On September 10th, registered Democratic voters in far eastern Queens will go to the polls to cast their votes in the 23rd Council District primary.  The winner will likely be a heavy favorite in the November special election to replace former Council Member Mark Weprin, who resigned earlier this year to join the Cuomo Administration.

The six candidates are a diverse bunch, and three seem to stand out as the leading contenders: Barry Grodenchik, a former Assemblyman who now works for Queens Borough President Melinda Katz; Rebecca Lynch, who recently left a senior post in Mayor de Blasio’s Community Affairs Unit; and Ali Najmi, an attorney and former aide to Weprin.

Despite the attractiveness of these candidates, however, StreetsPAC has decided against making an endorsement.  While Lynch and Najmi, especially, have spoken to the need to make transportation and street safety a priority if elected, none of the candidates were willing to pledge to oppose any and all attempts to weaken New York City’s right-of-way law, Section 19-190 of the Administrative Code, which has been under assault by the Transport Workers Union and its allies in the City Council and State Assembly.  We consider the right of way of vulnerable street users to be an essential, inalienable tenet of Vision Zero.  Furthermore, there’s precedent for strong street-safety cred in the 23rd Council District, since Mark Weprin was a co-sponsor of the Council legislation that created the right-of-way law (and an outspoken supporter of the Move NY plan, to boot).

Therefore, we will remain neutral in the race for the 23rd Council District, but we look forward to working closely with the eventual winner on addressing eastern Queens’s transportation needs and street-safety challenges – and on educating the future Council Member on the fundamental importance of the right-of-way law.

– The StreetsPAC Board

StreetsPAC today announced three additional candidate endorsements for Tuesday’s general election, supporting the re-election campaigns of New York State Assemblymembers Dan Quart and Michaelle Solages, and the State Senate race of Adrienne Esposito, who’s running for an open seat on Long Island.

“We’re excited to make these three important endorsements before Tuesday’s election,” said David ‘Paco’ Abraham, a StreetsPAC board member.  “Dan Quart and Michaelle Solages are young, up-and-coming leaders in Albany, and they are firmly committed to making streets safer both in their districts and across the state.  And Adrienne Esposito is an experienced advocate who can help tip the balance towards smarter transportation policies in the Senate.”

StreetsPAC today announced a new round of New York State Senate and Assembly candidate endorsements for November’s general election, backing several incumbent New York City legislators who’ve been strong voices for safe streets at home and in Albany: State Senators Brad Hoylman and Gustavo Rivera, and Assemblymembers Joe Lentol and Linda Rosenthal.

Read how StreetsPAC became a pro-walker, pro-bicyclist, pro-safe-streets political powerhouse in Next City's Article: "PAC Builds Political Weight to Defend Bike Lanes, Transit" by Casey Tolan. Here's a taste:

Putting in bike lanes or reducing parking can be a politically dangerous move, especially in New York. But for the past year and a half, political action committee StreetsPAC has been fighting for pro-pedestrian, pro-biking and pro-transit candidates in NYC and Albany — and gaining ground.

In the 2013 city elections, 13 of StreetsPAC’s 18 endorsed candidates won in competitive primary elections (including Mayor Bill de Blasio). In state primaries last month, three out of five StreetsPAC-backed candidates won.

“Policy is good, but politics, especially the fear of not getting re-elected, is just as important,” says Glenn McAnanama, a founding board member of StreetsPAC.

Taking the safe streets movement from advocacy into electoral politics, StreetsPAC asks candidates to fill out a questionnaire about their stances on policies like complete street redesigns, speeding cameras and transit funding. Then, the group’s board, which is made up of local transportation advocates, sits down for an interview with the politicians. In a number of races, multiple candidates have filled out questionnaires and vied for an endorsement.

Endorsed candidates get a modest monetary contribution, get-out-the-vote support from StreetsPAC volunteers and — perhaps most importantly — a stamp of approval that tells voters the pol will fight for pedestrians, cyclists and straphangers.

>> Read More at Next City 

>> Meet the StreetsPAC candidates 

StreetsPAC today announced a second round of candidate endorsements in fall races for the New York State Senate and Assembly, backing the reelection bids of State Senator Tony Avella and Assembly Members Nily Rozic and Felix Ortiz, and the campaigns of Brooklyn State Senate challenger Dell Smitherman and Suffolk County Assembly challenger Jason Zove.

First-round endorsements for 2014 state races may be found here.

