City Council Candidate Responses

District 49

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.

Amoy Barnes

I have lived in Staten Island since I was 4 years old ; I'm running for City Council because I believe in the North Shore. I've spent my career serving my community as a public servant at the State, Local and Federal level. In my experience at the Parks Department, The Department of Education, The Community Affairs Unit and volunteering with non-profits in the North Shore I have come to understand the importance of having local leaders/elected officials that understand the community, listen to constituents and who have shown they are willing to roll up their sleeves and get the work done. I've had the privilege of working with seniors professionally as a constituent services liaison and a borough representative in the Community Affairs Unit. Outside of work I've had the opportunity to: do home visits, deliver food and make phone calls to seniors. As a member of City Council I intend to continue to serve seniors in my community.

Troy McGhie

I am a lifelong resident of the North Shore, a father to two sons and a husband to an administrator at Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell Health. For the past 20 years, I have been an educator with the New York City Department of Education and a high school basketball coach. Since 2014, I have served as a Community Liaison for the City Council District, working to connect our people of all ages to our City Council member’s office. In that role, I have attended hundreds of Community Board and civic association meetings and was able to see first-hand the needs and concerns of our nonprofits and the people they serve.

2. As we live longer and healthier lives, what are your priorities with respect to promoting equity across all ages in our City?

Amoy Barnes

In my community one of the greatest barriers to equity for all people but especially seniors is access to healthcare, transportation and groceries. I feel strongly that until a permanent solution is reached we must explore more robust mechanisms of food and healthcare delivery and push the MTA to serve our communities equitably. To me that looks like community health services at local community schools, opportunities for mobile and home health and more robust mechanisms of quality food distribution that is tailored specifically to the level of need each person receiving services needs.

This services must be sustainable and culturally competent.

Troy McGhie

In addition to adequate levels of funding for the Department for the Aging, senior programs and senior centers, we must also commit to looking at all city services through the lens of our aging population. That would include ensuring that our parks, our transportation system and our housing meet the needs of people of all ages.

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.

Amoy Barnes

Yes. I will support more funding for food services. I am also in support of more RFP's for Innovative Senior Centers and supporting Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities. I believe that DFTA should be able to work closely with MTA and other agencies to ensure that NORC have transportation and public facilities that are tailored to the unique needs of seniors.

Troy McGhie

The pandemic has taught us just how vulnerable many populations are, including our seniors. These programs are a lifeline to many, and we cannot let our seniors down. On the North Shore of Staten Island, we have seen investments in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities start and stop, and I will fight for more sustained investments for our seniors.

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.

Amoy Barnes

YES, other large cities and municipalities have implemented COLA; with rising costs and inflation COLA adjustments seem fair and a logical step to maintain quality of life for human service workers. ICR doesn't seem to have created any considerable issues in 2019 or 2020 and I see no reason not to fully implement it.

Troy McGhie

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?

Amoy Barnes

I believe that Not-For-Profit Housing developments along with Community Land Trusts are the most logically way to provide sustainable affordable housing in our city. Other property built on City land which barred corporate profits could also be a part of the solution. I will support efforts to increase senior housing (even by prioritizing housing in other developments).

Troy McGhie

Senior housing is one of the greatest housing needs on the North Shore of Staten Island. The recent rezoning of the Bay Street Corridor includes some affordable senior housing units that are scheduled to come online over the next decade. For me, this is only a start, and I will advocate for additional subsidized senior housing units in future rezonings, as well as physical infrastructure that meets the needs of seniors.

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?

Amoy Barnes

I support a multi-pronged approach to addressing the digital divide.
1. Mesh Networks - NYC Mesh and other similar networks across the country are viable and allow people to utilize the PUBLIC utility networks that Spectrum/Optimum and other big businesses utilize for profit while providing unequitable internet quality (often people are provided no alternative). NYC should continue to provide grants to these programs and seniors needs to connection should be a consideration in funding distribution.

2. Public Wifi - At this point in time access to the internet is a basic necessity for connecting to HRA and other services there should be mechanisms for public wifi, whether that be a subsidized network provided by the city OR hotspots provided through city agencies.

3. Increase Opportunities for tech education - I believe that community centers have been instrumental in some communities but we must push the envelope of what information is being taught and creating targeted opportunities for learning, remotely, at schools, colleges and community centers to address the knowledge gap when it comes to technology. DFTA and its providers should play a key role in identifying those gaps for seniors.

Troy McGhie

During the pandemic, access to technology meant access to food delivery, vaccine appointments and other life-saving services. We must continue working to bring broadband to low-income communities and technology access to senior centers and other areas where seniors can not only access technology, but obtain the technical assistance they may need.

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?

Amoy Barnes

I believe the city should have a more robust plan for how to provide services during natural or man-made disasters. This includes food/meal delivery, health services, RX services and assistance with heat/cooling. Non-profits can be utilized to connect directly with their constituents to provide help facilitate these services.

Troy McGhie

This situation reveals a stark disconnect between city government and the needs of our aging population. Senior centers are not just for meal distribution, they are hubs that improve the physical, mental and emotional health of our seniors, and they should be considered as essential as restaurants. We need to break down barriers between government, nonprofits and seniors, starting with a City Council hearing on how seniors were or were not served during the pandemic, followed by a task force to provide and implement recommendations for the future.

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.

Amoy Barnes

Much of my community is both a food and transportation dessert; my borough does not have a community hospital nor does it have enough public clinics. My community has some of the lowest per capita grocery options in New York City and on the east coast. A more age friendly North Shore would have more affordable and healthy grocers, would have mobile food distribution points for fruits, vegetables, and food stuffs. An age friendly Staten Island would have more accessible (in location and design) transit options. If we want to care for seniors we must also absolutely provide more opportunities to seek medical care within our communities. Not in Manhattan or Brooklyn, but within our own communities. I believe this can be accomplished by integrating health services into other locations, using mobile clinics and providing home health and RX delivery where necessary.

Troy McGhie

Too often, people in decision-making positions are not aware of how physical infrastructure can be an impediment to our seniors. I commit to proactively soliciting input from older adults in all decision-making areas, including housing, transportation, parks and more.

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.

Amoy Barnes

We must distribute cuts across the city equitably. For decades certain departments like the NYPD have often not felt the reality of budget shortfalls and austerity politics is the result. I believe that in the event of another emergency which requires people to shelter in place should immediately require DCAS to reduce spending on city owned buildings that are practically empty.

Troy McGhie

We should not balance any budget on the backs of vulnerable people, including our seniors and our young people. Responsible budgeting includes preparing for shortfalls by setting aside adequate reserves so that no elected official feels compelled to cut essential services.

10. How should your constituents look to measure your success in achieving your responses outlined above?

Amoy Barnes

Broadly I believe it should be measure by my ability to advocate for and secure access to vital services. Those include: healthy foods, healthcare options, transit options and information.

Troy McGhie

I will be transparent in my decision making, accessible to constituents and constantly, actively seeking input. My aim is to create a better, more inclusive North Shore, and the proof will be in the positive differences city government makes in the day-to-day lives of North Shore residents of all ages.

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