 |  |  |  |  |
From Our Blog
|
Tony Avella
Democratic Party http://www.TonyAvellaForMayor.com Candidate Submitted Biography: Tony's public service career began over 20 years ago as an aide to New York City Council Member Peter Vallone, Sr. He served as an aide to Mayors Koch and Dinkins and as Chief of Staff to the late State Senator Leonard Stavisky and to State Senator Toby Stavisky. He won election to the New York City Council in the 19th District - Northeast Queens in 2001 and was reelected with an overwhelming majority in both the 2003 and 2005 elections. Tony is Chair of Zoning and Franchises for the City Council and is a member of five Council committees: Higher Education, Housing and Buildings, Fire and Criminal Justice Services, Land Use, and Veterans. Tony is the founder and Chair of the first Italian-American Caucus of the City Council. Since taking office in January 2002, Tony has authored important legislation that helped end a seven-week long private bus strike, encouraged boating safety and protested Neo-Nazi organizations that spread racism and bigotry. Tony's historic "Demolition by Neglect" bill was signed into law by the Mayor in February 2005. This legislation enables the Landmarks Preservation Commission to prevent the willful destruction of our City's treasured landmarks by unscrupulous property owners. Tony's legislation was strongly supported by 46 preservation and civic groups including the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council and the National Historic Trust. As Zoning and Franchises Chair, Tony led the fight for and won citywide amendments to the "Community Facilities" section of the zoning code to address serious abuses that impact the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the City. His efforts resulted in the first real changes to this part of the zoning code in over 40 years. Tony has also been at the forefront in the citywide battle against overdevelopment and the proliferation of "McMansions." Working with the Mayoral administration and the Department of City Planning he has created new zoning districts such as R2A, which prevents the construction of "McMansions" and rezoned major portions of his district as well as numerous other neighborhoods in the City to preserve the unique residential character and quality of life. Prior to his election, Tony served in numerous volunteer capacities including, founder and President of the North Shore Anti-Graffiti Volunteers, Bay Terrace Civilian Patrol President, College Point Sports Association President, Preservation Alliance of Northeast Queens President, Bayside Historical Society President, founder and President of the Joint Community Council of College Point, and a member of Queens Community Board #7. Tony is a graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York. He is a lifelong Queens resident and currently resides in Whitestone, Queens with his wife Judith. Mayor Survey: Tony AvellaQuestion 1: What are New York City's most pressing transportation needs? As mayor, how would you address these needs?I think many of our transportation problems would be solved by increasing mass transit, making it available to more New Yorkers, and putting the city back in control of the MTA. We need to eliminate wasteful spending by the MTA and increase funding by instituting a more progressive system of taxation. Question 2: A growing number of studies find that passive exercise, through walking and biking, is associated with significant health benefits. Would your administration make increasing walking and biking a public health priority?As mayor, I’d definitely make exercise a public health priority. In the past, I’ve co-sponsored biking bills and I’ve introduced a resolution urging the federal government to increase physical fitness classes in our schools. I also support increasing our parkland and open spaces – both expanding the ones we have, and building new ones. Question 3: Each year, approximately 300 people are killed and thousands of people are injured by automobiles in New York City. What would your administration do to reduce these numbers? In particular, what role should the NYPD play as the primary agency charged with keeping New Yorkers safe?Increasing mass transit would help this problem by taking more drivers off the roads. People don’t drive in New York City for pleasure; they do it because they have to. Making public transportation more accessible would mean fewer cars and fewer accidents. Also, the NYPD should be aggressive in ensuring that drivers and pedestrians follow the rules of the road. We also have to hold drivers accountable when they break the law. Question 4: The Partnership for New York City estimates that traffic congestion is to blame for $13 billion a year in losses to the New York Metropolitan Region's economy. What relationship do you see between the regional economy and traffic congestion? Which, if any, policies do you support to mitigate traffic congestion throughout the five boroughs? I believe that if we can keep traffic moving, that will alleviate a lot of problems we have and stimulate the regional economy. I’d do away with the law that prevents drivers from turning right at a red light. Sometimes this is unnecessary and causes traffic to back up. Research has shown that if drivers could turn right on red when it’s safe, traffic would keep moving, which would in turn help the economy – drivers would spend less on fuel, delivery companies could service more customers, and people wouldn’t waste valuable time sitting in traffic. Question 5: The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. As Mayor, would you promote the continuation and/or expansion of these public transit initiatives? I support the general concept of BRT to make buses faster and more accessible. Practical solutions that keep traffic and people moving are great for this city. I think the bike share is an interesting idea, but I’d be concerned about how you implement such a plan and make it cost effective, so I’d like more details on that. Question 6: In an effort to increase the safety, enjoyment and health of New Yorkers walking, running, skating or riding a bike in Central and Prospect Parks, car traffic has been gradually restricted on the loop drives within these parks. What do you think of these changes? Do you have an opinion on the idea of completely closing these loop drives (not crosstown transverses) to cars and reserving them strictly for recreational users? What effect do you think such an action would have on the people in surrounding neighborhoods?As a member of the City Council, I’ve supported past legislation limiting car traffic to the loop drives as well as restricting vehicle traffic during off-peak travel hours in the parks. I think it’s time to shut down the loop drives entirely, as long as the crosstown transverses are kept open. Having a unique space like Central Park is an exceptional attribute for this city. We need to make sure people can continue to enjoy it safely. I’ve personally been in the park and seen bikers and pedestrians hampered by cars driving through, and that should be stopped. The resulting air quality improvement would be a great benefit, too. Question 7: According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures (eg. speed cameras, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City's current speed limits are safe?I believe that cameras at intersections can be a deterrent to speeders, and I’d support increased installation of cameras at lights to catch people who speed and run red lights. I think enforcement by the NYPD is also critical in cutting down on the number of accidents, and to do that we need to make sure we have enough manpower on the police force to catch dangerous drivers. I think the 30 miles-per-hour speed limit is appropriate for most parts of the city, but I do think the speed limit in residential areas needs to be lowered, and I think the installation of speed bumps in those areas should be a priority.
Submitted by TonyAvella on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 17:33.
Submitted by TonyAvella on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 13:05.
|
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
|
Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and does NOT support, or oppose, candidates or political parties. T.A.'s Candidate Questionnaire is strictly educational in nature. Contact Us |
With assistance from:
|