Mike Zumbluskas

Mike Zumbluskas (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 12th Congressional District. The Republican primary for this office on June 25, 2024, was canceled.

Elections

2024

New York's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Democratic primary)

New York's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 12

Incumbent Jerrold Nadler and Mike Zumbluskas are running in the general election for U.S. House New York District 12 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Jerrold Nadler (D / Working Families Party)
		Mike Zumbluskas (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jerrold Nadler advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Mike Zumbluskas advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jerrold Nadler advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

Endorsements

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2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 12

Incumbent Jerrold Nadler defeated Mike Zumbluskas and Mikhail Itkis in the general election for U.S. House New York District 12 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jerrold Nadler (D / Working Families Party)	81.6	200,890
	Mike Zumbluskas (R / Conservative Party / Parent Party)	17.9	44,173
	Mikhail Itkis (Itkis Campaign)	0.3	631
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	411

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 246,105
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Gil Obler (G)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 12

Incumbent Jerrold Nadler defeated incumbent Carolyn B. Maloney, Suraj Patel, and Ashmi Sheth in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 12 on August 23, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jerrold Nadler	55.4	49,744
	Carolyn B. Maloney	24.4	21,916
	Suraj Patel	19.0	17,011
	Ashmi Sheth	1.0	937
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	128

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 89,736
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Mike Zumbluskas advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Mike Zumbluskas advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jerrold Nadler advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 12.

2020

General election

General election for New York State Senate District 28

Incumbent Liz Krueger defeated Mike Zumbluskas in the general election for New York State Senate District 28 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Liz Krueger (D / Working Families Party)	78.0	113,109
	Mike Zumbluskas (R / Independence Party)	22.0	31,888
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	100

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 145,097
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Liz Krueger advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 28.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Mike Zumbluskas advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 28.

Independence Party primary election

The Independence Party primary election was canceled. Mike Zumbluskas advanced from the Independence Party primary for New York State Senate District 28.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Liz Krueger advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 28.

2019

General election

Special general election for New York City Public Advocate

The following candidates ran in the special general election for New York City Public Advocate on February 26, 2019.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jumaane Williams (Nonpartisan)	32.8	138,803
	Eric Ulrich (Nonpartisan)	19.0	80,308
	Melissa Mark-Viverito (Nonpartisan)	11.2	47,375
	Michael Blake (Nonpartisan)	8.4	35,416
	Ydanis Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)	6.0	25,253
	Dawn Smalls (Nonpartisan)	4.1	17,420
	Rafael Espinal (Nonpartisan)	3.2	13,482
	Daniel O'Donnell (Nonpartisan)	3.0	12,774
	Ron Kim (Nonpartisan)	2.8	11,849
	Benjamin Yee (Nonpartisan)	2.5	10,701
	Nomiki Konst (Nonpartisan)	2.3	9,738
	Helal Sheikh (Nonpartisan)	1.3	5,347
	David Eisenbach (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,491
	Manny Alicandro (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,373
	Anthony Herbert (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,189
	Latrice Walker (Nonpartisan)	0.6	2,549
	Jared Rich (Nonpartisan)	0.2	1,053
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	825

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 422,946
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Danniel Maio (Nonpartisan)
Gary Popkin (Nonpartisan)
Ifeoma Ike (Nonpartisan)
Mike Zumbluskas (Nonpartisan)
Walter Iwachiw (Nonpartisan)
Theo Chino (Nonpartisan)

Though the special election was nonpartisan, candidates were allowed to file with their own party line as long as it did not resemble an established political party's name.^[1] Click [show] below to see the list of party lines for each candidate.

Candidate party lines
Candidate	Party line
Manny Alicandro	Better Leadership
Michael Blake	For The People
Theo Chino	Courage To Change
David Eisenbach	Stop REBNY
Rafael Espinal	Livable City
Anthony L. Herbert	Housing Residents First
Ifeoma Ike	People Over Profit
Walter Iwachiw	I4panyc
Ron Kim	People Over Corporations
Nomiki Konst	Pay People More
Danniel Maio	I Like Maio
Melissa Mark-Viverito	Fix the MTA
Daniel O'Donnell	Equality For All
Gary Popkin	Liberal
Jared Rich	Jared Rich For NYC
Ydanis Rodriguez	UNITED FOR IMMIGRANTS
Helal Sheikh	Friends Of Helal
Dawn Smalls	No More Delays
Eric Ulrich	Common Sense
Latrice Walker	People For Walker
Jumaane Williams	The People's Voice
Benjamin Yee	COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
Mike Zumbluskas	FIX MTA & NYCHA NOW

2016

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for major party candidates was July 14, 2016. The filing deadline for independent candidates was August 23, 2016.

Incumbent Liz Krueger defeated Mike Zumbluskas in the New York State Senate District 28 general election.^[2]^[3]

New York State Senate, District 28 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Liz Krueger Incumbent	74.95%	101,117
	Independence	Mike Zumbluskas	25.05%	33,788
Total Votes				134,905
Source: New York Board of Elections

Incumbent Liz Krueger ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 28 Democratic primary.^[4]^[5]

New York State Senate, District 28 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Liz Krueger Incumbent (unopposed)

Krueger also ran on the Working Families Party ticket.
Mike Zumbluskas ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 28 Independence primary.^[4]^[5]

New York State Senate, District 28 Independence Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Independence	Mike Zumbluskas (unopposed)

Zumbluskas also ran on the Republican Party, Women's Equality Party, and Libertarian Party tickets.

2014

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Incumbent Liz Krueger defeated Shota Baghaturia in the Democratic primary, while Mike Zumbluskas was unopposed in the Independence Party of New York State primary. Krueger ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Zumbluskas ran on the Republican Party ticket. Krueger defeated Zumbluskas in the general election.^[6]^[7]^[8]

**New York State Senate District 28, General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Liz Krueger Incumbent	71.5%	42,094
	Independent	Mike Zumbluskas	25.4%	14,943
	None	Blank	3%	1,793
	None	Scattering	0%	21
Total Votes				58,851

**New York State Senate, District 28 Democratic Primary, 2014**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Liz Krueger Incumbent	93%	13,001
Shota Baghaturia	7%	973
Total Votes		13,974

2012

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2012

Zumbluskas ran in the 2012 election for New York State Assembly District 76. He ran unopposed in the Independence primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Independence Party of New York State ticket. He was defeated by incumbent Micah Z. Kellner in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.^[9]^[10]^[11]

**New York State Assembly, District 76, General Election, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Micah Kellner Incumbent	74.7%	33,410
	Independence	Michael K. Zumbluskas	25.3%	11,317
Total Votes				44,727

Campaign themes

2024

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2022

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Campaign website

Zumbluskas' campaign website stated the following:

“

ECONOMIC RENEWAL

I present comprehensive economic plans for the national and local economy. From outsourcing to inflation to restoring domestic manufacturing, here is a long-term plan to bring independence from foreign supply chains and job growth.

Manufacturing. (A powerful plan is in the “outsourcing” section below – check it out!) Products from stoves to microchips to long-lost basics (like shoes and clothing) must be made here. Covid showed how vulnerable we are when products are made abroad. Our country is sadly vulnerable to rare earths coming from China - ores important to technologies like batteries and cell phones. We must restore our own Rare Earth mines as a matter of national security. We must be in the cutting edge in technologies of the future like car batteries, solar panels and clean energy products. Make sure they remain produced by American workers “Made in America” must be permanent government policy. Underlying causes for millions of Americans watching their quality of life decline requires restoration of U.S. manufacturing. This must be high priority.

