Monday, February 25, 2019

Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr. - A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.
District 18 Bronx County, New York

You should know that given the recent controversy surrounding me and the New York City Council has prompted my “friends” and those that I helped acquire their elected positions turn their backs on me.  But I want you to know this is nothing new. Given my past experiences in my life I have develop a thick skin, and grown in my faith to the all mighty.  
 
It is important for you to know that in 1960, during the Vietnam conflict, while many Americans, well connected politicians, and celebrities used their influence to avoid the draft, and others fled to Canada, and other countries I did the opposite.  As a young 18 year old kid, I chose to volunteer and serve my country in the United States Army. Which I am proud to say I did honorably.

My basic training was at Fort Jackson South Carolina.  Remember this was in the early 1960’s in the Jim Crow South. Never mind that I was a United States Army Soldier, if I wanted a drink of water, I was forced to drink out of the water fountain labeled “Colored”.   I was also ordered by those in command to pick up cigarette butts thrown on the sidewalk by White folks.

I can’t help but remember my personal experiences and horrible abuses committed against Black people.  Out of many instances one in particular comes to mind.    It was during my first pass.   I was in the company of my “friends” fellow soldiers who like me were Puerto Rican, one difference though, they were light skin, or should I say White.  

I was all decked out, so proud to be dressed in my Army Uniform, going into town with my buddies, my fellow soldiers.  We decided to go into a bar and enjoy a couple of beers.  When the waiter came to our table he took everyone’s order but not mine.  As he turned to walk away I said “hey waiter, you didn’t take my order”.  He turned, looked at me and said “Whatever you’re looking for, we haven’t got it.”   I looked at my “friends”, my fellow Puerto Ricans, and fellow Soldiers expecting their support, and hoping they would walk out with me, but instead they told me, “looks like you’re going to have to leave.”   Realizing I was alone, I quietly left the bar.  However, my “friends” stayed and enjoyed their beer. 

I completed my tour of duty with an honorable discharge.  However, when I returned to my home town in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, my experience in the Segregated, Jim Crow, South nearly destroyed my life.  In 1965 I left Puerto Rico and migrated to Brooklyn New York, at Sutter Avenue to be exact.  

It was there in Brooklyn NY., that in a small African American Pentecostal church my life took a turn for the better.  I converted to Christianity.  Based on my faith I don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t dance, and I don’t need any of it to be happy.  As a result of my faith, and my thick skin I find happiness inspite of all the attacks, persecution and adversity that may come my way.   I am ever so grateful for my many blessings.   I have much to be grateful for.

In 1993 I was appointed to serve as a Commissioner, representing the Bronx, on the CCRB, {Civilian Complaint Review Board}.   It was here, at a CCRB hearing that a member of the Gay Community attacked me when he violently threw a pitcher of water at me. He then hurled the pitcher hitting me with it. He was not arrested for assault, and I did not press any charges. 

My comments and my positions have often been taken out of context. This has resulted in my being called by a very hateful term, a “Homophobe.”  Anyone who has dealt with me, and knows me personally knows that this is a false description of who I am. A clear example of this is the position I took regarding The Harvey Milk School.   

The HM school was created in New York City exclusively to serve Gay students.  It was going to be a high-end school.  They boasted it would have the latest in technology, with the best equipment and it would be the best of the best in public schools. My opposition was not the school. It was clearly based on the fact that this “high-end school” was being opened exclusively for Gay students and not to ALL students.  Given that tax payer dollars were being used for the creation of this exclusive public school, I opposed its lack of diversity, multi-culturalism, and overall inclusion of other groups. 

In certain case’s we demand inclusion for all, and then in some cases we want segregation and exclusivity and demand special treatment for some.  We must be sincere when we espouse in favor of equality, inclusion and fair treatment for all. Either we favor inclusion for all or we don’t. My dear reader we cannot have it both ways.

This created a political fire storm for me and again I was branded a “homophobe.”  I stood my ground because I felt I was right, so I took my opposition to court. Upon an agreement that the Harvey Milk school would be opened to all students, heterosexuals, Blacks, Latinos and other students I dropped the law suit. But the name calling continued and the true facts of my opposition were ignored.  

Throughout the years as a public servant I have been the object of diatribes, numerous death threats, profane, filthy and hateful language has been used to address me.  The venom is such that my closest friends and associates, out of fear, abandon and openly reject me.  I give you one of the most crystal, clear examples.

