City Council Candidate Responses
District 3
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.
Erik Bottcher
I grew up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains as the only gay person I knew. It was in New York City that I found myself, and I found activism. I have dedicated my life to fighting for progressive issues such as tenant rights, marriage equality, historic preservation, and people living with HIV/AIDS. I am a longtime public servant and activist, and the candidate with the most experience in city and state government and a proven track record of results throughout our entire district. Having worked very closely for many years with organizations such as LiveOnNY, Senior Planet, Greenwich House, Sage, Hudson Guild, Encore Senior Services, Penn South Senior Services, and more, I have a deep understanding of the important role these programs play in the lives of our seniors. As the LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS liaison to the City Council and at the Governor’s office, I worked closely with senior organizations on issues including marriage equality, cultural competency in senior services, elder care, immigration equality, and more. In Speaker Johnson’s office I helped direct City Council discretionary funding to many nonprofits that serve seniors in Council District 3. One of my proudest accomplishments is having helped prevent the sale of Hartley House senior center in Hell’s Kitchen, which would have been a catastrophic loss for our community. I also helped prevent the closure of the Greenwich House senior center on Barrow Street. I worked with the seniors at Greenwich House to improve programming, and we approached Google to finance a ‘senior prom’ at Our Lady of Pompeii Senior Center. When the pandemic hit, I organized nearly 100 volunteers to place wellness calls to over 6,000 seniors every week, to ensure they had food, medicine and care. I obtained donations from local companies and organized volunteers to distribute over 50,000 pantry boxes to local seniors experiencing food insecurity. These are just a few of the many ways I’ve worked with older adults in our community. I believe that together, we can build a city that works for everyone and make sure that New York City’s best days are still ahead.
Arthur Schwartz
I have been a union-side labor and civil right lawyer for 42 years. I have been the Democratic District Leader in Greenwich Village for 25 years. As a lawyer I have done many age discrimination cases. As a community leader I have often intervened for elederly tenants in disputes with their landlords, and twice has served as Article 81 Guardian for seniors in order to get them out of improper nursing home confinement. In one case I was arrested and charged with grand larceny for taking down surveillance cameras over a 92 year old rent controlled tenant's apartment. My own mom is 99, and I am very involved in her well being . She worked in my office till she was 96. I am counsel to many non-profits, including the Pacifica Foundation, the Black Institute and New York Black Lives matter. I am President of a 501c3 public interest law foundation called Advocates for Justice.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
As the primary accountable with the health and care of my 88-year old mother and father, I happily and proudly take on that responsibility. I know firsthand the daily trials seniors face and I strongly believe our society does not appreciate the wisdom in aging. I have spoken many times about Western vs. Eastern culture in respects to how we treat our older population. We must work to change our value system and not see seniors as a burden but as an asset, to seriously look at integrated and home-health care and to respect our elderly’s wishes. I am happy to volunteer and organize with Encore Community Services and deliver meals to homebound seniors. This is a better experience and education than any other. There is no substitute for doing the work yourself and seeing the realities. I am also an Executive member of Community Board 4 and I deal with our community centers and social service providers on a continual basis. For example, this week I am working to get medical volunteers as injectors for our local community center vaccination site. I am also currently assisting with the search to find older adults to fill part-time job positions at our local park’s arts & education program. Constant engagement with our older population is key.