“It’s getting down to crunch time, so we’re pleased to make a second round of endorsements prior to next week’s primary,” said StreetsPAC board member Joanna Oltman Smith.  “Several of these candidates are facing tough primary races, and we’re confident our endorsements will help push them to victory.”

"The candidates we’re endorsing today are a diverse group, seeking to represent parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Suffolk County,” said StreetsPAC board member Sebastian Delmont.  “But whether it’s Felix Ortiz, with two decades’ experience in Albany, or Jason Zove, who’s only a few years removed from college, they share a dedication to safe and complete streets.”

“We really value the chance to meet with candidates, hear their stories and discuss how we can work together to improve the streets of their districts,” said StreetsPAC board member Hilda Cohen.  “Dell Smitherman told us about how he’d counted the 97 stairs between the Livonia Street L station and the Junius Street 3 station, which have no elevators.  It’s hard, though, when we’re faced with two strong candidates and have to make tough choices, as was the case in the 51^st Assembly District race.  Ceasar Zuniga impressed us all, but Felix Ortiz’s experience carried the day.”

Here’s a round up of today’s StreetsPAC endorsees:

Tony Avella, Senate District 11, Northeast Queens (Incumbent) – Avella, first elected to the State Senate in 2010 after eight years in the City Council, is a member of the Senate’s Transportation Committee.  He supports increasing bus service in his Queens district, and would like to see real Bus Rapid Transit implemented on Northern Boulevard and other main thoroughfares.  He backs lifting time and day restrictions on speed cameras, and intends to introduce a bill that would allow home rule for deployment of speed and red-light cameras.  He also plans to push to have secure bicycle storage installed at Long Island Railroad stations in his district.

Felix Ortiz, Assembly District 51, Red Hook, Sunset Park (Incumbent) – Ortiz has represented his district in the Assembly for 20 years.  His bill banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving became the first such state law in the entire country in 2000.  Ortiz will continue his longstanding efforts to deter and punish distracted driving by introducing legislation to require disclosure of a driver’s cellphone records after a crash suspected to have resulted from distraction.  He will also advocate for the creation of a protected bike “highway” along Third Avenue, connecting his district to Downtown Brooklyn.

Nily Rozic, Assembly District 25, Flushing, Fresh Meadows (Incumbent) – Rozic, elected in 2012, is the youngest woman serving in the State Legislature.  She has successfully pushed for expanded neighborhood bus service, and commutes to her district office by bicycle.  Rozic is committed to extending and improving bike infrastructure in her district to make it easier for people to ride to nearby transit stations and to schools, advocating for real Bus Rapid Transit connecting Flushing and Jamaica, and ensuring that all police precincts in Queens are supplied with necessary enforcement equipment and trained in new traffic-safety laws.

Dell Smitherman, Senate District 19, East New York (Challenger) – Smitherman, until recently Political Coordinator of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, is challenging indicted State Senator John Sampson for the right to represent this reconfigured East New York district.  Smitherman will work to give dangerous Linden Boulevard a complete-street treatment, and will advocate for the restoration of several bus routes in the district.  He’s committed to working to lift time and day restrictions on speed cameras, and improving accessibility at elevated train stations.

Jason Zove, Assembly District 8, Suffolk County (Challenger) – Zove, a former aide in the Suffolk County Legislature, is challenging six-term incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick this November.  Zove is committed to making Long Island’s towns and villages safer for pedestrians and cyclists, including widening sidewalks, implementing more crosswalks and expanding the bike-lane network.  He believes Long Island needs to increase north-south transit connections, and supports creation of dedicated bus lanes.  He’ll work to have secure bike storage installed at Long Island Railroad stations.

StreetsPAC will help elect its endorsed candidates with cash contributions and volunteer support.  It expects to make additional rounds of endorsements prior to November’s general election.

StreetsPAC today announced its first five candidate endorsements in 2014 races for the New York State Senate and Assembly.  The safe-streets political action committee has put its support behind the reelection efforts of Manhattan State Senator Adriano Espaillat and Suffolk County Assemblyman Edward Hennessey, Bay Ridge Senate challenger James Kemmerer, Suffolk County Assembly challenger Tom Schiliro, and Pete Sikora, who’s running a primary race for Assembly in Brownstone Brooklyn.
 