Trade & Economic Independence. Restoring lost industries and countless jobs requires better trade agreements, tax incentives and punitive tariffs to reduce an ominous 2021 trade deficit at over $1 Trilllion! Economists estimate each billion in trade deficit brings thousands of lost jobs. The $319 billion 2021 trade deficit with China must be cut. If China and others want access to U.S. markets, our companies must sell equal amounts abroad. The goal: millions more American jobs as more products are made here.

Protect Dollar as Currency Reserve. The health of the American dollar, as international currency reserve, is crucial to our country and economic vitality. Our economic enemies, namely Russia and China, are taking actions to undermine the dollar. The economic analysis is complicated, too lengthy for purposes here, but our government must take firm action to protect the dollar else we may face economic setbacks in years to come.

Virus-Killing Technology. Ensure safety now and post-Covid. Install virus-killing UVC ventilation in subways, schools, buses, elevators, etc. Gifting UVC technology to businesses is cheaper than years-long lost tax revenue from a failing economy. Let businesses display the sign "UVC Virus-Killing Ventilation” to restore tourism and confidence in safety.

Restore Tourism. Crime and Covid tarnished our image. Restore solid police protection so tourists feel safe. A nationwide “I love New York” ad campaign will help. Tourists spent nearly $47 billion annually (pre-covid) and provided over 280,000 jobs from restaurants to hotels.

Corporations & Needed Taxes. Corporations provide tax revenue. Extremists maligning corporations pave the way for a disastrous tax collapse if Wall Street exits or tourists fueling hotels and restaurants fear visiting. We are harmed when politicians needlessly attack corporations funding government and schools.

Police Security. Protect businesses from crime and vandalism. It is common sense. A city only thrives with a strong economy…. and good security.

Mom & Pop Businesses. Restore local businesses to where they were before Covid, ruined by no fault of their own. Rent help and no-interest loans must be offered without time-wasting red tape. Prioritize small business owners who live in the city. They deserve government help to compete with corporate giants like Amazon.

Unemployment. During the 1930s Depression the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) put thousands of people to work building infrastructure. People now collecting unemployment, motivated by increased payments, can work part-time using skills they have: tutor students, clean parks or NYCHA facilities, clear graffiti, etc.

Solar & Tidal/Hydro Energy Job Creation. A bold economic plan: solar panels and batteries on EVERY rooftop in NYC within 10 years and government programs to make it happen. Promote tidal/hydro energy from sea tides for clean energy. Sell such technology nationwide and internationally. Massive jobs creation: NYC factories building equipment, offices in our city, technical training in vocational public schools. Let NY be a place of real progress. Talk the talk with bold action and a plan.

CRIME/MASS SHOOTINGS

Crime has soared. Restoring safe streets and subways will take more than Albany tweaking bail. It will take major change. My congressional opponent, supporting progressives soft on crime, won’t act to restore safety. We need sensible policing that respects civil rights, handles crime, and requires judges to set bail that won’t release dangerous people.

We also face the tragic crisis of increased mass shootings. Please study my proposals addressing these and many other criminal justice problems.

Smart Bail Reform. Unlike my unapologetic opponent and progressives refusing to admit error, I offer a balanced plan that both protects our streets and the rights of those arrested, rich and poor. Anyone arrested with a long rap sheet of serious felonies should not be released. Anyone with minimal or no rap sheet charged with a minor non-violent misdemeanor (for example, shoplifting $30 of shirts) by law must be tried (or plea bargained) within two weeks or be released ROR or with affordable bail pending

Mass Shootings. Mass shootings increased proportionately with the growth of websites spewing racism and violence. Mental illness, especially among 18 to 22-year-olds, typifies shooting criminals. While gun bans sound like a solution, this is not the reality. Deranged people will find weapons no matter what we ban. Our country has always had guns. Why do we now have so many shootings? What changed is poisonous websites thatdid not exist in the pre-Internet age. A crucial step is to locate dangerously mentally ill people, treat them, and stop them before they get their hands on guns. It will take a communal effort between government, social media companies and local police trained to seek out and arrest those threatening violence online. It will require shutting down horrible websites spreading hate, for deranged people flock to those websites.

Gun Bans. Evidence is unclear whether the 10-year semi automatic gun ban in the 1990s had much effect. Well intentioned Democrats face the sad reality that there is not enough support in Congress to enact strict bans. We need to be realistic. Getting enough Republican votes means focusing on mental health and dangerous internet websites (as noted above). That is more likely to enact and more likely to decrease mass shootings. I sympathize with those disappointed by a lack of gun bans, but let's do what's possible.

Jewish & Asian Attacks. There is a spike in hate crimes - murders, attacks on synagogues, and bullying in schools. Anti-Semitic attacks jumped 400% over the past two years. Many in Chinatown live in fear. Police must prioritize this problem. We need to end bail reform allowing hate crime criminals to get out of jail. We need federal action on online hate sites brewing violence.

Poorly Funded Legal Aid & Courts. We shouldn’t keep people in Rikers Island for many months awaiting trial while they are possibly innocent, careers are ruined, or children are deprived of working parents. Part of the problem is courts and legal aid are massively underfunded, causing trials to be postponed for months (or years). Lives of arrested people who have not committed serious or violent felonies should not be put on hold in the notoriously miserable conditions of Rikers.

Speedy Trial. We as a civilized society need reforms because we often deny the accused a speedy trial in violation of 6th and 14th amendment rights. The poor deserve the same access to legal representation as the rich get. The constitution matters whether one is rich or poor. How long must the poor wait for trial while incarcerated? It's a valid question we all must consider.

Poor District Attorney Choices. The New York district attorney’s decision to ease prosecutions is yet another step in the wrong direction. It must be corrected. No one with dangerous tendencies should be released without appropriate scrutiny by judges, police and the DA’s office.

Shoplifting. It’s a plague. Stores are looted yet shoplifters are not arrested - walk in, take what you want, leave. Police and security seem helpless. Many stores like Rite Aid closed up - it’s gotten that bad. The civil rights movement never intended for this. I’ll oppose ideologues who created ill-conceived bail reforms handing criminals “get out of jail free” cards. Those remorseless politicians admit no wrong. They even ignore our mayor. Vote them out of power if they don’t correct the mess they created.

Demoralized Police. Respect for police is an important priority. Police run into gunfire and harm’s way to protect us. An officer’s murder is a tragedy we all should feel deeply. Police must follow 4th Amendment rights but also not be handcuffed in keeping streets safe and arresting criminals. Police were demoralized by defunding and bail reform, losing incentive to arrest criminals because lax judges quickly release them. Progressives needlessly gutted bail requirements, causing a surge in crime. Recent legislation restoring some bail discretion to judges will make little difference. We need tougher bail requirements. I present below a comprehensive plan that properly balances justice, civil rights and crime.

