City Council Candidate Responses
District 23
1. Please briefly share your background and note any experiences you may have in engaging older adults, whether professionally or personally, and in connecting with the non-profit sector.
Linda Lee
I run a major community-based non-profit in Queens, and we provide older adult services through our DFTA-funded senior centers, adult education, immigration, healthcare, mental health, meals-on-wheels, and other essential services to our client population. I’ve spent most of my professional life working to improve the well-being of seniors and particularly immigrant seniors. My motivation for this work stems from my relationship with my grandmother, who worked incredibly hard to support our family in this country, and yet towards the end of her life had few opportunities for enrichment and support due to the lack of services oriented towards Korean-speaking seniors. While I’ll treasure the time I spent caring for her at the end, I’ve since spent my life creating the programs I wish had been available for her during hers.
Jaslin Kaur
Of all the systemic injustices exposed by COVID-19, perhaps none has been so painful as our city’s chronic underinvestment in care and caregivers. I took care of my grandmother while I was on food stamps and in community college, at a time when there was no one else in her corner. I know what it means to do the hard work of caregiving. Supporting those who need care -- which is all of us -- takes supporting those who give care. What’s more, care work is some of the lowest carbon-emission work there is, so robust job creation to enhance the care sector is a vital way to support a healthy environment. Finally, providing the pillars of a dignified life to everyone is the key to ensuring true public safety.
Debra Markell
I have worked with seniors for years in my capacity as District Manager for Community Board 2. Through my tenure I have expanded access for seniors who are disabled, expanded funding towards senior centers, and continue to be an advocate for older adults each day. I hope to take this commitment to addressing seniors’ needs into City Hall to seek positive change for seniors throughout CD-23.
2. As we live longer and healthier lives, what are your priorities with respect to promoting equity across all ages in our City?
Linda Lee
We need to increase the baseline budget for DFTA and support for senior programs across the City. DFTA should not have one of the smallest operating budgets in a City with such a rapidly growing senior population. We also need to create culturally-appropriate senior programs that cater to the diverse first- and second-generation senior communities throughout the City. Lastly, we need to improve opportunities for seniors to age in place, so they can live their lives to the fullest and with the dignity they deserve.
Jaslin Kaur
If elected Councilmember for the 23rd District, I pledge to prioritize
caregivers, those who need care, and the organizations and institutions that
meet the essential needs of East Queens families, workers, and seniors.
District 23 is home to one of the oldest populations in the city, making us a “Naturally
Occurring Retirement Community.” COVID-19 has taken a terrible toll on our
community. We suffered the largest number of nursing home deaths in New York City.
Even before the pandemic, too many seniors were living alone, with insufficient access
to compassionate care, faced with the prospect of being priced out of their homes.
In the following questions, I will outline my key priorities for promoting equity and dignity across all ages.
Debra Markell
Promoting equity for New Yorkers of all ages means providing resources that ensure everybody can live their best life whether they are five or seventy. Ageism is a critical problem in New York and we must work together to ensure that our city’s infrastructure, resources, and community accommodate New Yorkers of all ages. As an advocate for seniors, I hope to take steps that create meaningful change for New York’s senior population as CD-23’s next representative in the City Council.
3. Do you support increasing the budget for the Department for the Aging (DFTA), which funds programs such as Senior Centers, NORCs, home-delivered meals, and more? Please give rationale for your response and specify any specific funding changes you are most committed to achieving.
Linda Lee
Absolutely, while I don’t have a specific number in mind, cognizant of the financial situation of the City, I believe increasing the DFTA budget to beyond pre-pandemic levels should be the bare minimum, and overall support for DFTA programs is a central component of my platform. It is unacceptable that DFTA has the smallest budget out of all the social service agencies, especially given that older adults are one of the fastest growing demographics. I have also made it known that in Eastern Queens, we have the highest percentages of older adults and are also a transportation desert. We need to ensure that our district is not forgotten about and that we expand the necessary resources to our older adults.
Jaslin Kaur
Yes. We must increase funding to the city’s Department of Aging, which currently only receives less than half of 1% of the City’s overall budget, while providing services to over 20% of the population.
Debra Markell
Despite providing invaluable resources for our senior population, the Department for the Aging is unfortunately one of the most underfunded government agencies in New York City. Senior centers, NORCs, home-delivered meals, amongst other government services provided by the DFTA deserve to be adequately funded, especially for low-income and marginalized senior populations. I support expanding funding towards the DFTA, especially to continue programs under senior centers that provide social and mental health resources.
4. Do you support implementing a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for city-contracted human service workers and the full implementation of the Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) initiative for non-profits? Please explain your response.
