NYC Candidates Seek the AIDSVote
Posted by , September 02, 2009 at 9:16pm
Audience members responding positively to Siegel’s response that condoms should be handed out in New York City public schools
“I think this is the best audience we’ve had for any debate,” Public Advocate candidate Eric Gioia said in response to the cheers and boos from the boisterous crowd who turned out at the New York City AIDSVote public advocate and comptroller candidate forum on September 1.
The crowd of PWAs and allies were certainly energetic—holding up papers with “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” signs depending on what they thought of the candidates answers on a variety of issues from sex ed in New York City public schools to treatment of prisoners at Riker’s Island to improving conditions in HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) housing to the lack of a 30 percent rent cap for people with AIDS
All comptroller and public advocate candidates (with the notable exception of public advocate candidate Mark Green, who said he had a scheduling conflict) attended the forums in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, which was sponsored by AIDSVote 2009, a coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS and Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Housing Works, Lower East Side Harm Reduction, the New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), Village Care and other harm reduction service providers.
Check out this excellent wrap-up from City Hall News, which details the forum crowd’s disgruntlement over the absence of Mark Green.
On substance, there was little disagreement among the candidates, with a few notable exceptions. Councilmember Bill de Blasio, who’s running for public advocate, was the only candidate who didn’t support HASA for All, a bill that would extend HASA benefits to all people living with HIV, regardless of health status. “In principle, yes [I support it], but economically, we need to support HASA’s current services,” de Blasio said. Experts counter that HASA for All would save city money in the long term, by housing people before they get sick.
In January 2008, before the current economic downturn, de Blasio, as chair of the City Council Social Services committee, did not introduce HASA for All in his committee. None of the council members running for public advocate cosponsored the bill, which has yet to come to a vote. Comptroller candidates John Liu and David Weprin are both HASA for All cosponsors.
Gioia, who did not sponsor HASA for All, was the chief sponsor of the Keith Cylar Act, which was passed in 2005 to provide the City Council with detailed reports to hold HASA accountable. Comptroller candidates and city council members Melinda Katz, David Weprin and David Yassky also did not cosponsor HASA for All but support the policy.
Another notable policy disagreement? The only Republicans in the group—Alex Zablocki for public advocate and Joe Mendola for comptroller—did not support addressing the housing needs for undocumented immigrants with HIV. All of the other candidates do.
All of the candidates stated their support for a New York City Planning Council resolution that would require non-profits receiving Ryan White funding to have consumers on their board of directors.
See public advocate candidate Norman Siegel speak about the resolution.
Wanda Hernandez, a NYCAHN member who was on panel of people with AIDS who asked the candidates questions, said she wanted to vote for people who represented her interests. “I’m directly affected by the 30 percent rent cap. [Our elected officials] make a lot of decisions. We need to know now where they stand.”
The primary elections will be held on September 15. Make sure you know where to vote
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