Restore Immunity. Police have been denied immunity from lawsuits in an over-the-top attempt to make police less biased and evenhanded. The goal is correct, but removing immunity is the wrong way for it removes police ability to make arrests and take action. When you make police fear every time they do something they could be liable for lawsuit and have personal assets taken, you’ve destroyed their willingness to do their job - protecting us from criminals

Body Cameras. We want body cameras not only for law enforcement officers but also in all police vehicles including the backs of paddy wagons. This will be a mandatory law for all local and state law enforcement.
Community Service. First-time nonviolent offenders, instead of getting jail time, will do mandatory community service during parole sentences. Examples include serving food at senior centers or homeless shelters, picking up garbage in parks and subways, and helping repair NYCHA housing. This community service will be eight hours a day six days a week. If they are in school or have jobs, they will serve two hours a day after school or work and 12 hours on weekends or days off. Once parole is completed, the criminal record will be sealed.
Proper Judicial Review. Judges, when determining sentencing, must review a defendant’s full criminal history, including sealed juvenile or work parole records, to formulate informed decisions. Once a criminal is convicted or pleads guilty, there should be no problem with a judge reviewing records to get a better picture of the defendant’s character.
White Collar Crimes. Prison terms for white-collar crimes such as identity theft and cybercrime must be increased. Cybercrime increases at an alarming rate and costs our economy billions of dollars in disrupting and destroying people’s lives. These crimes are often worse and more costly than muggings.
Speedy Trial. A defendant has the right to a speedy trial. It is unconscionable that a defendant must sit in jail for months or years before the case goes to trial. We need reasonable statutory limitations on continuances by both the prosecution and the defense when a defendant is incarcerated. If the defendant is incarcerated, we also need a statutory time limit before trial. If the time limit is reached, charges will be dropped and will not be able to be used without new evidence. To speed up prosecution of trials we must hire more Asst. District Attorneys as needed.
Investigations. We have to set up an independent panel under the State Attorney General Office, but not one controlled by them. This panel will have the power to investigate any DA’s Office. It also will be given the power to decide if a special prosecutor has to be appointed for a controversial case. This will take politics and emotion out of inflammatory cases.
Diverse Investigators. We have to modify judicial review panels. Sometimes judges go too far in decisions or run courtrooms like a personal fiefdom. That’s why I want to add non-legal people to review panels. They will team up with retired judges, lawyers and law professors.
Civics Education. I propose mandating civics classes in all high schools to teach students both 4th Amendment rights and the need to respect police, who must balance civil rights alongside the need to combat crime. All people must let police do their work and not take steps that policemen view as threats to their lives. We must recognize that police are also human beings with families and children. They also have a right to protect themselves, for anyone in their presence should recognize the need to take no threatening steps interfering with police work.
Teenager Crime. Let’s not be naïve. Some teenagers belong to gangs and have guns. They do bad things. Police face gangs and people must recognize such sad realities. Let’s not forget this: more policemen than unarmed civilians are killed in the line of duty.
Smarter Leadership. Too many elected officials are ambulance-chasers. When a problem known about for years becomes a headline, they want a quick fix. Most politicians treat the symptom, not the disease. A prime example is the City Council and Mayor’s proposal to pay the bills for some defendants instead of looking at the big picture of why someone sits in jail for years for a minor crime.
After School Prograns. Crime must be fought on many levels. We need more after-school programs and youth centers to give young people somewhere to go and activities to do. Youth centers benefit us all.

We need a criminal justice system we can trust. We must begin somewhere for healing to start. Law enforcement, DA’s and judges perform a vital function and we must respect those who perform their duties with honesty and care. But the criminal justice system must respect our rights and freedoms, too. We must make it work for all.

SOCIAL SECURITY & SENIORS HELP

Helping each other. That’s what we do in America. Government must do more to help senior citizens and ensure Social Security will be there for us… now and 50 years from now.

Saving Social Security. A Social Security Board of Trustees report projected that the trust fund surplus will be depleted by 2034 and benefits may drop to 78% of current payments. Elderly people living from check to check could see payments plummet by nearly 25%. That will spell disaster for people struggling to get by. I offer a plan to address this.

The trust fund was at about $2.9 billion in 2020. It gradually drops. Making the situation worse, Covid increased the number of people retiring and demographic trends indicate ever-growing disparity between the young paying into the trust and the retired collecting.

I offer several proposals, unpleasant but necessary.

1. Remove Taxable Cap. There is now a cap on taxable income for Social Security. End this cap. People earning 1 million or more can certainly afford to pay far more. Raising or eliminating the cap will flood the Social Security fund with much-needed billions of dollars.

2. Raise Age. The deficit will only get worse as life expectancy rises. Men lived to an average of 59 when Social Security was created 1935. Now it is 79. It will only rise as medical treatment improves. Gradually raise retirement age to 65. As people work longer they can start collecting at a later age.

3. Reduce Super Rich Entitlement. Reduce benefits on a sliding scale as people earn greater retirement income. For example, someone with a retirement nest egg of $10 million may get $400,000 in income even without touching the principal of $10 million. Should someone earning $400,000 a year in retirement get $3000 Social Security checks monthly, or get anything? This is a debate we need to have. It seems only fair at least that the very rich should collect less than people living from check to check.

4. Sliding Scale Payment. Payments are based upon contributions. The rich who paid more may get close to $3000 per month. Poor people who need much more help may be closer to $1000 because they paid less during income years. Level the field. Those who earn hundreds of thousands in retirement should get lower payments than those in serious need.

Implementing these ideas will eliminate insolvency (or postpone it many years). Kicking the can down the road is irresponsible and I don’t believe in running government that way.

[I present a detailed 20 page report on solving this problem. Please contact and we will send a PDF copy to you.]

Helping Senior Citizens. Senior New York residents face many problems. I will be their most attentive advocate.

Many seniors have been kicked out of their rent-stabilized apartments due to being hospitalized when sent to nursing homes for rehabilitation. Others have problems with bike lanes, as many have been hit by bike riders. Many with incomes just above the cutoff for assistance yet not enough to live a comfortable face the rising cost of drug co-pays. I will work hard to improve quality of life for seniors, including advocating for the following improvements:

1) Push for legislation that will prevent landlords from kicking seniors out of their homes while they are temporally in nursing homes rehabilitating.
2) Create a fund offering seniors financial help while rehabilitating.
3) Propose legislation that will allow seniors to temporarily rent out their apartments while they’re in nursing homes.
4) Create a nonprofit that will screen and monitor renters for seniors’ apartments.
5) Have the city install caution and stop signs for bikers at dangerous corners. Seniors (or anyone) would push a button where they’re crossing, triggering a traffic signal specifically for bike lanes to caution riders that someone is crossing the street.
6) Push for legislation that would mandate jail time when a criminal attacks a senior.
7) Work with major companies like CVS and Duane Reade to give senior assistance for co-pays.
8) Create a nonprofit that will assist with those costs.

CLEAN ENERGY: FUSION, GEOTHERMAL & TIDAL

It could take land nearly the size of Connecticut filled with solar panels or windmills to power New York City. We need better solutions. Continue using non-carbon producing nuclear power and prioritize inner earth heat (geothermal), ocean tides, improved conservation, planting millions-more carbon absorbing trees, more efficient appliances and transmission of electricity, hybrid and all-electric cars, charging stations.

Let’s vigorously research fusion energy (like the sun merging hydrogen into helium). Fusion would provide infinite clean energy. We must solve nature’s elusive riddle.

Clean Fusion. Just as our country moved quickly and determinedly put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, government, universities and private industry must prioritize fusion research. So much will be solved if we unravel the sun’s mystery and give mankind endless clean energy. Scientists have an saying about fusion - it’s always a decade away. Our country (and entire world) should put its heart and soul into the holy grail of clean energy.

Geothermal energy from boiling heat deep inside the earth and ocean tides also provide important opportunities. Deep down in the earth the temperature is nearly 10,000°, about the same as the surface of the sun. Tapping into this energy is an obvious way to get clean and endless energy.

The tides of the ocean are another energy source, especially given that our city borders water and the Atlantic Ocean nearby. It also provides possibilities for vast job creation for New York City and our state.

Nuclear Power. We are in a bind. Retiring nuclear plants too quickly is ill-advised. Germany did it, and now they are in a terrible predicament, relying upon dirty oil from the filthy Russian government. We must learn a lesson from Germany’s experience. People justifiably are concerned about a nuclear meltdown, but the reality is the industry has a remarkably safe record. We need to continue using nuclear energy, relieving us of oil, until safer and cleaner energy sources become available. Let’s not panic. Give a 25 year window. I’m confident great options will emerge by then. Meantime, let nuclear plants provide clean energy.

