Meet Your Mayor
Answer the questions below to see which candidates for NYC mayor agree with you most
Welcome to Meet Your Mayor, which shows you how the candidates’ stands fit with your take on the issues that matter most to New Yorkers.
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Answer the following four questions on building the city to see which candidates for mayor most closely match the future you want to see for New York City.
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City Hall has put out the call for companies to propose ways to bring low-cost, high-speed internet to New Yorkers most likely to lack access. Other ideas are also in play.
Question 1 of 4
“We need to turn our wifi services into a utility company, just as gas and light are part of the utility companies. We need to do the same with our WiFi.”
from Law and Leadership Series: 2021 NYC Mayoral Election Conversation With Eric Adams and Kathryn Garcia, April 15, 2021
“A strong public option would force [internet providers] to be better. It would also allow us to create more job opportunities in the city and it would allow us to take our place as a leader in the digital world.”
from THE CITY interview , May 10, 2021
“A big part of it is asset-mapping of the assets the city government controls that it can both leverage with the private sector, to help the private sector get more infrastructure and expand it, but also figure out how we utilize that to create the community benefits that ensure everything from free service where we need to be free, to low-cost service so that people can afford it, even if they have low incomes, but at a price point they can afford.”
from NYC Mayoral Forum, presented by Tech:NYC and Warby Parker, April 9, 2021
Donovan´s campaign said his administration would “work with the state government to pass a Universal Broadband For All bill, which will enshrine grantmaking to increase competition as well as provide grants and incentives to internet service providers” that invest in communities with limited or no access to broadband.
from Campaign website
“It would be cost-prohibitive to build an entirely new network, considering how expensive it is to dig up the streets and install brand new infrastructure. … If we work with companies who already have an established infrastructure, we'll achieve the goal of universal broadband access much faster than trying to start from scratch.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“There are two real things that are blocking us. One is just the cost. People don’t have it. It's not an infrastructure problem; fiber is there. They can’t afford it. The second big piece is, you are allowed, as the first homeowner on a block, to block that entire block from getting fiber. That's a rule change the City of New York can make. The third piece is, we as the City of New York give franchises to those folks who run the fiber.”
from NYC Mayoral Forum, presented by Tech:NYC and Warby Parker, April 9, 2021
“This has got to be fundamental to who we are; access to broadband is essential. We need to make sure that the right people are at the table. And given the relationships that have been developed over the past 25 to 30 years, I have that access to the key decision-makers and we can bring those decision-makers to the table, so that we can ensure that, at a reasonable period with all deliberate speed, we provide Internet access and tablets to all New Yorkers.”
from NYC Mayoral Candidates Address the Digital Divide, April 29, 2021
Morales' campaign said her administration would launch a “citywide fiber-optic network” to bring free municipal broadband to New York City.
from Campaign website
“I think that really has to be in the private sector. I think the government has too much responsibility, too many expenditures. That should be something that can be provided by the private sector.”
"The City should immediately convene all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and carriers operating in the five boroughs to discuss all possible options to quickly provide affordable and reliable internet service to every student in the city who lacks a high-speed broadband connection in their home or shelter. As part of that effort, the City should be prepared to offer subsidized and redeemable ‘Internet Passports’ for low-income families that can be used to purchase broadband service."
from NYC Comptroller website , Nov. 2, 2020
“We do need low-cost internet but I think it's important that the city partner with companies that do this because we want to make sure that it's done correctly.”
from THE CITY interview , May 20, 2021
Yang's campaign said he would work with the governor’s office to implement the recent mandate that “all internet providers need to include a low-cost broadband plan.”
from Campaign website
No candidates selected this answer
Isaac Wright Jr.
Just one in four subway stations is accessible to someone using a wheelchair. The MTA and city planners want to encourage real estate developers to add more elevators to the system.
Question 2 of 4
“The MTA needs to be funded to create true accessibility across the subway system, and so many of our solutions, you know, rely on the private sector to do these things. And these, to me, are just kind of one-shot, fragmented deals that let the MTA off the hook.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“We don't want to override our zoning laws and allow the developers to build things that they shouldn't otherwise be building, just because they install an extra elevator. That wouldn't make sense.
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“We have to stop giving these developers incentives to build higher buildings that only seem to benefit them. The cost of the elevator is not so significant that we have to give a developer an incentive. No. We could afford, utilize the funds that we're about to get from Biden to build elevators in subways.”
from THE CITY interview , May 20, 2021
Ray McGuire, Eric Adams, Isaac Wright Jr.
