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Metro’s voter guide to NYC mayoral candidates – Metro US

Metro’s voter guide to NYC mayoral candidates

getty-155678944 Voters will go to the polls in New York City on Tuesday to cast their vote for a new mayor in the primary. Credit: Getty Images

Metro took a look at where the top mayoral candidates stand on some of the most important issues facing the city before the Tuesday’s primaries.

Credit: Bess Adler/Metro Christine Quinn with a constituent. Credit: Bess Adler/Metro

Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker (D)

On Housing:Build 40,000 affordable apartments over the next decade; overhaul Housing Maintenance Code to crack down on bad landlords; ensure young people have access to shelters; build LGBT housing community.

On Jobs:Double city’s exports by 2020; provide incentives for biotech startups; invest in Brooklyn Tech Triangle; transform the South Bronx into center of green business.

On Taxes:Raise taxes on the wealthy “only as a last resort.”

On Healthcare:Combat childhood obesity with higher nutritional standards for food aimed at children and more physical education; eliminate co-pays for prescription drugs treating chronic disease; expand the employer-based health care model.

On Education:Extend the school day; de-emphasize standardized tests; implement a red alert system for struggling schools; create a mentor teacher program.

On Policing:Support independent inspector general tasked with monitoring NYPD; eliminate hate crimes; create public safety apps; increase police patrols.

bill de blasio son dante Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio visits a Brooklyn senior center with his son Dante. Credit: Bess Adler

Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate (D)

On Housing:Require developers to build affordable housing for low- and middle-income families when neighborhoods are re-zoned; “unlock” vacant properties and lots; establish a support program for families at risk of ending up on the street.

On Jobs:Expand Career and Technical Education high school programs; establish economic development hubs in each neighborhood; overhaul bidding process for government contracts to give local businesses a better chance.

On Taxes:Tax NYC residents earning more than $500,000 to fund universal pre-kindergarten.

On Healthcare:Maximize awareness and enrollment for New Yorkers eligible under the Affordable Care Act; support older community hospitals; fight the nursing shortage by investing in training more nurses in New York; ban condoms as evidence in prostitution cases; protect immigrants’ access to health care.

On Education:Tax NYC residents earning more than $500,000 to fund universal pre-kindergarten.

On Policing: Pass legislation banning racial profiling; reform stop-and-frisk; replace Commissioner Ray Kelly; support creation of independent inspector general to monitor NYPD and report to mayor.

Bill Thompson outside the Brooklyn College subway stop on Flatbush Avenue, hugging a supporter. Credit: Bess Adler Bill Thompson hugs a supporter outside the Brooklyn College subway stop on Flatbush Avenue. Credit: Bess Adler

Bill Thompson, former City Comptroller (D)

On Housing:Inventory all city, state and federal land available for development; build 70,000 new affordable housing units; overhaul rent laws; reform NYCHA within two years.

On Jobs:Eliminate the unincorporated business tax; appoint Chief Jobs Officer; foster tourism throughout the five boroughs; create online database of available commercial space for potential tenants; limit fines on small businesses.

On Taxes: No tax hikes; instead, “redirect dollars” and “make sure we prioritize every dollar to make sure we get the best bang for each buck.”

On Healthcare:Lower HIV infection rates and ensure access to treatment, particularly in the city’s most vulnerable communities; reduce asthma rates in children; assign a full-time nurse to every public school; reduce smoking rates.

On Education:Appoint a teacher as new schools chancellor; expand pre-kindergarten citywide; expand tech education programs; give all NYC students with minimum B average a free year at all CUNY colleges; place moratorium on school closures.

On Policing:Appoint new NYPD commissioner; eliminate quotas assigned to officers; end racial profiling; put 2,000 more officers on the streets; issue emergency alerts in more languages.

anthony weiner metro new york Anthony Weiner campaigns at the Marcy Houses in August 2013. Credit: Bess Adler

Anthony Weiner, former U.S. Congressman (D)

On Housing:Subsidize flood insurance premiums to keep people from getting priced out of their homes; help people living with HIV/AIDS get access to housing; reform NYCHA to be more energy-efficient.

On Jobs:Provide tax incentives for job creation in the outer boroughs; foster innovation by putting city employees through an “Ideas Lab”; “in-source” more call-center jobs.

On Taxes:Digitize the city budget; publish all government contracts; adjust tax brackets for inflation; create a commission for real estate tax reform.

On Healthcare:Create a single payer program like Medicare for the uninsured and underinsured; fight asthma in the city’s worst-hit communities, provide paid maternity leave for city employees, allow transgender people to update identification documents to reflect preferred gender.

On Education:Offer incentives to skilled teachers who take tougher assignments; invest in Kindles and e-Books; foster multilingualism.

On Policing:Does not support inspector general for NYPD; replace Commissioner Ray Kelly; reform stop-and-frisk by requiring cops to wear cameras.

Mayoral candidate John Liu campaigning in Brooklyn. Credit: Bess Adler Mayoral candidate John Liu campaigning in Brooklyn. Credit: Bess Adler

John Liu, City Comptroller (D)

On Housing:Increase low- and middle-income housing preservation and creation by more than 50 percent—100,000 units over four years; overhaul NYCHA repairs and maintenance; establish families rental voucher program.

On Jobs:Exempt small businesses from unincorporated business tax and general corporation tax; reduce fines on small businesses; increase minimum wage to $11.50 an hour; paid sick leave for all workers.

On Taxes:Legalize and tax marijuana to help pay for higher education; lower the income tax for those who make less than $500,000 a year and increase taxes on the top 1 percent of earners by 1 percent.

On Healthcare:Continue Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s policy to distribute birth control in schools; monitor the Health and Hospitals Corporation to ensure its resources reach the city’s vulnerable communities under the Affordable Health Care Act.

On Education:Reduce the number of charter schools in the city; end system of grading schools.

On Policing:Repeal stop-and-frisk completely; no need for an independent monitor; replace Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Credit: Emily Anne Epstein/Metro Credit: Emily Anne Epstein/Metro

Joe Lhota, former head of the MTA (R)

On Housing:Back proposal to require a $356 million annual increase over the city’s current affordable housing plan; build public housing on sites of under-utilized state-owned properties and little-used post offices.

On Jobs:Reduce regulations and taxes on small businesses; diversify the economy; bring a limited number of casinos to the city.

On Taxes:Make tax structure more “business friendly”; re-zone Midtown East to allow for taller buildings; shrink the size of city government.

On Healthcare:”When it comes to employee collective bargaining agreements, I have said, it is very important that New York City workers pay, and begin the process of paying for their healthcare.”

On Education:Support choice and increase the number of charter schools; close low-performing schools; performance-based pay for teachers.

On Policing:Continue constitutional stop-and-frisks but boost officer training and increase transparency; retain Ray Kelly as commissioner; support universal background checks on owning firearms.

Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis speaks at a news conference in May. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis speaks at a news conference in May.
Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

John Catsimatidis, head of Gristedes grocery chain (R)

On Housing:Rezone land near transit hubs to provide incentives for developers to build affordable housing.

On Jobs:Lower the cost of doing business in New York; expand vocational training; lure tech companies to the city.

On Taxes:Opposes raising taxes on the wealthy; but “Everybody should feel the pain a little bit.”

On Healthcare:Repeal large soda ban, but require nutrition course in all public schools.

On Education:More emphasis on charter schools; expanded tutoring for elite school exam prep; support for grading schools.

On Polcing:Put a police officer in every housing project; continue stop-and-frisk policy; oppose the establishment of an independent monitor; keep Commissioner Ray Kelly.