My Personal Priorities

I wanted to lay out my personal civic priorities and projects, and keep this post updated over time with past and future actions. The motivation for this is twofold: keep myself honest, motivated, and moving forward, as well as to keep track of and try to maintain a reasonable number of projects.

Streetscape

Complete bike lane network

Problem: while the city has a much more robust bike network than it did a decade ago, most bike corridors have inexplicable gaps or weak points. Closing these gaps would not take many miles of road, and could greatly increase bicyclist safety.

Past work:

• Wrote an op-ed for Streetsblog on the amount of missing bike lanes in lower Manhattan

• Have written to the Manhattan DOT commissioner a few times asking for gaps to be filled

Next steps:

• Meet with local elected officials to push support

• See if the community board can write a resolution in support of select missing pieces

More space for pedestrians

Problem: NYC can feel crowded, but 75% of streets are dedicated to cars, which are extremely space-inefficient. We should ensure that pedestrians have ample space to move in all neighborhoods.

Past work: none

Next steps: nothing clear right now, but the two projects I’m most excited about are the pedestrianization of Fidi and the Broadway Linear Park

Traffic calming and rules enforcement

Problem: over 100 pedestrians are killed each year by traffic

Past work:

• Voted in favor of daylighting in a Community Board resolution

Next steps:

• Do a NYPD ride-along to learn more about police perspectives here

• Find more ways to push for traffic calming and reduction measures

Containerization of waste

Problem: Trash bags on the street smell, attract rats, and take space away from pedestrians. We should be aggressively moving to containerize our trash (and recycling).

Past work: none

Next steps:

• Write an article covering the flaws of the April 2023 DSNY Future of Trash report

Helicopters

Problem: Helicopter noise is one of those things that I think most New Yorkers don’t notice, but once it’s pointed out to them it’s hard to ignore. Especially in some of the most beautiful and otherwise serene parts of the city (Central Park, the riverfronts), helicopters create incessant and distracting noise.

Past work: none

Next steps:

• Meet with Stop the Chop, the leading advocacy organization, to see if we can strengthen the community and increase outreach

• Call and push more on federal elected officials

Transit

No AirTrain fees

Problem: The AirTrain at Newark and JFK airports costs $8.75 (and increasing frequently), whereas cars drive up for free, yet face heavy congestion. Charging cars and making the train free could be a win-win.

Past work:

• Wrote an op-ed for Streetsblog calling out the inequities here

• Testified in front of the Port Authority board during their 2026 Capital Plan hearings

Next steps:

• Continue to attend Port Authority board meetings and write to key stakeholders

• Get elected officials involved

Increased transit investment

Problem: transit in NYC is impressive but expensive, and needs to find continued revenue streams to maintain its reliability

Past work:

• Testified, went to rallies for, and called elected officials in support of congestion pricing

Next steps: none currently

Improved transit reliability

Problem: while most trips are smooth, the subway system averages over 1,000 delays per day!

Past work: none

Next steps:

• Testify in front of the MTA to remove the passenger-operated emergency brakes from subways, which are almost always improperly activated and cause major delays

Housing

Increase Supply

Problem: demand outstripping supply of housing in NYC has pushed rents to eye-watering heights

Past work:

• Testified in front of the Board of Elections to make sure the 2025 Charter Revision Commission questions made it onto the ballot, which contained strong pro-housing reforms (and were later approved by voters)

• Gave numerous verbal and written testimony in favor of various housing projects in my neighborhood and citywide

Next steps:

• See if there are opportunities to propose proactive rezonings in my neighborhood

• Push more transit-oriented development, both in high-transit areas (Financial District, Union Square) as well as in the outer borough subway network

Increase Fairness

Problem: The property tax code in NYC is unfairly skewed such that some homeowners (and renters) pay multiples higher in taxes than their neighbors. And for renters, there’s an old tax provision that slowly erodes the value of security deposits.

Past work: none

Next steps:

• Learn more about who needs to be pushed on property tax reform

• Write a piece about the unfair loss of security deposits

Other Fairness

Tax Fairness

Problem: New York’s tax code is hard to understand, not progressive, and contains unfair provisions

Past work: Wrote a blog post on the non-progressive NY State tax structure

Next steps: none planned currently