Assemblyman Michael Blake, an African American, elected official I called a friend and part of my working community team. He donated $1,000 to my City Council campaign.  Someone got to him, and he was forced to publicly denounce me, and request that I return his donation.  Which he, unabashedly, asked me to return.  Needless to say, I did not.  

Others have been forced not to accept my endorsement or else they will face a backlash.  Business people have been threatened with negative repercussions if they dare donate to my campaign. 

Now we see how far they are willing to go without any regard as to who gets hurt with the actions they take. Recently as you know The City Council voted against the Taxi Industry which will negatively impact the taxi drivers and their lively hood.  The majority of the City Council members voted to eliminate/ abolish the committee that exclusively advocates on behalf of Taxi Drivers. The “For Hire Vehicles Committee” helped the taxi industry by monitoring and preventing further injustices, abuses and discriminatory practices that the taxi drivers have been subjected to. 

Frankly I don’t understand the City Councils action to eliminate the “For Hire Vehicles Committee”.   Removing me from its leadership position is one thing, but abolishing the Committee all together is something else.  This hurts the Taxi Drivers.  Especially during this time when nine (9) taxi drivers have committed suicide due to years of the abuses inflicted upon them by The NYC Council, its previous speaker, and the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. They allowed Uber, and other unregulated for hire vehicle companies to destroy the taxi drivers’ investments add to that the abusive astronomical fees and penalties imposed upon them brought them to the brink of bankruptcy. 

With the elimination of the “For Hire Vehicles Committee” proper monitoring and advocacy on behalf of the drivers and Taxi industry will suffer. The NYC Council with their vote to eliminate this committee has opened the door for the return of these abuses and this may lead to an end of the yellow taxi and livery Industry.  All of that in their senseless quest to persecute and shame me into submission.  That’s fine. But the City Council must answer this question, why abolish the committee, why not just appoint someone else to its leadership position?

As for me I will continue to serve in my elected capacity as a Councilman until I am term limited or my constituents decide otherwise.  In closing I quote 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
  
This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is What You Should Know.  

Sunday, February 24, 2019

SIX INDICTED FOLLOWING OVER 50 SALES OF NARCOTICS IN HARLEM: TWO HANDGUNS SEIZED

guns

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor and New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill announced today the arrest and indictment of six individuals in connection with an investigation that involved more than 50 sales of crack cocaine and heroin in the vicinity of the West 123rd Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem.
Each of the six defendants is charged in a separate indictment filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. The arrests followed a long-term investigation by the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Manhattan North Narcotics. Arraignments are scheduled for this afternoon before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Felicia A. Mennin, Part 22, 111 Centre Street. The defendants face charges of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.
The investigation began in response to community complaints about persistent drug trafficking in the vicinity of 225 West 123rd Street. The defendants allegedly congregated in groups to sell narcotics on the block and impeded the ability of passersby, including school children, to safely use the sidewalks. At least five schools are located within a three-block radius of the block. Peak times for conducting drug sales fell between the hours of 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Beginning in June of 2017, loosely affiliated narcotics dealers allegedly made more than 50 sales of crack cocaine and heroin to an NYPD undercover officer. On some days multiple defendants sold to the undercover officer in rapid succession. In instances when one dealer was low on supply, he would refer customers to another dealer nearby.
During the investigation, defendant NANA POKU allegedly conducted 17 sales of crack cocaine and heroin to the undercover officer, the most of all of the defendants. Defendant GARY REID allegedly served as a heroin supplier for POKU. Aside from POKU and REID, the other defendants exclusively sold crack cocaine to the undercover officer.
In conjunction with the arrests this morning, members of the NYPD’s Manhattan North Narcotics conducted court authorized searches of three apartments, including POKU’s residence at 135 West 123rd Street. POKU was in his bedroom when police arrived. From underneath his mattress, police recovered two handguns. Quantities of suspected crack cocaine were found scattered around the apartment. Defendant DARREN SQUIRE was also arrested inside POKU’s residence.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked her office’s Trial Division, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and the NYPD’s Manhattan North Narcotics.
“I hope these arrests give relief to the beleaguered residents of West 123rd Street.  School children and people on their way home from a long day at work had to push past dealers clogging sidewalks, making them feel uneasy in their own neighborhood,” said Special Narcotics Prosecutor Brennan. “In search warrants today, we seized crack cocaine alongside firearms, reminding all that violence and drug dealing often go hand in hand.  I commend the NYPD’s Manhattan North Narcotics teams for their work and thank the residents of West 123rd Street for their perseverance as we developed evidence in this case.”
 IndictmentsCharges
1Jonathan Alvarez; New York, NY; 6/26/1999CSCS 3rd – 2 cts
2Nana Poku; New York, NY; 1/6/1996CSCS 3rd – 17 cts
3Kerry Rainey; New York, NY; 1/21/1994CSCS 3rd – 3 cts
4Gary Reid; Haverstraw, NY; 4/23/1969CSCS 3rd – 3 cts
5Darren Squire; New York, NY; 12/26/1990CSCS 3rd – 1 ct
6Emmanuel Suce; New York, NY; 9/5/1987CSCS 3rd – 8 cts
 The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.