CO2 Removal Technology. I support research and promotion of technologies that can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a tool to help deal with the emissions problem.

Waste to Energy. I wish to pursue a program to convert trash to energy and study ways to use modern technologies that avoid past side effect of pollution brought on by burning trash. Carbon dioxide removal technology makes this plan worthy to explore

REPAIRING DEMOCRACY

January 6th was a horror. I condemn violence as a means of overturning elections and those who violently went into the capitol. They do not represent the Republican party. Debate of ideas is acceptable, but never fierce behavior. There are more important things than winning elections - like protecting democracy.

All politicians must value country over political party. Our forefathers wanted democracy – not demagogues. But matters were overlooked: our capital needs better security and nearly 30% of the country believe the election was rigged. Democrats routinely saying “not so” won’t make the problem go away. Bipartisan reforms are needed to restore trust in elections.

We have to live together as a nation and ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. Many talk of breaking the union. You must be hearing it. It must stop. We are one country, and that means we have to compromise and cooperate with people who we don’t agree with.

According to an Axios poll, more than a quarter of Americans doubt President Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election and another 16% are not sure. The nation cannot maintain a liberal democracy when so believe our elections are illegitimate.

The House Oversight Committee must have fair, transparent and nonpartisan hearings with experts on election security, cyber-security, data management, election law, the census, and other technical and arcane elements of election security and process to define a taxonomy of "best practices" of election security for each state so that Congress can ensure the electoral votes from each state have been properly and legitimately determined.

House members and Senators have, in recent presidential elections, challenged the legitimacy of electors presented for certification. If the House Oversight Committee laid out the kind of "best practices" for election security that I envision, the states and the people could assess whether there is a need to challenge the states' methods of elections.

Concern about election security predates 2020, so it is not about Donald Trump or the 2020 elections. It is about numerous documented instances of election fraud that have been investigated and found to have altered the outcome of elections. I have attached just a few of them below my signature. The danger to democracy comes not from those who allege election fraud, but from those who smugly and stubbornly ignore the allegations and simply say, "trust us.".

I offer another proposal to improve relations in Washington: require politicians to sit by state in Congress and the Senate. They currently sit with one party on the left side and another on the right side, creating ugly opposition. Dear Lord! Our original Congress and constitutional convention of the 1780s sat according to state. It’s time for us to return to the healthy roots of those days.  Let Republican and Democrat representatives from New York sit together. Let them look each other in the eye, maybe talk about family and the other’s health. Force them to interact like human beings. Likewise for all the 50 states.  It’s time for our politicians meet each other, sit next to each other and show courtesy - time to set a good role model for our children.  That will be a good start.

HEALTHCARE, MENTAL ILLNESS & PRESCRIPTIONS

I’ll work to ensure everyone has access to affordable health insurance and prescription drugs. Mental illness must have a larger role in healthcare. Last year nearly 100,000 people overdosed on drugs and died, suggesting mental illness or depression. Reports note growth of depression among teenagers and adults. Mental illness often leads to poor health. They are interrelated. One wonders how many mass shootings may have been prevented had those killers had mental illness treatment long before they got their hands on guns. I will focus on mental illness to help make our country healthier and safer.

Whereas the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, provided affordable health insurance for many, it left millions in a hole. If you earn more than $48,000, are self employed, or have a middle class income, your insurance situation may be a nightmare. The Affordable Care Act has created obstacles and hardly made insurance affordable for millions with medium and high incomes.

People may pay $15,000, with sky high deductibles. It becomes cheaper to have no insurance, take your chances that something terrible does not happen, and live in fear of a medical setback. This is a disgrace and I will do everything possible as your next congressman to put an end to this gap in our healthcare system. Indeed, we have a long way to go.

Mental Illness Mental illness is one of the most overlooked problems of our healthcare system. I think it’s time for us to place emphasis on this. Case in point, read the following excerpt from a New York Times article about the murderer in the Buffalo rampage, when he killed 10 innocent people.

“Mr. Gendron’s newly discovered online posts also cast doubt on the thoroughness of his mental health evaluation. ‘I had to spend 20 hours in that ER waiting for somebody to give me 15 minutes to talk to me,’ he wrote. ‘This proved to me that the US healthcare system is a joke.’”

Why didn’t the “experts” pay attention and get him treatment? His death spree could’ve been prevented had professionals not been apathetic. It is a scary condemnation of our healthcare system. This deeply sick man made statements online about his plans and was able to buy guns. His high school record indicated he was pulled aside for dangerous and violent comments. They let it slip by.

it is time for our healthcare system to better address mental health.

SCHOOLS: RETURN TRUE EDUCATION

Most New York City schools fail in teaching fundamentals skills: 31% of young Hispanic students and 26% of black children tested proficient in math. English proficiency scores were dismal: Blacks students 48%, Hispanics 47%. Many schools need major change. Over $31 billion was spent on NYC education in 2021 - nearly $19,000 per pupil, most in the nation, yet students test poorly. I will use the bully pulpit to advocate for comprehensive change.