Marni Halasa
As a resident of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen for the past 28 years, my unique background as a small business owner, community activist, figure skating coach and lawyer — outside of the established political machine — make me the strongest candidate for City Council in 2021. Not only do I lead with my heart, I choose the best policies that lead to genuine reform. I come to this office with this sensibility. Also, I have a coronavirus recovery economic agenda for tenants and small businesses to give them rent relief so they will survive and save our city. As a small business owner, I started Community Control of Land Use to educate and organize small business owners, pushing for the original Small Business Jobs Survival Act, legislation that would give owners rights a long-term affordable and renewable lease. City Hall Insiders told me my small but fierce campaign in 2017 pressured the Speaker to give the SBJSA a public hearing, which unfortunately led nowhere. But I am still fighting to save small businesses with the SBJSA, in addition to vouchers that would provide substantial rent relief. In addition, I have organized NYCHA tenants in our district against RAD, Rental Assistance Demonstration, and other privatization schemes that increase rents and evict tenants. Regarding experiences engaging with older adults, I have often worked with and advocated for older adults and others. For example, I am currently working with older people in District 3 to address concerns about bike safety and prevent accidents. We have worked to address the concerns of bikers endangering pedestrians while also encouraging responsible cycling and allowing delivery people, many of whom are undocumented, to do their jobs. Housing affordability is a central issue in my campaign and also a pressing concern of all too many older people. I have worked with the community at Penn South to ensure that their voices are being heard, as they've felt shut-out of the developer-driven process of decision-making. Among their chief concerns are gentrification, and the continued affordability of the neighborhood for everyday citizens, both of which I will tackle head-on. The issues that brought me into the race in the first place were the closure of my small business by a landlord dead-set on shaking us down for more than we could afford, and my staunch support of the NYCHA tenants at Fulton Houses as they face the prospect of their homes being torn down to make room for a gentrifying condo project.
2. As we live longer and healthier lives, what are your priorities with respect to promoting equity across all ages in our City?
Erik Bottcher
We have to ensure that New York City is a place where all people can age in comfort and dignity. This means ensuring that policy areas such as transportation, housing, employment, and health care are designed to account for all populations, including older adults. Our streets, sidewalks, and public transit must accommodate people with limited mobility. Sidewalks must be well maintained, widened where possible, and pedestrian ramps must be installed on all corners and well maintained. We have to create more affordable housing for seniors in buildings with elevators that also have supportive senior services. The city needs to crack down on employment discrimination, because many older adults are ready, willing, and able to work but have been shut out of the job market due to illegal profiling. We need a healthcare system that does not force older adults to become impoverished and unload all the assets they’ve accumulated before they can start receiving adequate health coverage. These are just a few of the policy areas that our city must address to make sure people can live long, healthy lives here.
Arthur Schwartz
Affordable housing which reflects a senior's ability to pay is one key. I mean genuinely affordable, and I include fighting for infrastructure repair and upkeep at NYCHA, which houses many seniors. And easily accessible health services, including home care is another. Third is food services, assuring that seniors have healthy nutritious food to eat.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
Aging in place has to be the top priority. There has been a seismic shift, of course, in certain housing prices in New York during the pandemic, but the fact remains that affordable senior housing/multigenerational housing is generally extremely hard to come by. We must invest in subsidized housing for seniors and we must be mindful of transportation access and building in social services and community within the planning of that housing.
Incentivizing older hires in the workforce and building in age equity is also something I feel strongly about. We have a real opportunity as we seek to recover from COVID and entice tourists back to the city. Many transplants have left New York, but many seniors and long-term residents not only don’t have the resources to go elsewhere but also can’t imagine leaving. We should look to leverage the hiring of long-time New Yorkers in public-facing jobs where they could infuse their roles with the literal history of the city from their perspective.
Senior centers and senior center meals are the last major item I’ll mention. The community and services that senior centers provide are invaluable, and we have surely seen during this pandemic the psychological and physical toll that isolation has waged on many aging New Yorkers. Indeed, for some of our older residents on a fixed income, New York’s cost of living has simply surpassed what is feasible to survive. We need to do all we can to support these folks having food security, as well as services to bolster mental and physical health and the chance to socialize and be in community with one another.
Marni Halasa
When we hear inequity discussed, we rarely think of seniors. But in reality senior poverty is endemic, and growing further as the city cost of living skyrockets, while their fixed incomes do not. We urgently need controls on cost of living, the city provision to 'top up' low incomes, and above all access to affordable housing. My opponents talk about 'deeply affordable' housing while leaving the onus of actually building this to developers, who are intrinsically untrustworthy as partners in socially-driven growth. My plan is to use a revenue stream generated by the replacement of developer-to-developer 'air rights' sales with city-led FAR credit auctions to pay for an expansion of mixed-income and mixed-age city-owned housing, with particular provision for seniors, particularly those on low & fixed incomes.