Linda Lee
Yes, all workers funded entirely or largely by government agencies should receive a living wage that accounts for the cost of living in an area. As the head of a community-based non-profit, I’ve also personally struggled with maintaining our organization’s finances when City funding for our programs doesn’t go far enough to cover the actual costs incurred. I know that non-profit service providers ultimately save the City money and reach populations normally underserved, which is why improving non-profit service delivery will be central to my focus as Councilwoman. Nonprofits need this ICR, as originally promised, in order to keep its doors open to provide essential services to the community.
Jaslin Kaur
Yes.
Debra Markell
Yes. Seniors often find themselves living on a fixed income that is susceptible to unaffordable changes in cost of living, straining their resources and jeopardizing financial well-being in retirement. Seniors should not have to alter their financial plans due to unreasonable changes in cost of living, a Cost of Living Adjustment for city-contracted human service workers and Indirect Cost Rate for non-profits helps reduce strains on seniors’ financial health and for that I support implementation of both.
5. Given that many older New Yorkers rely on limited fixed incomes and would prefer to age in community, rather than entering costly nursing homes, how will you address the need for affordable senior housing with services for a growing older population? How will you evaluate/respond to affordable senior housing proposals during ULURP?
Linda Lee
My district is aging with high rates of homeownership and NORCs. Recognizing these trends and directing appropriate resources to support them is essential to the long-term viability of my community. I’m committed to finding ways to keep seniors in their homes and financially stable for as long as possible, and that means focusing on the affordability of senior housing as well as the availability of service providers in areas such as mine.
Jaslin Kaur
My priorities include:
- Implement automatic enrollment in SCRIE and DRIE so all senior tenants and
tenants with disabilities can have their rent frozen and be exempt from future
rent increases.
- Establish public funding for home improvements, like grab bars and handrails, that
allow seniors to safely age in place, rather than in nursing homes far away from
family and community. Home improvements are life or death: one out of four
seniors who break a hip die within a year.
- Fund home modifications to fight heat vulnerability, like air conditioning and roof
repair. Especially as climate change makes summer hotter, older adults are more
vulnerable to heat waves and extreme temperatures.
- Expand tenant and housing protections like Right to Counsel, Stabilizing NYC, and
other tenant protection programs across the city. Seniors are at a higher risk of
housing discrimination.
- Reform the ULURP process. The current process is undemocratic and bureaucratic, and values the interests of real estate developers over the interests of working-class communities of color. Using ULURP as the primary procedure to review land use decisions has prevented the city from engaging in actual, long-term urban planning, and has instead led to a series of racist upzonings in working-class communities of color that have caused mass gentrification and displacement. As part of this transformation, I also support dissolving and reimagining the City Planning Commission. The CPC, which currently has the first binding votes on rezonings in the current ULURP process, is composed of appointed commissioners who are not typically reliable advocates connected to the communities for which they are making major land use decisions.
Debra Markell
I have made a commitment to requiring that at least 10% of all residential development go towards affordable and senior housing in order to be approved through the ULURP process. I support expanding our affordable housing supply and welcome real estate development that follows a sustainable, community-oriented rezoning process.
6. While many older adults wish to be connected, many lack the financial resources or training necessary to fully access technology, exacerbating the digital divide. How would you encourage the City to address this?
Linda Lee
I think community-based non-profits offer the best value on the dollar in terms of connecting seniors with resources, whether that be meals, legal assistance, education, or digital connectivity. Increasing support for training and connectivity on-site is a necessary first start, but I would also explore ways to bring these services and devices to mobility-limited seniors through home visits and mobile training.
Jaslin Kaur
I believe in partnering with local community colleges, public libraries, and senior centers to offer free courses and programming, online and in-person.
Debra Markell
Seniors should have resources available to learn about digital technology so we can bridge the digital divide. There was no expectation for seniors to learn digital technology when they were young because the technology was not invented, meaning we have to provide affordable and accessible training for digital platforms to seniors now. I support expanding funding towards senior centers that can provide digital technology training for seniors of all backgrounds and income levels.
7. During COVID-19, Senior Centers continued to work remotely, offering services in new ways to ensure their clients’ needs were met. To date, providers have not been authorized to operate in-person, despite restaurants, movies, and other entities, which older adults could also attend, being open. Further, community-based organizations, in many cases, have not been leveraged in the new meal delivery system. What are ways that you feel the City should work with nonprofits and engage older adults in the event of a future emergency?