“So much of what happens on the streets of New York City is dictated by actions, or inaction, in Albany,” said Glenn McAnanama, a StreetsPAC board member.  “And more and more, people in places like Medford and Mattituck are interested in living in safely walkable and bikeable communities.  We’re excited to put StreetsPAC’s backing behind candidates who are committed to safe streets, whether they be on the Upper West Side or downtown Riverhead.”

Last week, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed a bill allowing New York City to set its default speed limit to 25 mph. This hard-fought victory required the passion and devotion of advocates from all walks of life, many of whom know all too well the pain of losing a loved one to traffic violence.

But it shouldn’t be this hard. All the backroom horse-trading, the eleventh-hour dealmaking… it shouldn’t take this much work to enact sensible policies that save lives.

That’s where you come in.

Your calls, your emails, and your donations ensure that each step toward making New York City’s streets as safe as possible comes faster than the one before it. By helping StreetsPAC elect candidates who put people over politics, you make the city more walkable, bikeable, and livable everyday.

Together, our accomplishments in the past year have included:

• Twenty-one candidates endorsed by StreetsPAC won their races, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Letitia James, and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito.
• Eight of the thirteen members of the City Council’s Transportation Committee are StreetsPAC endorsees.
• Our board members lobbied and provided key legal support for Intro 238, a groundbreaking New York City law that criminalizes a sober driver’s failure to yield to a pedestrian or cyclist that results in injury or death.
• StreetsPAC members testified at City Council hearings in support of a historic package of eleven bills that were recently signed into law by Mayor de Blasio.
• Our organization co-sponsored Vision Zero Town Halls in each of the five boroughs.

There is still, however, much more to be done. Last week’s down-to-the-wire legislative victory demonstrates the need to change the conversation in Albany. This week, StreetsPAC will be sending our questionnaire to candidates for the State Senate and Assembly, and we’ll soon be following up many of those survey responses with in-depth personal interviews. But we won’t be able to elect candidates who share our goal of safe, complete, and livable streets without your help.

Together our work has pushed the livable streets agenda into the forefront of city and state politics. Please support StreetsPAC with a donation today, and help us continue to shape a safer New York City.

New York City Council Members Carlos Menchaca, Ben Kallos, Brad Lander, Antonio Reynoso and Helen Rosenthal joined StreetsPAC board members and dozens of bike commuters this morning on two rides that culminated on the steps of City Hall in a celebration of Bike-to-Work Week and a call for further action on street-safety initiatives.

StreetsPAC commends Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement today of the creation of an interagency working group charged with implementing his Vision Zero plan and developing a blueprint for eliminating deadly crashes from New York City streets.  We look forward to aiding the Department of Transportation, NYPD, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Taxi & Limousine Commission in any way we can as they create a comprehensive road map over the next 30 days for making the city's streets measurably safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and drivers.

We are committed to helping the de Blasio Administration and the New York City Council win home rule, so that New York City can protect the health and safety of its citizens without first having to seek approval from Albany. The city must be able to set a lower citywide speed limit and deploy life-saving speed and red-light cameras as it sees fit.  We will also support the Mayor's efforts to seek stiffer criminal penalties for drivers who kill or injure when they disobey traffic laws or are otherwise negligent.

Mayor de Blasio won StreetsPAC's endorsement during the Democratic Mayoral primary and in November's general election largely on the strength of his commitment to Vision Zero and the quest to eliminate traffic fatalities in New York City.  We're deeply gratified to see him following through so strongly on his campaign promises in such a timely fashion.  We applaud his appointment of US DOT Under Secretary for Policy Polly Trottenberg as the city's Transportation Commissioner; her dedication to making New York City's streets safer for all users was made clear from day one of the de Blasio Administration.  And as we stated last month, we're heartened by Police Commissioner Bratton's commitment to making enforcement of dangerous driving violations a top priority for the NYPD.  His plan to significantly increase the number of police officers dedicated to traffic enforcement is an important step in that direction.

Today's announcement is a good first step by Mayor de Blasio in what will surely be a long and arduous journey to achieving Vision Zero.  The critical work of redesigning dangerous corridors and intersections, lowering speed limits and increasing penalties for drivers who kill or maim will doubtlessly meet resistance in certain quarters.  The Mayor will need to be firm in his resolve.  But traffic violence is an epidemic that takes the lives of far too many New Yorkers and forever affects the lives of countless others.  We applaud Mayor de Blasio for making Vision Zero an important part of his vision for a better New York.  We look forward to the findings of the interagency working group.