We should also avoid discounting non-economic forms of inequity. Namely, equity with respect to access to healthcare is a vital concern for many seniors. In my district, the developer-led tearing down of St Vincent's Hospital has left many seniors to face untenably long trips to NYU Langone, Beth Israel or Mount Sinai for routine medical check-ups. I would bring back a city-driven hospital with a trauma center to the Village, and work with NYC Health to bring down prescription costs for seniors.
Finally, I plan to introduce a proposal for greater city home rule, and at the heart of this proposal is a demand that the city take back EBT and Medicaid administration, receiving funds in a pass-through arrangement with Albany. This will allow the city to improve EBT + Medicaid targeting for the city's uniquely high cost-of-living, strengthen our city healthcare system, and broaden the scope of purchases eligible for EBT cards. Replacing EBT cards with purchase-agnostic prepaid cards would save too-high EBT administration costs, allow seniors with fixed incomes to use these funds to purchase whatever goods & services they needed, and allow the city to effect targeted top-ups of those most at risk.
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.
Erik Bottcher
I support increasing DFTA funding, and will focus on reimagining senior programming for the 21st century by working closely with our local seniors to do so. The senior center of yesteryear involved serving food and putting out board games for seniors. That is no longer adequate. I will push for an expansion of services that includes activities, performances, field trips, virtual activities, and more. Seniors are active, vibrant, and they need good programming to match that. I will work with Greenwich House and other centers to explore the possibility of a storefront senior center at street level, with cafe seating outside. The abundance of stores available for rent should make this an attainable goal. Our seniors literally built this city into what it is today, and we have a responsibility to care for them and ensure that they have what they need to live happy, healthy lives.
Arthur Schwartz
The budget should be doubled. I fully support the program proposals of the Center for an Urban Future.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
I do support increasing the DFTA budget. Having spoken to a number of senior citizens in our district, I would say the biggest gap is awareness of some of the services New York City already does offer. COVID has complicated this, but as someone who’s running for office, I recognize that the outreach I’m doing to encourage voters to get to the polls could be utilized as an elected official as well. I would support adding resources to DFTA specifically for outreach and engagement to encourage seniors to participate in the programs that are already in place. Because internet access and facility is less consistent for older residents, I would like to see investment in outreach via phone and door-knocking, and I would ensure that it takes place in a variety of languages so a strong grasp of English is not a barrier to aging with dignity.
Marni Halasa
Yes, I support increasing the budget for the Department for the Aging without reservations. Some particular policy focuses of mine are adding a senior center to every city-owned housing development, such as Fulton Houses in my district, and my plan to transform EBT.
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.
Erik Bottcher
Yes. The social safety net in New York depends on our human service sector and if rising costs aren’t accounted for when compensating organizations, the most vulnerable New Yorkers will suffer.
Arthur Schwartz
I not only support a COLA, I support a requirement - if an agency wants to work for the City - that such workers be in unions, with employer paid health benefits, paid leave and pensions
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
I do support a COLA increase for human service workers as well as the full implementation of the ICR in non-profits. Those working with our most vulnerable populations should not be starving in their own city. Already overwhelmed by caseloads, they should not have to pick up a second job just to survive in the city they support. A Cost of Living Adjustment is the bare minimum of support we should be allocating to these workers.
Lower wages are not unusual in the social service industry and we have to correct these values. I am pleased that President Biden has proposed more than $400 billion in the new infrastructure plan to devote to providing more medical care and at-home care to seniors. This will shift treatment and service from large institutions and help workers, mostly BIPOC, and their labor organizations. It will also allow an easier path for seniors to age at home.
Marni Halasa
Yes, I support both of these initiatives. We are currently facing a personnel shortage of these workers, whose support is absolutely vital to ensure our seniors are able to get by. We must do whatever we can to make sure these workers are able to afford to stay in the city & provide the services our seniors need.
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?