Dangerous Fentanyl Masked as Counterfeit Oxycodone: 20,000 Pills Seized in the Bronx and Manhattan


counterfeit oxy & heroin                  counterfeit oxy

New Yorkers Cautioned Against Purchasing Black Market Prescription Pills

  Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill and New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett announced the seizure of 20,000 pills of counterfeit oxycodone suspected to contain fentanyl and two kilograms of heroin (over 4 ½ pounds) over the past week as a result of two investigations. The pills carry a street value of up to $600,000. Counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, a potentially lethal synthetic opioid, are increasingly appearing on the black market in New York City.

Four defendants are charged in criminal complaints filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. The arrests are a result of two investigations by the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF) Group T-12, which is comprised of agents and officers from the DEA New York Division, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the New York State Police. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department assisted in the investigation.
On February 7, 2019, agents and officers were conducting surveillance as part of an ongoing investigation centered on a suspected narcotics trafficker, ANDRES REYES-MARTINEZ, when they observed him entering and exiting a cellphone store at 155-B West Kingsbridge Road in the Fordham Manor neighborhood of the Bronx.
The Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor secured a search warrant for the location and agents and officers entered the cellphone store at approximately 5:50 p.m.  REYES-MARTINEZ and a second individual, JESUS GARCIA, were the only people present inside the store at the time. GARCIA, the purported owner of the cellphone store, stood behind the counter and was in conversation with REYES-MARTINEZ.
Above the first floor retail area, agents and officers found a second floor storage area and recovered approximately 14,000 small blue tablets stamped “M30” that closely matched the color and markings of prescription oxycodone. The pills were split between 14 bags, each holding approximately 1,000 pills, and are suspected to contain fentanyl. Police also recovered two brick-shaped packages wrapped in duct tape, each weighing approximately one kilogram, containing a tan powdery substance with the characteristics and appearance of heroin. The store is located in a busy commercial area in close proximity to the Kingsbridge Armory.
Four days earlier, on February 3, 2019, agents and officers made a similar seizure after conducting surveillance on a livery car heading southbound on the FDR Drive. Agents and officers stopped the vehicle in which defendants DAVID ESPINAL and VICTOR ALMANZAR-CARDENAS were traveling in the vicinity of 1st Avenue and East 49th Street.
ESPINAL had a large object in his pocket and began flailing his arms, refusing to be handcuffed. Agents and officers recovered the object, which proved to be a large clear plastic bag containing approximately 6,000 pills. The pills were blue in color and were stamped “M30,” markings consistent with oxycodone. Subsequent laboratory analysis revealed that the pills contained fentanyl.
The fentanyl pills recovered in these investigations are believed to have originated in Mexico. A highly potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl is cheaper to obtain than pharmaceutical-grade opioid prescription pills and much more deadly.
Overdose deaths in New York City are at record-high levels and fentanyl is involved in more than half of these fatalities. A customer accustomed to taking oxycodone would not necessarily have the tolerance to be able to ingest fentanyl without suffering an overdose.
Black market 30 mg oxycodone pills can sell on the street for up to $30 each. At that price, the combined total number of pills recovered in these investigations could have carried a street value of up to $600,000.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked her office’s Special Investigations Bureau (SIB), Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.
“If you take ‘prescription’ pills that did not come directly from a pharmacy, you are risking your life,” said Special Narcotics Prosecutor Brennan.  “Throughout New York City, we have seen a spate of cases involving tens of thousands of potentially lethal fentanyl pills masquerading as oxycodone. Just because black market pills have the same color and design as legitimate pills, it does not mean they are safe.  The ingredients and potency are all unknown, and minuscule amounts of fentanyl can cause overdose or death. Consuming a counterfeit pill is akin to playing Russian Roulette.”
“These arrests highlight a growing trend in illicit street drugs which increases the risk of drug overdose,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. “Traffickers are mass producing pseudo-pharmaceutical pills made of heroin, fentanyl and other illicit drugs in makeshift laboratories throughout New York City.  These pills attract users because they are more convenient and less conspicuous; but users should beware because they are unregulated and lethal.  DEA and our law enforcement partners are committed to removing such threats and arresting drug dealers, traffickers and manufacturers.”
Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said, “NYPD detectives continue to work tirelessly to hold those responsible who traffic opioids and fentanyl into our communities and contribute to related overdoses that have brought devastation to countless families. We will continue to work closely with our federal, state and local partners to stop this type of criminal activity. I commend the investigators who put themselves in harm’s way to remove these dangerous narcotics from the streets of New York.”
Acting New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said, "I applaud the collaborative work of our New York State Police members and law enforcement partners at all levels for their relentless efforts to keep illegal drugs off our streets. These charges and the seizure of these lethal drugs are the result of their hard work and commitment to aggressively target and pursue criminals who perpetuate the distribution of these dangerous narcotics and the criminal activities associated with them. Together, we will continue to work diligently to prevent the flow of these illegal drugs into our communities before they threaten the safety and security of our neighborhoods.”
Defendants      and       Charges

