Name of Council Candidate: Todd Dobrin Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Campaign Website: DobrinForNY.

com

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. Many people have problems with access to their basic human rights. Within City Council District 47, many people were displaced by Hurricane Sandy and have not been able to return to their homes because of the conditions of the neighborhoods. Access to health care is difficult for many and recent news has a local hospital closing. Libraries, schools, and other basic infrastructure is largely ignored and in disrepair. I am running to work on all of these issues and help bring long term, good paying careers to the people who live here. 2. How have you used current or previous professional positions to advance human rights? As an activist, I have worked on wage and benefit issues to help the community. I have also worked to improve the schools in the area and helped to bring back the B64 line to the area, a necessity for many people to be able to get to work in order to support themselves and their families. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Equitable allocation of budget resources to the district to serve the core needs of the residents, such as libraries, senior centers, and safe streets. 2. Common Sense oversight of the various city agencies that oversee our needs. 3. An open door policy to make sure that all residents feel that they have a voice on the City Council. 4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Ensuring that the 47th District gets a fair share of the funds to ensure that the needs of the residents are met. 2. Ensure that all tax breaks given to large corporations for development have a long term and equal benefit to the residents of the district.

3. Ensure that funds that are spent on the district bring up the standard of living so that everyone may enjoy the benefits of living in our city. 5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes, I plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate discretionary funds. In my experience, it is clear that the city council discretionary funds have not been distributed equitably. The 47th District has lost libraries, senior centers, and is constantly at threat of losing key bus services that our residents rely on. Discretionary funds have been spent outside of the district instead of serving the needs of the residents they were meant to help. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. Paid sick days were recently approved by the City Council, and is something that I support. The recent passage of the laws that changed the rules to stop and frisk was also a bill that promoted human rights because many felt that the rights of people were being infringed upon since many searches were being done without cause. 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation will you advance the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? One simple but very powerful way that a Council Member can advance human rights is to make sure that all members within their district feel that they can contact their Council Member and feel that they are being heard. Barriers between elected representatives and the people is part of what creates an apathy and dislike of the political process and less people will participate. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. Currently, after legislation has passed committee, it is still at the discretion of the Council Speaker to decide when a bill will be voted on. This allows for the potential of a bill never being heard simply because the Council Speaker does not wish it to be done so no legislation can be passed without his or her support.

For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.