Erik Bottcher
Every land use application is an opportunity to generate affordable senior housing, and I will make sure that these applications generate maximum public benefit. When new construction generates affordable housing, I will work with the community for opportunities to include senior housing with services. The glut of distressed hotels and commercial office buildings provides an opportunity to create new housing, and I will push for senior housing in these developments. We must also protect existing tenants from landlord harassment, and ensure that the rent laws are enforced and never compromised.
Arthur Schwartz
Home health services should be covered under Medicare, like they are under Medicaid. Agencies that provide such care must be better paid and trained than they are. I support senior affordable housing and oppose use of AMI in stting income cutoffs. I also support a capital program to build senior affordable housing
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
I firmly support aging in place for our senior population. We need to ensure that seniors have access to care managers for medical visits, transportation assistance and support for family caregivers. Subsidized housing for seniors is a necessity: very few could live on a fixed income in our district. We have the space, we need to make the adaptive reuse process easier. COVID has presented us with a chance to hit the reset button in many ways. The city is going to undergo a significant shakeup in terms of space utilization in the coming years. We would be foolish not to seize this opportunity to turn some underutilized parcels of land and even vacant office space into affordable housing for groups like senior citizens and artists. I am also looking into the multigenerational affordable housing model. Our city is least affordable to two groups: the very young starting out and the older population on fixed incomes. I believe there is benefit in social services carefully connecting the two.
The ULURP is quite broken at this moment, so I hesitate to speak to that. Suffice to say, I would advocate for a substantial increase in affordable housing before approving any major projects. The city cannot keep giving away one of our most valuable resources to developers; we need to start truly asking developers and then holding them to account on the question of: how will this benefit the community?
Marni Halasa
As I have said previously, my plan use a revenue stream generated by the replacement of developer-to-developer 'air rights' sales with city-led FAR credit auctions to pay for an expansion of mixed-income and mixed-age city-owned housing, with particular provision for seniors, particularly those on low & fixed incomes. This revenue mechanism will generate nearly a bllion dollars a year without any increase in New Yorkers' tax burden. This money will be provisioned specifically to build new city-owned housing for mixed-incomes and mixed-ages, with specific quotas for seniors & those on fixed incomes. All of these housing sites will have on-site senior centers, and city-led nursing, pharmacy + urgent-care services to make the ongoing health needs of seniors more manageable.
In addition, I will work with legislators in Albany to introduce universal rent control with specific provisions for seniors on reduced and fixed incomes, although this requires approval from upstate.
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?
Erik Bottcher
I will fund organizations such as OATS and Senior Planet, which provide technology and training to older adults. Our DFTA funded senior centers also provide key linkages to seniors.
The city needs to do a better job at intergenerational programming. We have a growing tech sector and many students who would gladly help seniors with technology, but the infrastructure to make that happen needs to be created. Many older adults have also mastered the latest technology and can serve as peer educators and trainers. Each senior center should be outfitted with the latest technology on which seniors can be trained.
Arthur Schwartz
There must be a corps of people who work through the Dept of Education that teach people how to use technology, and funds to provide the elderly poor with internet and needed hardware. My Mom, at 99, uses email, Facebook and Instagram
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
We have all seen the pitfalls of relying on digital outreach with the COVID vaccine rollout among the senior population. I have spoken with older residents in public housing who are trying to understand where their stimulus checks are, without having access to the internet or even to a computer, and I can feel their frustration with the lack of answers. I support extending free wifi to homeless shelters, NYCHA, and anywhere else that may have a sizable population of low-income seniors. I also think this would be an excellent use of discretionary funds as a City Council member. Providing free trainings on how to use simple programs or apps on phones, and offering more robust assistance when it comes to applying for programs or re-certifying for existing statuses is exactly the kind of thing constituents should be able to approach their City Councilmember for. In the district we currently have Hudson Guild, which assists NYCHA residents with benefits and questions related to publicly provided services. Working with organizations such as this to meet the needs of our senior population would be a priority of mine.