Andres Reyes-Martinez; Bronx, NY; 3/5/1974
CPCS 1st – 2 cts; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts




Jesus Garcia; Bronx, NY; 4/5/1984
CPCS 1st – 2 cts; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts

David Espinal; New York, NY; 9/19/1992
CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 2 cts; Resisting Arrest – 1 ct

Victor Almanzar-Cardenas; Boston, MA; 1/2/1980
CPCS 1st – 1 ct; CPCS 3rd – 1 ct

The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Doctor Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court Of Nine Counts In Connection With Oxycodone And Fentanyl Diversion Scheme


  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday of ERNESTO LOPEZ, a New York-licensed medical doctor who wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl over an approximately three-year period, following an eight-day trial before the Honorable Denise L. Cote.  LOPEZ was remanded into custody following his conviction.  Audra Baker, a medical assistant who worked in one of LOPEZ’s medical offices, and who was tried with LOPEZ, was acquitted of all charges against her.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated:  “As the jury unanimously recognized, Ernesto Lopez betrayed his patients and the public, peddling dangerous opioids to addicts and drug dealers for his own personal financial profit.  His flagrant drug dealing is all the more shocking coming as it did from a licensed medical professional who has taken an oath to do no harm to his patients.”
As reflected in the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:
From approximately 2015 until his arrest in November 2017, LOPEZ operated medical clinics in New York, New York, Jackson Heights, New York, and Franklin Square, New York, where LOPEZ, who purported to specialize in pain management, wrote thousands of prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl in exchange for cash payments.  In total, LOPEZ wrote prescriptions for nearly one million oxycodone pills, with a street value of approximately $20 million.  LOPEZ typically charged $200 to $300 in cash for patient visits, despite the fact that nearly 80 percent of his patients had health insurance.  During many patient visits, LOPEZ neither performed a meaningful physical examination of patients, nor attempted to diagnose them.  Instead, a typical such patient visit consisted primarily of recording a patient’s vital signs and sometimes involved the brief movement of a patient’s limbs.  LOPEZ then prescribed large quantities of oxycodone, most frequently 120 30-milligram tablets, and fentanyl patches. 
In addition to prescribing oxycodone and fentanyl patches to patients without a  legitimate medical need, LOPEZ also prescribed to many patients a fentanyl-based spray, called Subsys, which was intended to treat breakthrough cancer pain, for which those patients – many of whom did not have cancer – had no legitimate medical need.  In connection with these prescriptions, LOPEZ submitted an application to INSYS Therapeutics to join a so-called “speaker’s program,” where doctors received payments in exchange for prescribing the fentanyl-based spray to patients.
LOPEZ also provided loose oxycodone pills, without a prescription, directly to at least one patient on multiple occasions, instructed an employee to fill a prescription for oxycodone pills and then to give the pills to LOPEZ, and instructed the same employee to crush an oxycodone pill and put the resulting powder into a urine sample, so as to cheat a drug test.
At the time of LOPEZ’s arrest, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, hundreds of fentanyl sprays and patches from his residence, along with approximately $729,000 in cash in boxes.
After the verdict was announced, Judge Cote said:  “Lives were destroyed and damaged.  People have suffered enormously because of what the doctor chose to do for those years.”
LOPEZ, 75, of Flushing, New York, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute oxycodone and fentanyl outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical need, and eight counts of distributing oxycodone outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical need.  Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by Judge Cote on June 11, 2019.   
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Tactical Diversion Squad.  Mr. Berman also thanked the New York City Police Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, the New York City Human Resources Administration, the Nassau County Police Department and Asset Forfeiture Unit, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the New York County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York State Department of Financial Services for their work on the investigation.
Parts of this case were conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Candidates List for the 2021 From the NYC Campaign Finance Board as of 2-21-2019


