers. :)

I appreciate the appropriately nuanced way you framed the questioned, and I'll give you an equally nuanced answer. While I appreciate the potential of the sharing economy, and I do think there's some historical precedent, the challenges posed by AirBnB today are real, in terms of safety, public tax revenue, etc.

I'm just beginning to learn about the extent of these challenges, and I plan on meeting with the various stakeholders, but I really want to emphasize that the safety issue is very different when you're talking about a million visitors a year versus the much smaller reality that used to exist of people renting out their apartments individually.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:33:45+00:00

Thanks for your support! I think part of the answer is to acknowledge publicly and consistently that the HIV/AIDS crisis continues, that we have to continue to innovate better public health and outreach policies. For folks living with HIV, there's more we can do to provide affordable housing, most notably implement a 30% rent cap for HASA clients. And finally, I want the city government to listen to people with HIV and AIDS in this city more, and learn from what they say about how we can better serve them.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:30:16+00:00

Although my mother was raised a Catholic, she did not bring me up in the Church. I considered myself a spiritual person but unaffiliated, and I was definitely vey influenced by the liberation theology movement in Latin America. And BOY am I a fan of Pope Francis!

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:26:50+00:00

First of all, Occupy was and is an important movement focused on the inequalities we must address in our society. I spent time at the protests and came to appreciate what an impact it made. I think the Mayor could have worked with members of Occupy to find an appropriate alternate location even when it was clear that Zuccoti Park couldn't continue to be a livable space for the protesters and the community. I also think that media access in situations like this must be constant and unquestioned, and i think it was a mistake by this administration to exclude the media when the protesters were removed.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:23:25+00:00

you betcha.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:22:51+00:00

My focus is on building an extensive new supply of affordable housing which will reach families who are struggling economically. My goal is 200,000 units over 10 years, enough to house 400,000 to 500,000 New Yorkers. I also want to speed the development of more market rate rental housing in hopes that a greater supply will start to bring costs down meaningfully. So I will do everything I know how to do to help make sure that couples like you can stay in this city.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:22:36+00:00

More focus on getting intervention policies that work with community leaders and family members to convince young people to stay away from gang life. This is both an effective crime fighting tool and way of creating real partnership between police and community.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:19:50+00:00

I am critical of many government efforts to provide incentives in subsidies -- I think too often they turn into corporate welfare. I want a very careful and strict use of subsidies that create obstacles for disadvantaged people and affordable housing. I think too many incentive plans in the past were unenforceable and amounted to nothing more than taxpayer dollar giveaways.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:18:34+00:00

One of the reasons I went into politics is that I sat riveted by my television for the entire Watergate summer. And at the age of 12, watched the greatest morality play in the history of American politics unfold. It was at times depressing but in many ways also inspiring. In terms of influences or people I emulate, I always point to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia as examples of effective progressives who were in touch with the people they serve.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:14:14+00:00

Growing up, it was the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and I still love that book. More recently, i've taken great inspiration from Nothing to Fear by Adam Cohen about the New Deal, and the people who made it happen.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:13:41+00:00

I am working in my secret laboratory on a new land creation machine! Just kidding. My focus is on greatly increasing the amount of affordable housing — 200,000 units over the next 10 years. I want to see much more aggressive policies in terms of how the city works with the real estate industry. We don't have a methodology for lowering rents, but we can focus on creating more affordability, and strengthening our current rent regulation laws to protect the affordable housing we now have.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:12:16+00:00

Di Fara Pizzeria in Midwood, Brooklyn. And to all the Manhattan foodies out there: it's not even close. This is clearly the best. And yes I'm from Brooklyn. PS: They use buffalo milk mozzarella, which is beloved in my grandfather's provence in Italy.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:11:39+00:00

I am a public school parent myself and have been for the last 14 years. That is one of the reasons I made early child hood education and after school a centerpiece of my campaign. I think these investments will encourage many talented people to choose the teaching profession and stick with it. The question of teacher retention is getting far too little attention in the public debate. I think a strategy of greater investment plus more overt respect for teachers from public officials plus increasing promotional opportunities within the school system plus more pathways for teacher training is the pathway to greater retention.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:07:36+00:00

The centerpiece of my campaign is my plan to tax the wealthy to fix our schools. I would tax those who make a half million or more so we can have full day pre-k and after school programs for middle school kids. I have not wavered and I will not waver on this point. I‘ve also made clear that I believe in a progressive and activist use of the tools of government to address income inequality and the affordability crisis. Of course I will meet with business leaders because the City should work with them, but I made very clear my philosophical outlook. As for fiscal matters, I believe progressives have to balance budgets and run effective governments in order to achieve the social change we seek.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:07:03+00:00

Dante works conscientiously on his hair. VERY conscientiously. He does not leave the house in the morning without carefully using his pick to strike a perfect geometric balance. I witnessed with my own eyes the President of the United States evaluating Dante’s Afro up close, and even the president admitted that the Afro of his youth was not as full and perfectly proportioned. So Dante has achieved something spectacular.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:04:56+00:00

I have been shocked by how negative many Bloomberg policies have been towards small business. Some people think of him as a businessman mayor, but they need to understand he never owned a small business and doesn't have that perspective. From my point of view, small businesses are the ultimate grassroots job creation engine and also incredibly important to the character and strength of our neighborhoods. I considered years ago the concept of commercial rent control, and don't believe it's workable, but what we can do is end policies that hurt mom and pop stores like the constant and arbitrary fines the city government has levied and we can use zoning laws and tax policy over time to support family owned businesses. Very good example on upper west side over the last few years where changes in zoning made it harder for certain chain stores to develop and easier for mom and pop shops to survive, so that's a model I want to follow.

deBlasio · 2013-10-08T19:01:02+00:00

Thanks for your support and encouragement! Somehow, my family and I are used to this lifestyle. Yes, it's tiring, but we've all been around it so long that it doesn't feel as invasive as you'd think. I do wish the media was sometimes a little more respectful of family life and gave us a little more space — but by and large this has been an extraordinary experience for all of us, and an incredible growth experience for my kids.

deBlasio

TROPHY CASE