The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure requires approvals from multiple officials and bodies for changes to permitted development on a property or across a neighborhood. Some are calling for additional public scrutiny of projects.
Question 3 of 4
Chang considers the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure an “archaic and broken system,” and he is calling for a city charter revision commission to rewrite it. “What we need to have is continuous conversation and review with the city, communities and any private interests that are involved in those projects.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“We need more community input with respect to what is being built on various sites. And we also need to ensure that any new buildings fit in with the surrounding neighborhood.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“I actually believe that we need to fundamentally overhaul the way we do the land use process and how these decisions are made. I believe in the zoning of areas that have been historically underutilized, let's say, on the affordable housing front. … I do think it's important to prioritize communities with the lens of citywide balance and equity.”
from The Brian Lehrer show, May 19, 2021
“We need to change the city’s approach to land use and rezonings in ways that are principled. That means land use and rezonings that create and maintain affordable housing.… All land use and housing plans should include a fair distribution of resources and development that takes into account community needs and corrects for historic disinvestment and displacement.”
from National Organization for Women – New York City questionnaire
“We need to have a land use process that involves a discussion, and the land use process by which tenants can participate. It can't just be a government's way or the highway.”
from Housing Conservation Coordinators candidate forum, Dec. 5, 2020
“We need to modify the ULURP process in two ways to ensure we are building supportive housing quickly and efficiently. First, we need to fast-track 100% affordable supportive housing projects, immediately moving them to the front of the review line.… Second, we need to set a time limit for agency review during the pre-certification process, ending the monthslong wait.”
The Donovan campaign said his administration “will enact land use reforms to update outdated zoning regulations, encourage inexpensive housing development on an expansive and equitable basis, and expedite processes to increase affordability.”
“It’s about accelerating approvals for new housing construction, and streamlining the ULURP and environmental review process, as well as permit applications and inspections at the Buildings Department. And there are several other sister agencies that are not well coordinated."
from Commercial Observer, March 16, 2021
“If you wanted to develop property right now, one City Council person can stand in your way...and that person would make the decision. That's not in the best interest of the city. So that procedure has to stop when it comes to land use.”
“Our city is in crisis, and we need to move efficiently, quickly and with the will of the people. To that end, we need to also make long-term changes” to Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
Isaac Wright Jr.
Dank, shadow-casting sidewalk sheds are widely disliked but provide public safety protection during building facade work and construction.
Question 4 of 4
“A property owner may get a permit for a building shed, but then getting the permit to do the building work is not necessarily fully aligned. In an ideal situation, if you have a small building ... you need to have a sidewalk shed, but there's no reason why that couldn't and shouldn't be finished within 90 days.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“The sidewalk sheds oftentimes stay up for years, and there is often little, if any, discernible work being done, and it affects our quality of life. … Sidewalk sheds also present additional dangers.”
from THE CITY interview, May 19, 2021
“I've had some scaffolding that I feel like it's been up all my life in New York. So that's something I would definitely get to the bottom…not saying that 90 days would be an extreme penalty after that, but definitely something that incentivizes folks to complete these projects as quickly as possible.”
from THE CITY interview , May 10, 2021
“There are nearly 300 miles of New York City streets covered with scaffolding, and under current law, building owners have zero incentive to make the necessary repairs to prevent debris from hitting pedestrians.”
from Crain's New York Business, Feb. 10, 2021
"We need a top to bottom review to streamline the public construction contracting process. I will identify and wholly remove nonsensical and complex requirements that raise the prices of the most simple procurements and lengthens construction. I will also work with private contractors to expedite projects by issuing permits efficiently and enforcing reasonable time frames."
from Tribeca Citizen, May 24, 2021
“We need to review the current process. We need to think about what the end result is. We have to also think about how the city can support these owners if they need some assistance.... But to just continue to put up sidewalk shed, at the sidewalk shed, no, it's not working.”
from THE CITY interview , May 20, 2021
“New legislation I'm introducing with @JustinBrannan will make building inspections more cost-effective, saving building owners and the City millions. It will help us take down sidewalk sheds that stay up for years. Most importantly, it will make us safer.”
from Twitter, Dec. 22, 2019
Isaac Wright Jr.
Reporting by Ann Choi and Mónica Cordero, development by Will Welch, editing by Alyssa Katz. Candidate images from Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY, Alejandro Durán/THE CITY, Shutterstock and campaign websites.