Candidate List


2021 Citywide Elections

This page was last updated on 02/21/2019 3:42 pm. 
Note: All candidates who have filed a Candidate Certification and/or a Filer Registration with the Board, or who have been determined to be on the ballot by the Board of Elections for the 2021 Citywide Elections, are listed below. Candidates who have chosen to join the Campaign Finance Program by timely filing a Candidate Certification are considered “participants.” All other candidates are listed as “non-participants.” There may be additional non-participants who have failed to submit a Filer Registration as required (this form must be filed no later than the day the candidate is required to file his or her first disclosure statement for the 2021 Citywide Elections); to the extent such candidates can be identified by the Board, they will be included on the list of candidates who have failed to file required disclosure statements.

Candidate      Classification Office Sought Option
Adams, Adrienne E      Undetermined Undeclared
Adams, Eric L      Undetermined Undeclared
Alexis, Anthony      Undetermined City Council District 45
Beckford, Roy Anthony      Participant City Council District 45      A
Beltzer, Michael     Undetermined Undeclared
Brannan, Justin L     Undetermined City Council District 43
Cabrera, Fernando     Participant Undeclared
Cespedes, Louis A     Undetermined City Council District 45
Chandler-Waterman, Monique     Participant City Council District 45      A
Chino, Theo B     Participant Public Advocate
Constantinides, Costa    Undetermined Undeclared
Cornegy, Jr., Robert E    Participant Brooklyn Boro President      B
Crowley, Elizabeth S    Participant Undeclared
De Los Santos, Manny    Participant City Council District 10      A
Diaz Jr., Ruben    Undetermined Mayor
Diaz, Sr., Ruben    Undetermined Undeclared
Dinowitz, Eric    Participant City Council District 11      A
Eugene, Mathieu    Participant Undeclared      A
Foldenauer, Aaron S    Participant Mayor      A
Fuentes-Padilla, Christopher R    Non-Participant City Council District 23
Gibson, Vanessa L   Participant Undeclared
Gjonaj, Mark   Undetermined City Council District 13
Goodwin, Gwen E   Participant Public Advocate
James, Letitia*   Undetermined Undeclared
Johnson, Corey D   Participant Undeclared    A
Kallos, Benjamin J   Participant Undeclared    A
Katz, Melinda   Undetermined Undeclared
Krishnan, Shekar   Participant Undeclared
Lancman, Rory I*   Undetermined Undeclared
Lander, Brad   Participant Comptroller    A
Lee, Kenneth D   Non-Participant City Council District 40
Levine, Mark D   Undetermined Undeclared
Lind, Sara   Participant City Council District 06    A
Lopez-Pierre, Thomas A   Undetermined Manhattan Boro President
Louis, Farah N   Participant City Council District 45
Matteo, Steven   Undetermined Staten Island Boro President
O'Leary, Brent M   Participant City Council District 26    A
Padernacht, Daniel A   Participant City Council District 11
Quart, Dan   Undetermined Undeclared
Rein, Briget A   Participant City Council District 39    A
Richards, Donovan   Participant Undeclared
Rivera, Carlina L   Undetermined City Council District 02
Rose, Xamayla D      Participant City Council District 45
Rosenthal, Helen K   Participant Comptroller    A
Salamanca, Jr., Rafael   Undetermined Undeclared
Schulman, Lynn C   Participant City Council District 29   A
Shimamura, Tricia   Participant City Council District 05   A
Solano, Socrates S   Participant Undeclared
Solotaire, Benjamin A   Participant City Council District 33
Stringer, Scott M   Undetermined Undeclared
Torres, Ritchie J   Undetermined Undeclared
Vallone, Paul A   Participant Undeclared   A
Van Bramer, James G   Undetermined Undeclared
Whitehead-Miller, Lamor   Undetermined Brooklyn Boro President
Yozzo, Ralph E   Non-Participant City Council District 36
Participants: 29  
Non-Participants: 3  
Undetermined: 23  
Total Candidates: 55  
Terminated Candidates*: 2  
 