Marni Halasa
I would introduce a program modeled after what the Lighthouse does to offer tech training for folks with reduced vision, and offer 1-on-1 support for learning technology to seniors. We can distribute computers or tablets through the same contracting procedures as our city's public schools, and install on them remote support for seniors, such that they can be connected to live city employees able to teach them how to use technology & troubleshoot fixes.
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?
Erik Bottcher
A committee should be established now with key stakeholders, especially older adults, who will be tasked with evaluating the food distribution response during this criss and establishing recommendations for immediate and long term implementation. While the city can be applauded for putting a program in place quickly, it is likely that millions of dollars were wasted on food that was unhealthy or even in some cases inedible. Senior centers are one of our greatest resources in reaching older adults experiencing food insecurity and we should make them the cornerstone of current and future food distribution efforts.
Arthur Schwartz
I think that the expansion of in-home services is a plus, but seniors also need social interaction. The use of non-profits to provide food and care during COVID needs to be institutionalized.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
I am running a campaign entered around grassroots, neighborhood support. I’ve seen firsthand how organizations like Encore Community Services have stepped up during the pandemic to provide even more care to the senior population they serve. I think local government should always look to boost nonprofits that have grown up from neighborhood need. These are the exact organizations we should be closely vetting and then seeking to partner with as a City Council; once you’ve identified a group with a deep understanding of what’s happening on the ground in your district and how to support the populations that need it, it would be foolish not to invest resources to bolster the work they’re already doing.
One of the most problematic issues we have seen during COVID was the isolation of seniors. Removed from family and friends, many seniors had to shelter in place alone (and may without internet) which has taken a huge toll on mental health. These senior centers and their programs are, in many cases, the main social connection the elderly in our neighborhood have. I can’t tell you how many times I have delivered food to a homebound senior during the pandemic and they just want to sit and talk.
We know that seniors are a particularly vulnerable group to COVID, of course, so caution is advisable. At the same time, we also know this population has been highly prioritized for vaccination, and many are fully vaccinated by now. There is truly no reason to continue to shutter a major source of camaraderie and care for our district’s seniors, and we should be opening the doors to those who’ve had both shots.
Marni Halasa
For future emergencies, the city should proactively develop a plan involving key senior services organizations, housing & NYC Health to bring quality-of-life services such as meal delivery to individual households, which will be brought about through our aforementioned programs of universal technology access & pocket senior centers in every city development.
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.
Erik Bottcher
We must focus on the day to day experience of older adults in our community. Store owners must be engaged to shelve products in a way so seniors can access them easily. Because older adults benefit from having a place to sit while going about their day, benches and other seating opportunities should be created in our community on sidewalks and other locations. Intersections need to be made safer including audio-prompts for crossing signals. All corners must feature pedestrian ramps which need to be properly maintained, with a focus on eliminating ponding. Elevator access at all subway stations needs to be prioritized. We need a rapid bus transit network that is within a 5 minute walk of all residents, with elevated platforms for easy boarding.
We must also ensure that seniors can access healthcare, including geriatric care, in our neighborhoods without having to travel long distances. I will fight to protect and expand Federally Qualified Health Centers in Council District 3 that provide comprehensive primary care for all residents. Visiting nurse services are vitally important to ensure the health and vitality of older adults. I also strongly support the New York Health Act, which would guarantee insurance coverage for New Yorkers. I will conduct health care literacy outreach to older adults in our district via organizations such as the Medicare Rights Center, Say Ah!, and other groups.
Arthur Schwartz
I have successfully fought for increased elevator access to subways, and restoration of bus stops, soi older NYers can take mass transit, and want buses to run faster, more frequently, be less crowded, and a better funded Acess-a-Ride system I I want to see a capital program to build housing.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
This is something we’ve heard over and over again from voters: install more benches! It sounds like a small thing, but the city has been fastidiously eliminating places to sit and rest from public spaces in an effort to make those spaces hostile to the homeless population. This is not only displaying a lack of compassion for the homeless, but also a total disregard for other populations, such as senior citizens. The necessity of elevators in many more subway stations (and more consistent maintenance for the elevators that do exist so they are not constantly out of service) cannot be overstated. I am a big advocate for transportation equity. This is critical for seniors to get around the city.