Linda Lee
City engagement with non-profits is essential to continuing New York’s recovery as well as bettering New Yorkers’ lives. As a non-profit leader for the past decade, I’ve seen the value non-profits offer in terms of mobilizing a community, but also how policies are frequently insufficient to properly leverage these opportunities. If elected to the Council, I will encourage City agencies to work through and with CBOs more regularly. By establishing lines of communication in normal times, agencies and non-profits will be better able to work together in emergencies due to their increased familiarity with one another. Also, oftentimes, some of the best solutions come from the nonprofits themselves.
Jaslin Kaur
We must:
- Increase funding to the Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP)
-- a lack of funding for social workers and case management has left thousands of
older New Yorkers languishing on wait lists for in-home care.
- Increase funding to programs such as Medicaid’s Consumer-Directed Personal
Assistance Program (MCDPAP) that allow family caregivers to be compensated for
care.
Debra Markell
This pandemic has made us as New Yorkers fundamentally rethink what is essential to survive. City Hall must work with nonprofits, senior centers, and older populations to prepare for the next future emergency, be it another pandemic, the climate crisis, or another challenge to overcome, in ways that promote community resilience. Senior centers remain shut down in a manner that is opaque and not transparent. I support a comprehensive re-opening plan for senior centers and forming a plan through the DFTA to look into how government agencies and nonprofits engage with senior populations in the event of an emergency with similar stakes as COVID-19.
8. With 1 in 5 New Yorkers over the age of 60, what are the changes you would seek to make to create a more age-friendly district? Please consider addressing the physical infrastructure of your district (walkability, accessibility, etc.), health care access, safety net resources, and other district specific items of note.
Linda Lee
Accessibility for seniors is critical in my district, not only ensuring buildings and public places are ADA accessible, but also in minor things like sidewalks being properly paved. I’ll commit to a regular focus on repavings and accessibility retrofits that will allow seniors to better get around. I’ll also support mobile service provision, especially when it comes to healthcare home-visits for seniors who are mobility-impaired. There are numerous programs that already seek to provide these services, and so scalability and resourcing are key focuses for me.
Jaslin Kaur
I would fight to:
- Advocate for redesign and better funding of senior transportation, like Access-A-
Ride or senior center vans.
- Fund culturally-competent senior centers, like India Home, so they can make
infrastructural repairs, hire multilingual staff, and provide culturally-relevant
programming and meals.
- Develop public and interactive art programming in senior centers with arts
organizations in the district.
Debra Markell
With half of the population over 60, District 23 is one of the oldest in New York City. It is essential to maintain an age-friendly environment in every community in District 23. Improving senior’s quality of life means expanding transportation options, such as Councilman Vallone’s free senior transit program, advocating for world-class health care facilities, and funding community resources like senior centers and public parks. I will work towards making this community accessible and desirable for all senior citizens.
9. In the event of a budget shortfall, how would you push for the City to close the gap? Are there agencies or programs you feel should or should not absorb cuts? Please be specific.
Linda Lee
I’ve long been vocal in opposing cuts to DFTA, which is already one of the smallest-budgeted agencies and can ill-afford further cuts in the middle of a pandemic.
Jaslin Kaur
I would advocate to cut the NYPD's budget to and reinvest those resources into social services and projects, which includes fully funding our public schools, public transportation, and senior services.
Debra Markell
In my 20 years of managing a budget for a public office I have never gone in the red, even during spending cuts. The next Council needs to make hard but thoughtful decisions to get our city budget back on track. To address a budget shortfall, the Council must look to new, equitable sources of tax revenue while keeping spending to a responsible level. Essential agencies and programs such as DOE, Department of Aging, H+H, and NYCHA should not be subject to spending cuts. Likewise, I am against privatization of government services as an attempt to be cost efficient.
10. How should your constituents look to measure your success in achieving your responses outlined above?
Linda Lee
I hope that my constituents look back at my time in office and note that more seniors are living in their own homes, more are engaged in-person and online with the wider community, and that our overall senior population has continued to grow during my time in office, as more and more New Yorkers recognize Eastern Queens and District 23 as an appealing place to live, not only for young families like mine, but for older adults and retirees seeking a quality of life that is increasingly difficult to find in this City.
Jaslin Kaur
If elected, I aim to work hand-in-hand with my constituents to deliver on these pledges. We will measure our collective success through increased funding, stronger collaboration between center, organizations and the City, as well as the expansion of key housing justice protections.
Debra Markell
My constituents, who are majority seniors, will look for success in a Councilmember who can get resources out of City Hall, back into the district, and improves the quality of life for everybody in CD-23. I want to be a strong advocate and responsive representative to all who live in my community.