Special Schools Entrance Exams. Many politicians want to lower entrance standards or eliminate exams. This is reckless. It will lower academic quality. This is the wrong path. It merely locks out the most highly qualified students.
Double the Special Schools. The real solution is to double the number of special schools. Twice as many special schools. Not lower entrance standards.
CRT in Schools. Critical race theory (CRT) and cancel culture interfere with academic standards. Obviously we want to end prejudice and teach youth to respect people of all skin colors and ethnic background. But biased teachers broadcasting extremist or personal agendas is not the right path. Books should not have an agenda outside of its intended topic. Teachers should not use classrooms as a forum to project personal opinions. if you teach English, focus and grammar and quality wrting. If you teach math, only teach math.
Cap Salary. Cut and cap administrator pay, now averaging $179,000 in much of the state. This will put more money in classrooms, where needed most.
Fire Incompetence. Dismiss teachers who have been expelled from the classroom yet still get paid full salary. Eliminate wasted resources spent on bad teachers. The teacher’s union must protect students, not incompetent teachers. Union contracts must be renegotiated with the understanding that each dismissed teacher will be replaced with competent ones. No jobs will be lost… only incompetent teachers. The sooner the better.
Vocational Schools. Create a citywide vocational school system that increases equity among students who wish to pursue a trade verses a college education.
Teacher Requirements. Raise requirements to become a teacher. We must require teachers to take at least 60 undergraduate credits in their subject areas. Studies have proven that teachers with in-depth knowledge of their subjects produce better students. Furthermore, every prospective teacher must have an overall 3.0-plus GPA. C-minus teachers yield C-mi students.
Safety. Take steps to ensure that schools are safer for students and teachers, as school crime rates have risen 21% in recent years.
Drugs. A zero-tolerance approach must be implemented. Those caught using drugs in or out of school must be sent to rehabilitation specialists. Those selling drugs, no matter what age, must be removed from any school and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Cellphones. Distractions are epidemic in many classrooms. There is little of importance justifying students using the Internet, Facebook, or texting during class time. No teacher should have to quarrel with a student about paying attention and putting away a cellphone. The solution is simple: a citywide ban on use of cellphones during school hours. Cellphones will be stored in a safe room during school hours and returned when student leave school. Parents must not oppose the needs of good education.
Civics Classes. Create citywide civics classes focusing on important topics not covered: finances, respecting police and acting appropriately, showing courtesy to others, basic understanding of government/Congress/Supreme Court, the need to vote, why democracy and participation are important, acceptance of different peoples and cultures, renouncing and reporting sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, responsible sexual practices, the need to follow news and read newspapers, respecting environment, conserving energy, recycling waste, etc.
Restore The Fine Arts. This important part of spiritual life has been gutted for generations. Shame on an system that teaches almost nothing about great music, opera, dance, and Broadway in the cultural capital of the world. We should fund at least two fine-arts teachers in every school. Orchestras, bands, and live music/dance must be part of the young’s upbringing.
Finance & Computer Education. These must be an essential part of high-school curriculum: use of basic computer programs (MSW, etc.), checking, banking, spotting scams, etc.
Government. Students should become part of local government and learn about it firsthand. All students must be required to offer 20 hours of time during high school by volunteering to work in a government office, from councilman to statewide officials, so that they become more of a part of our democracy and see it working firsthand.
Discipline & Attendance. This generational problem — kids behaving badly and disrespecting teachers with no repercussions — sends a terrible message opposite of what students should understand: respecting adults, education and teachers. Systematic change is needed: a) students continuously disrespecting the class must not return and be placed in special classes or schools (newly created for this purpose) where psychology experts trained for troubled kids will address the problem; b) those regularly missing classes will be removed and helped by trained experts; c) parents refusing to make their children attend will be brought to court or fined — whatever it takes to instill a duty to ensure that their children are in class and learning daily.
After-School Programs. We must expand such programs to provide kids with activities and tutors to help those struggling in class. Libraries should be more accessible and provide tutors to assist those in need.
Social Promotion. This is the practice of promoting students to the next grade even if they fail to meet minimum requirements. It must end! Being left back may be hurtful, but being truthful is essential if kids are to be prepared for the real world. Principals, administrators and teachers caught fudging or changing grades must be dismissed immediately and subject to criminal charges. A completely new view of education is needed.
Recreation. Kids play sports on parking lots of concrete. When kids face harsh conditions daily, it conditions them to ugliness and mediocrity. Efforts should be made to improve recreational facilities. Grass and trees are important to a child’s upbringing. Green lands must not belong solely to the suburban privileged.
Summer Programs. City kids are rarely exposed to nature and the countryside. They should know what forests, farms, and animals are. Summer exposure must be promoted as much as possible. Learning to respect nature and the environment suggests actually being within it.
Districts Autonomy. Create regional districts allowing administrators greater flexibility to innovate. The Board of Education, a huge bureaucracy, snarls innovation. Change comes slowly. Greater autonomy gives schools opportunity to address problems intelligently and quickly. The needs of Harlem and Soho are different from those in Queens and Staten Island. Let administrators innovate quickly with enhanced autonomy.

INFRASTRUCTURE: SUBWAY, NYCHA, TUNNELS, SCHOOLS

As your congressman I will put my heart and soul into obtaining federal funds to improve our subways, buses and infrastructure. From aging water/sewage pipes to poor subway service to tunnels supporting transportation, I will diligently work to keep our city vibrant.

Bursting Pipes & Sinkholes. Too often we endure the consequences of bursting pipes, sinkholes, flooding and other problems resulting from the aging infrastructure beneath our streets. I propose a comprehensive program dealing with pipes, electrical and sewage systems. All must be modernized. It is senseless for us to wait for things to break The federal government can help. As your congressman I will passionately work to bring necessary funding.

Schools & Nycha. Many Nycha buildings and schools are troubled. From mold to aging roofs and boilers, much work has to be done to ensure students and residents have obvious basics like hot water, heat and walls that are not filled with lead paint or mold. I will do everything I can as your congressman to bring federal funding so that essential repairs are made.

Clean Energy. As city, Nycha and school facilities are repaired, I support installation when possible of solar energy and battery equipment on rooftops. I also support converting city vehicles to electric vehicles.

Tunnels. Tunnels are the life source of our city. They move trains under the Hudson River. They bring subways to the boroughs. They bring freshwater to our city. They carry sewage away. Decades of neglect harmed many tunnels. I will make sure we have needed funding to ensure this crucial infrastructure is in good shape.

Subways. I will advocate quick action, on-time performance, rapid modernization of 1930s-era signals, and strict cost controls. It is shocking how it takes the MTA months to do basic things like rebuilding a stairway. I’ll work to end such ineptitude. Here is my checklist.

1. Prioritize Being on Time. On-time performance must be the prime priority — not renovating stations, not nice tiles, and not even new subway cars (that still come late). A smarter, computerized approach needs study: a careful review of subway practices including better training of dispatchers to make trains more reliable. Do dispatchers dispatch trains at smart intervals? Do rush-hour schedules take into consideration the fact that exiting and entering of passengers can take minutes? Billions set aside must prioritize on-time performance. Fix antiquated signals first. Deal with lower priorities like falling tiles and station renovation after signals/on-time issues are addressed. New Yorkers have a tolerance for grime, but being late for work or a job interview… UNACCEPTABLE! Timely service is job one.

2. Urinals. The stench of urine overwhelms many stations that are homeless toilets. Neighborhoods beyond wealthy Manhattan neighborhoods rarely get water-pressure cleaning that addresses urine. A quick solution exists: every station must be water-pressure cleaned a minimum of once a month. However, let’s go further. We cannot stop the homeless from fouling subway stations, but we can adopt smart practices like those in place in Holland, where the Dutch government, knowing drinkers urinate in streets, installed small urinals in city streets. It’s unsightly, but it addresses human nature and is a better alternative to stench. Let’s place hundreds of small urinals citywide (and drain/disinfect them frequently). We cannot soon solve the homeless crises. Let’s at least put urine odors under control.

3. Improve MTA Training. We often sit in trains that don’t move and conductors won’t say a word. We are entitled to know. Trains depart just as local/express trains arrive, so we miss connections. Conductors can’t wait 10 seconds? It’s a lousy way to treat people. Personnel can be better trained to show courtesy and inform us on train status or delays. The MTA can post notices explaining improvements being made. There is so much more they can do to make us feel part of the renovation process. Train personnel to include customer satisfaction as part of their job. Paying customers deserve this.

4. Station Seats. Is it too much to ask the MTA to give us something to sit on while we wait for late trains? Too many stations have few seats (if any). Install low-cost seats or something to lean on. It is relatively expensive.

5. Announcements. Conductors and motormen are paid well. Apathetic to our suffering, many are silent during delays. We need better-trained personnel who tell us what’s going on. If they cannot make trains run on time, at least extend the courtesy of letting us know the status.

Speakers. Announcements often are too loud, crackle, or are impossible to understand. Do personnel ever check sound systems and consider whether the sound is annoyingly loud, soft, or inaudible? Let’s hire personnel whose job is to go and test every subway and station sound system. This low-cost fix will help improve our subway experience and lower anger when problems occur.

6. Slow Renovations. Station renovations typically take 4 or more months. We then pass “renovating” stations daily and see nobody working! This ridiculous practice must end. The same holds true for stairways often closed for months for repair. If a station needs repairs, put 20 men to work full-time three shifts day and night. Complete work in three weeks as a matter of policy. It is smarter to repair two stations quickly than do 10 and take four months. The MTA must renovate quickly.

7. Renovation vs. on Time. One final thought: should we be renovating stations prior to restoring reliable on-time performance? Really… let’s get our priorities straight.

HOUSING & NYCHA

Housing needs rapid action. For years politicians (like my opponent) gave lip service to NYCHA and affordable housing. I have a comprehensive plan for intense and rapid action. Enough of politician nonsense as thousands go without heat or hot water!