We should also be investing in walkable infrastructure -- our sidewalks, particularly in low income neighborhoods, are often in terrible disrepair, and bike lanes are a consistent source of friction, with seniors at risk when entering bike lanes to get to mid-street crosswalks.
I also strongly believe in healthy funding for our community centers. These are the places that connect seniors socially, provide health services and offer educational programs.
Quality of life considerations such as mobile pet care, resources to combat financial scams that target seniors and resources to improve access to and ease of navigation of the internet would be projects I am interested in facilitating.
Marni Halasa
I am fighting to improve safety for seniors with regards to bicyclists, through both enforcement of red lights against cyclists, and more protected lanes.
I would push to expand sidewalks such that sidewalk cafe seating doesn't lead to seniors being crowded off the pavement.
As I previously mentioned, I would restore the health services missing after St Vincent's left the neighborhood, and provide senior-tailored health services in every city housing site.
In addition, my plan for city EBT dispersal combined with income top-ups would dramatically transform the safety net.
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.
Erik Bottcher
As the government works through current and future budget cycles, it is fair to ask the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay a little more to help us through these difficult times. I will not allow the budget to be balanced on the backs of older New Yorkers. Waste and mismanagement has to be routed out at all levels, particularly on capital projects which are astronomically expensive and routinely over budget and late.
Arthur Schwartz
The NYPD can spare several billion just through reallocation of responsibilities. I support higher taxes on the wealthy, a pied a terre tax. And there is lots of fat that can be cut in the Mayor's office.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
I do believe we should stop expecting our city’s social services to handle the constant cuts they’re dealt. My district has also seen the immediate impact of the cuts to DSNY. These were essential services, especially in the midst of a public health crisis, yet they were cut. We must protect against those cuts even in a budget shortfall.
Much has been made of potential cuts to the NYPD’s budget, and I have consistently said we must disentangle social services from law enforcement. I do think there is potential there to cut waste and find funds to fill gaps in agencies that provide critical services to vulnerable populations like seniors.
Marni Halasa
There are many revenue sources that should be considered both to address budget shortfalls and to expand services. A pied-a-terre tax which would raise revenues and also make the tax system more equitable. We should consider residential parking permits that other cities use to assure that drivers pay for the costs they impose. My air rights plan would raise nearly a billion a year without the need for Albany approval.
We can also greatly reduce spending via reform of the criminal legal system. Reductions in incarceration save money in addition to helping the community. Funding should be moved from the police budget into social services.
10. How should your constituents look to measure your success in achieving your responses outlined above?
Erik Bottcher
I have an eleven year track record of accomplishment in city and state government, in addition to a history of activism and advocacy in progressive causes. The best way to know what someone is going to do is to look at what they have done. The only true measure of success is in the tangible improvements New Yorkers see in their daily lives. New Yorkers should know that as a member of the City Council I will also measure my success in the concrete improvements that my constituents see in their daily lives.
Arthur Schwartz
Measuer real affordable housing. See if we can lower transit fares. Count how many elderly tenants we represent as an office.
Leslie Boghosian Murphy
Transparency and accountability are cornerstone values of my campaign, and, I would suggest, of good governance. I believe in action and in having the political will to push policies that will benefit my community; one big motivation for my campaign was the lack of action I saw in my city leaders. I am running to get things done. And so my constituents should look to what I have accomplished so far and continue to measure me based on my actions, as well as my advocacy for our district in everything from land use processes to community programs.
Marni Halasa
My success should be measured by the impact I had on people's lives and in how I have promoted ideas to help New Yorkers. I will set measurable goals and track my success in achieving them through a live tracker on my office website. I will have a staff person dedicated to the issues of older adults, working directly with them to address problems they may be having and also advocating on issues that particularly affect older adults. I will be responsive to constituent concerns, and hold regular 'office hours', wherein my constituents can raise any questions or issues they might have with the implementation of these priorities.