EDITOR'S NOTE:
This list of candidates is from the NYC Campaign Finance Board as of Thursday February 21st at 3:42PM. This list will change as the 2021 election gets closer. More candidates are expected to announce their candidacies, a few may drop out, and what office being sought should also be announced. 

 Option A and B refers to the method of matching funding, which was recently changed by referendum. We will try to keep you updated on a regular basis when there are enough changes. 

SCHUMER DEMANDS FEDS PUT UP $1.2 BILLION IN NEW FUNDS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING IN UPCOMING TRUMP BUDGET

RECENT SETTLEMENT GIVES FEDS AUTHORITY OVER NYCHA; ONLY FAIR THEY INCREASE FUNDING & REVERSE DECADES OF FED DISINVESTMENT TO MAKE VITAL REPAIRS & MORE

Schumer Personally Spoke With HUD Sec. Carson & Urged Increased Federal Resources & Investment In Authorities Like NYCHA
With NYCHA Deal Done, Schumer Says Feds Should Deliver New Funds To Public Housing; Accountability Is Good—But Without Fed Dollars In Mix, Lasting Reform Will Elude
Schumer: HUD Needs To Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is To Improve NYCHA
 On the heels of a settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of New York and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is making a public push for HUD to put up at least $1.2 billion in new federal investment for large public housing authorities with persistent issues, like NYCHA. Schumer’s public push comes after calls and discussions with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, where the two discussed NYCHA and the soon-to-be-released Trump Administration’s budget.  
“We have seen the spiraling results of decades of federal disinvestment in public housing at NYCHA, specifically,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “The recent settlement between NYCHA and HUD was important and a positive step forward, but you cannot address the structural and systemic problems here without the federal government providing its fair share to fix the pipes, the boilers, address lead and more. That is why, as the Trump Administration crafts its upcoming budget, I am urging HUD to add at least $1.2 billion in its request for public housing authorities that NYCHA can immediately tap.”
Just this month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of New York and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) came to an agreement to address long standing issues at the housing authority’s properties. According to HUD, the agreement establishes specific requirements and milestones to address health and safety hazards at NYCHA properties, including lead-based paint, mold, heat, vermin, among others. NYCHA was not placed into receivership, but the federal government will now have stronger controls to oversee NYCHA.
The agreement includes:
  1. A federal monitor appointed by HUD, SDNY, and NYC to address health and safety hazards. The federal monitor will be required to submit quarterly reports to both HUD and SDNY.  
  2. A commitment from NYC to provide to NYCHA at least $2.2 billion over the course of the next 10 years.  
“The recent settlement gives the feds control over NYCHA, and so, it is only fair they increase funding to help reverse decades of federal disinvestment in New York City public housing,” Schumer added.
Schumer points out, the agreement does not include any commitment from HUD to dedicate new federal dollars to NYCHA. While the agreement between HUD and NYC prioritizes the well-being of NYCHA residents by requiring significant changes with increased oversight, while maintaining some form of local control; Schumer argued that having a federal monitor and clear benchmarks for NYCHA to hit is only fair if the feds chip in to help address their decades of disinvestment.
Schumer says that New York City and New York State shouldn’t have to come up with all funding on their own to address the $32 billion capital backlog. The City of New York is committing at least $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. Schumer says there needs to be additional federal funding available to supplement this local commitment.
Schumer has requested that HUD include more than $1 billion of additional funding in the Trump Administration’s upcoming budget to address persistent issues with large housing authorities, like NYCHA.
In addition to his direct conversations with Secretary Carson, Schumer also signed on to a letter in December with his colleagues in both the House of Representatives and the Senate stating that “additional federal resources…are almost certainly needed.”
The New York City Housing Authority aims to increase opportunities for low-and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments across the City’s five boroughs.