Housing is in crisis. It costs more to live here than in most other urban areas in the U.S. New Yorkers’ wages have been stagnant over the past decade, and yet monthly expenses rise without mercy. Housing costs have escalated for all income brackets. That’s why we have to expand and upgrade New York City’s housing stock to meet our growing population demands. We have to concentrate on moderately priced housing because the middle class has been hit the hardest.

We must redefine what affordable housing is. The average salary is about $47,000 a year, which means, after taxes and other deductions, citizens take home only about $2,500 a month. This number is where we must begin in defining moderate affordability. The standard applied around the country is that nobody should spend more than 33% of his or her take-home pay on housing. This gives us a housing cost of about $850 a month. New York real-estate companies use 40 times your annual salary, which comes out to almost $1200 a month, or almost 50% of your take-home pay. Who can touch a one-bedroom for $1200 a month these days? Never mind if you’re a single mother raising one child on $47,000 a year.

With an increasing population and a diminishing affordable housing supply, New York is facing a huge crisis. Even though new housing has been built over the last two decades, it is mostly at the upper end of the spectrum. New York is unique in that a large portion of housing is sold to non-New-Yorkers who live here only part-time. About 40% of apartments have been purchased by foreigners in recent years. That’s not counting US citizens buying apartments in New York or New Yorkers buying multiple apartments and combining them into one.

If a developer builds a 200-unit luxury apartment building and 60% of the units are bought by foreigners, then that leaves 80 units for US citizens. This is why we have to end all subsidies to luxury building development and direct all tax breaks and other government assistance to building only affordable housing for moderate-income and low-income families.

I will advocate the following:

End Luxury Apartment Subsidies. End all subsidies to luxury apartment buildings. The 80/20 program has not worked to significantly increase New York City’s housing supply.
Mitchell Lama. Immediately pass legislation restoring Mitchell Lama legislation passed in 1955. Privatization of tenants benefits them. Let people enjoy the fruits of ownership. In addition, they become better neighbors who take pride in their neighborhood. Mitchell Lama was a successful program that helped tens of thousands of New Yorkers live and raise families in our wonderful city.
Build More Housing. Build moderate-income housing using state and city pension funds so that our new teachers, police, firemen, and other government employees just starting out have affordable housing.
Zoning. Responsibly reduce zoning regulations and incentivize private contractors to build more affordable housing.
NYCHA. Completely rebuild NYCHA. Its leadership has failed residents for years, and new leadership must be installed to offer transparency in all financial matters. Furthermore, much more state and federal funding is essential so that buildings are adequately budgeted. Funds must be initially focused on the most important issue: make sure everyone has heat and hot water! Boilers must be repaired in a matter of days, not weeks. If it takes longer, NYCHA will be required to quickly install portable boilers. Everyone must live with dignity! After this is taken care of, then address mold, repairs and crime. Furthermore, we should lobby to obtain greater autonomy from the federal government so that action can be taken quickly and the mayor can act and be held accountable.
Developer Cooperation. Work with developers to build low-income housing for those who are making much less than $47,000 year.
Foreign Buyers. Foreigners and the very rich must be heavily taxed to discourage real-estate builders from endlessly catering to the rich instead of the middle class desperately in need of affordable housing. I propose an initial tax of a percentage of the purchase price then an annual tax for those who live in facilities under six months per year.
Unions Housing. Use 10% of city and state pension plans to build union housing. This is a good investment for the present and future health of our union employees. It can help us recruit new teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees whose starting salaries make it almost impossible for them to live in New York City.
Landlord Regulation. Put a tighter rein on what we pay those private landlords that house the homeless population on a temporary basis. We should not pay more for dilapidated facilities.
Red Tape. We have to reduce time and paperwork to approve new buildings. It can take almost 3 years from the time a developer submits his or her intentions to the city before approval is finalized. We need new apartments now! The only way to solve this problem is to reduce bureaucracy. It is ludicrous that paperwork delays building by one third to one half of the time!
Fine Abusive Landlords. Strengthen punishments for landlords who abuse tenants in rent-regulated buildings. Landlords who illegally raise rent and physically/mentally abuse tenants should face financial fines and jail time.
Abusive Bank Practices. Owners know what the incomes from rent-stabilized buildings are going to be, and, if the mortgages far exceed incomes, it is their fault and their responsibility. It is also the bank’s responsibility to give them those loans. Banks should also be held accountable. I don’t want to make this all one-sided. We must make it easier for landlords to get rid of tenants who are not paying rent or who destroy property without landlords having to endure months of court appearances or thousands in legal fees. We need a fair system for both tenants and landlords. Landlords should be able to make money but not by breaking the law. We must balance the needs of current and future residents with the rights of landlords to make fair profits.

We must redefine what real affordability is. It should be based upon the real incomes of our district, not the medium income of the entire city. We should end all subsidies to developers building luxury buildings and put those subsidies into moderate and low-income housing. We need to make it tougher on both landlords and tenants who abuse our system.

OUTSOURCING & INFLATION

Millions of lost jobs, $1 trillion trade deficit, vanishing industries, inflation. All notorious problems. All solvable. Here is a plan to end the stubborn problems and vulnerability to other countries, as we now painfully endure.

1. Level the playing field. Penalize abusive foreign labor practices. Require countries to raise salaries and labor benefits in return for the privilege of selling products in our country and most favorable trade status.

2. Official Trade Policy. If you treat workers miserably, we will not buy your products. It’s ethical. It’s good trade policy. Ethics matter!

3. Punish Trade Cheating. Require violating countries (and complicit American corporations) to raise labor standards: a 5-10 year transition period with yearly incremental improvements. Offending countries must agree to a phase-in plan and reach full compliance over an agreed upon period.

4. Inflation. One reason for recent inflation is that we rely on imports. It makes us vulnerable. It brings price increases as products are shipped in costly vessels at the whim of oceanic companies based in other countries, sailing up to 15,000-mile journeys. It brought port bottlenecks with dozens of ships waiting to dock and unload. It brought domestic transportation complexities fueling inflation. Were we not so dependent on imports, we may have avoided much of the inflation scourge. Let’s change that!

5. Low Wages. A key motivation for outsourcing is low foreign labor costs - workers paid miserably and given minimal health or retirement benefits. Companies make lots of money participating in such abuse. The result was trade deficits and the ruinous loss of American industries. This must change. A smart mix of better trade agreements, tax incentives, tariffs, and punitive fines will take us far.

6. Most Favored Status. In return for most favored trade status and access to American markets, countries must abide by predetermined standards else tariffs will be increased annually to such a point that a violating country’s heavily taxed products will be too expensive to sell in America. Following these steps over time will end huge trade deficits, pervasive outsourcing, job loss, and our supply chain being so vulnerable to foreign countries. It will take patience.

8. Immigration Reform. Promote immigration reforms with sufficient work visas for industries in need of workers. Domestic companies hiring illegal workers (at shamefully low wages) is bad policy. It must end. Enforce labor laws balancing justice and fair wages for American workers.

9. Polluting. Outsourcing also lowers costs because many countries are pathetically lenient about pollution. That’s cheating when it comes to free trade. Polluting water or sky is a shameful way to cut costs. Coal and other filth put in the air by China and others eventually ends up in American lungs from LA to New York. Trade agreements must include environment. It is a moral imperative.

Outsourcing and its legacy of vanished industries brought widespread anger… bitter politics… mounting menace from China. We need action. Free trade advocates and Wall Street may resist tariffs, but if we don’t stop unfair trade practices and labor abuse, we will never level the playing field. The dark path of decline is not acceptable... unless we want China to lead the economy of the future.

DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE

Recent retreat of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory is encouraging. Success by Ukraine in defeating the Russian invasion has huge implications. A free, democratic Ukraine represents the future of Russian speaking peoples, democracy, and forces fighting fascism and dictatorship as represented by the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin. Continuing military support for Ukraine and helping Europe end its dependence in Russian oil and gas are the key to ultimate success. And patience.

If the west can help Ukraine defeat Russia and reoccupy it’s territories, the influence on Russia turning towards democracy and better government would be enormous. Imagine a thriving democracy bordering Russia. Over a generation, it might change Russia itself. This is a theory worth pursuing. The defeat of fascism and dictatorship in Russia is important for the world‘s future. We still have 20th century demons to defeat. Vladimir Putin has made that clear.

HOMELESSNESS: SOLUTIONS!

We fear being pushed onto an oncoming subway car. Add mounting trash, drug addicts in subway stations, subway seats covered by sleeping people, aggressive beggars, tossed syringes… and a long list of troubling problems. An estimated 50,000 New Yorkers are homeless. A comprehensive plan is long overdue. I offer one.

Open a new "Camp LaGuardia" like the one foolishly closed years ago - one that offers homeless a country environment, psychiatric or drug addiction help, and a chance to recover. There is land upstate where we can open a facility and give the homeless a staff that helps people become productive members of society, if possible, a return to work. We have to try! It will clear streets and subways of people causing problems.
The city runs 40 shelters and about 600 contracted shelters. Keep shelters open around the clock in two 12-hour shifts for single adults and married couples with no children. This would double the housing capability.
Stagger intake to every six hours to add capacity.
Employ homeless to do laundry, serve food, and do other tasks to supplement the shelter staff. It sends the right message.
Convert some shelters into non-sleeping locations with a 2-to-3-hour stay time. On bad-weather days, extend the stay time.
Focus more on mental health staff. Many homeless suffer from mental illness. Medication could help.
Let religious organizations to handle the homeless. City policies impose burdensome rules denying thousands of homeless a wonderful facility with good food, clean dormitories, and compassionate or psychological help. I’ve seen religious facilities offering a more beneficial environment than city shelters do. I promote giving block grants to institutions demonstrating they can successfully handle the homeless. It is good public policy. We benefit from new ideas.

The problem with the shelter system is that one size does not fit all. We need specialization. Our homeless have a wide range of situations: temporarily homeless who are employed, those with psychological problems, younger people with fewer medical problems who are less inclined to remain homeless. We already specialize with shelters for families and by separating single men and women. We can break it down more.

Split family shelters into three categories: families with kids 12 and under, kids 13 and over, and mixed families with kids in both age groups.
Singles 18 to 35, 36 to 60, and over 60.
Married couples.
Employed because (believe it or not) there are a many who work full-time yet cannot afford apartments.
Unemployed but able-bodied with skills.
Unemployed and disabled with skills.
Unemployed with no skills or limited education.
Emotionally disturbed treatable with medication or counseling.
Emotionally disturbed not treatable but not dangerous to themselves or others.
Those with health problems.
Make specialization efficient. Use technology to streamline intake. Shelters still have everyone fill out paperwork before being admitted. Speed up the process with biometric scanners, scan cards, a swipe, or pull up information. This will help direct homeless clients to the proper shelter and help social workers by having each client’s history at their fingertips.

New York also faces an affordable housing crisis. Until we address this, we will continue to spend billions to temporarily house our homeless. Here are ideas to increase our housing supply.

Downgrade to smaller apartments NYCHA residents whose kids moved out. Collect higher rent from those who can afford it.
Prioritize repairing empty apartments for homeless.
Build more prefab micro apartments like 27th St. in Manhattan (55 units at a cost of about $290,000 per apartment). If we build more units per we may reduce cost per unit. As module micro apartments come prebuilt, it will be quicker to put up these buildings.
Use facilities more efficiently: increase capacity, save money and house more homeless, avoid expensive temporary housing in hotels.

FOREIGN POLICY GOALS

A commentator noted: last month we gave Ukraine $1 billion in aid but gave Russia $30 billion for oil and gas. U.S. foreign policy must address this and these matters: 1) cripple Russia economically for its barbaric invasion of Ukraine by helping Europe quickly convert to liquid natural gas (LNG), 2) end China’s unfair trade practices and our dependence on basic needs, 3) affirm support for Israel and the fight against terrorism, 4) declare drug cartels in Mexico and Central America are terrorist killers of millions of Americans by drug addiction and dismantle these criminal cartels, 5) stop Iran/North Korea nuclear proliferation, 6) confront narco Central American states and responsibly manage illegal immigration, 7) protect the dollar’s currency reserve status, 8) end enormous trade deficits and outsourcing.

Punish Russia. Russia must be cut off from the world economy until it replaces its barbaric dictator, Putin, with a reasonable government and ends its war in Ukraine. Russia must be become a multi-year pariah state severely punished for its unprovoked invasion and atrocities committed upon civilians. The thought that Europe and other countries purchase Russian oil/gas funding its barbaric invasion is nauseating. We must help Europe end all purchases of Russian products so Russia never again uses oil as a means for extortion. Help Germany rapidly expand its LNG infrastructure and clean energy. We must try to make it happen within a year. Banning Russian oil/gas (an estimated 36% of its government budget is funded by it) must be high priority.

NATO. Ensure Eastern European and Baltic NATO members (Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) remain free. Europe needs full German cooperation to end European dependence on Russian oil. Our foreign policy since World War II has protected democracy and this remains essential policy. Russian and Chinese aggression must be confronted firmly. NATO Article V (threat to one is threat to all) is being tested. Russia must know that the 1930s world of Lord Chamberlain appeasement and Sudentenland capitulation to Nazi Germany is long gone. Placing significant NATO forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states is a necessary means to deter aggression. This includes cyber attacks on America and Europe posing threat to our way of life.

Russia Disintegration. Old expression: be careful what you wish for, you may get it. What if Putin were overthrown? What if it turned into Civil War and fighting between ruthlessly opposed militias? A bloody Russian Civil War occurred in 1919–20. Ukraine shows that the unthinkable is possible. Russia has over 6000 nuclear weapons and 38 nuclear plants - a dangerous place for chaos. Let’s be careful about terrible scenarios like 6,000 poorly guarded nuclear weapons and destruction of nuclear power plants.

Israel Support. With all the disturbing events of late, we must not overlook helping Israel and fighting terrorism. Renew peace talks in the Middle East, improve Israel/Arab relations, and prevent Iran and Syria from further harming the Middle East.

Mexican Drug War. With so much focus on Ukraine, it’s time to equally address the war south of our border. Some 100,000 Americans die yearly from drugs coming from Mexico and the Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Why is this overlooked by my congressional opponent? Officially name Mexican and Latin American drug cartels as terrorists and take action to disarm and dismantle these horrible networks selling drugs that kill Americans. Drug cartels effectively control northern Mexico. Work with the Mexican government (perhaps force it) to defeat heavily armed gangs terrorizing Mexico and feeding drug addiction to Americans essentially paying “taxes” to criminal cartels. Cartels abet illegal immigrantion from Central America. It’s time to firmly address these crises.

China & Economic Independence. The near $350 billion trade deficit with China must be slashed through improved trade agreements. If China wants access to our markets, our companies must sell a roughly equal amount in China. The goal: near-zero trade deficit and millions more American jobs as more products are manufactured here. Economic decline (and underlying reasons for millions of Americans watching their quality of life decline) requires restoration of U.S. manufacturing. This must be high priority. Let "Made in America" be the hallmark of economic renewal. Further, Chinese threat to Taiwan ominously grows. Act with resolve to protect Taiwan independence. A frequent "visit" by American carriers to the South China Sea sends a clear message.

Protect Dollar as Currency Reserve. The health of the American dollar, as international currency reserve, is crucial to our country and economic vitality. Our economic enemies, namely Russia and China, are taking actions to undermine the dollar. The economic analysis is complicated, too lengthy for purposes here, but our government must take firm action to protect the dollar else we may face economic setbacks in years to come.

Immigration. We must finally solve the immigration crisis and why people leave their countries. Central American is plagued by drug cartels - a key cause of people rushing to our borders. Stopping this involves work visas and protecting borders and airports. Foreign policy must address poisonous narco-states, where people live in fear of corrupt police and government. Some refugees fleeing violence have plausible asylum claims. Illegals seeking economic gain must be treated differently from those with genuine asylum claims - like refugees from Afghanistan.

Middle East, Iran & Terrorism. We must forever oppose terrorists and Middle East factions (i.e. Iran) causing problems. Iran must never get a nuclear weapon. Never. Peace in Israel is of utmost importance, as is peaceful relations among Arab nations. An American exit from that region, inviting trouble from Russia and China, cannot be allowed.

Microwave Terrorism. Over 1000 US diplomatic personnel suffered brain injuries due to suspected microwave attacks. The suffering is incalculable. The potential for this technology to attack leaders and millions worldwide is chilling. Microwave attacks must be part of the Geneva Peace Conference banning weapons like poison gas. All countries, especially China and Russia, must agree to this. It is in everyone’s interest.

America’s most powerful weapon is being a nation of human rights and freedom. We have to clean up our own country and focus on making our democracy inspiring, for that will make us a stronger, just and godly nation foreign peoples can admire.

IMMIGRATION

Immigration is an environmental and jobs issue. It’s time for people of all beliefs to acknowledge realities. Each million people entering the country requires the destruction of many thousands of acres of farmland, nature and forests, replaced by concrete, new construction, further congested roads clogged by cars, and more greenhouse gases. Of course we feel compassion for people suffering in other countries, but we must face questions of fairness: how should a U.S. citizen feel if a job he/she needs was taken by someone living here illegally? Indeed, from environment to fairness, everyone must see the big picture.

We sympathize with those who suffer in poor countries, but immigration sympathizers give no thought to harm on health (unvaccinated immigrants), jobs lost to Americans, or the thousands of acres of farms and nature eliminated to build housing and roads. People are released pending trial. Court dates occur years later and by then, people won't leave. They must be detained at the border, housed with dignity, and given hearings at the border. Enter ethically with work visas for industries with labor needs. Enforce laws requiring employers to hire documented people. Many enter through airports. Stop focusing solely on the Mexican border.

Court System. Our immigration court system is underfunded. Courts have a backlog of over 400,000 cases. Chances are most of them will never leave. We must hire hundreds of attorneys and judges so that people get a hearing and decision quickly while at the border. We cannot expect people to be brought to court 5-10 years later. When people live here for many years, build a life and raise children, it indicates that immigration courts are failing. Properly fund the court system! Quickly conduct immigration hearings at borders and airports.

Labor Laws. If you went to Paris on a three month visa but stayed, working illegally for two years, you’d expect French police to come and say your visa expired, go home. Ethics matter! Labor laws must be enforced but allow employers to fill labor needs through work visas. Allowing people to work without documentation mocks labor laws. U.S. citizens in need of work must get priority. Labor laws must be enforced. Employer violators must be fined or prosecuted in accordance with federal statutes.

Covid. We require vaccinations and should enforce Title 42 protecting America from unvaccinated people crossing borders. People enter and disperse without being vaccinated. My proposal is clear: no one enters without being vaccinated.

Airports, Chain Migration, Covid. Many enter our country without proper covid vaccination or health protocols. This endangers us all. Chain immigration (immigrants bringing cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) must be banned excepting proper asylum applications demonstrating justification. Our southern border must be properly protected and the "elephant in the room" - people entering through airports and remaining in the U.S. after their visas expire - must be addressed. ICE must be permitted to locate and deport those whose visas expired. Laws must be enforced, else laws become a mockery.

Economic Gain vs. Refugees. Distinguish economic gain from asylum. Some refugees escape violence in their home countries. Some have plausible claims for asylum. Illegals seeking economic gain do not deserve asylum. Help those with genuine claims - like war allies from Afghanistan.

Image, Entry & Infastructure. People come here illegally with delusions that our country is rich or easy to succeed in. Foreigners, through TV and media, must understand how difficult it is here and think twice about coming. Let us focus on infrastructure and schools, for if people come here (legally or not), what opportunity is there for them? The more people come, the more strain on building new roads, housing, and tearing up yet more natural lands. Let’s not be naïve. What kind of work or life is there for them? And once at the border, they should not be released in our country, for the court system will not find them again. They should be detained, treated well, quickly tried fairly in immigration court, or encouraged to return to their countries of origin - not be released to American states.

Foreign Policy. The state department and U.S. foreign policy must also play a role. The border crisis is brought on by people leaving Central America, especially Nicaragua and El Salvador - countries dominated by violent drug cartels. This is the foundational cause of people leaving for America - fear of corrupt police, rape and death threats. Foreign policy must address poisonous narco-states. Intervening in other governments is distasteful but the problem is at our doorstep, for such countries bring misery to their citizens, so desperate that they make dangerous treks to our borders. U.S. foreign policy and intervention indeed are part of the solution.

CRYPTO CURRENCY REGULATION

Congress - not bureaucracies - must thoroughly regulate crypto currency (a.k.a. block chain technology). Millions of people buy crypto and we must protect those people from scammers and bad actors. However, we must protect and encourage developers in the crypto industry because it is the next generation of the web. If we shut down crypto, the US will lose millions of new jobs and trillions of dollars in economic power to threats like Russia and China.

 The Internet is full of heartbreaking reports on crypto scams causing people to be tricked and lose huge amounts of money. Check out these two articles below (one from The New Yorker) and you’ll see why Americans need a Securities and Exchange Commission division focused on investigating and prosecuting crypto fraud. There’s plenty more on the Internet showing such scans. Meantime, scan these articles:

 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/12/13/half-a-billion-in-bitcoin-lost-in-the-dump/amp

https://john-mecke.medium.com/5-stories-about-people-who-lost-their-bitcoin-cdaaae329468

On the other hand, crypto is an industry that needs to be encouraged and allowed to grow in a healthy and ethical manner. This is why we need regulation. We don’t want to throw the baby out with the dirty bathwater. We just want it to grow correctly.

 Bitcoin is the largest crypto but not the only one. Others need to be both regulated and allowed to flourish as it has become an entrenched part of our financial system worldwide.

See the block chain as the new Internet system in its infancy. Crypto currencies can be loosely viewed as a cross between websites and stocks. Many industries from travel to entertainment to banking now make use of crypto. All must do it ethically and with proper government regulations just as the investment bank and stock market industries are regulated to ensure honest and quality markets.

Emerging crypto currencies such as Ethereum, ADA and Solana are the 1990s Googles, Yahoos and Amazons of today. In those early days people built websites on these and other platforms. Similar new industries based upon cryptos are emerging.

 A massive e-commerce economy in our country Is growing and we want to make sure that it’s run ethically and fully transparently so that shenanigans and criminals elements don’t harm people who’ll lose money unnecessarily.

The crypto market is trying to do the same as those early websites. Right now, for example, it is made easier for people in countries with little banking infrastructure or access to the financial system. New gaming platforms are being built on the block chain that are not only fun to play but also offer financial rewards.

There are crypto currencies that are building a system that will help companies with logistical organization. Anything they can build on the current Internet you can build on the new block chain system.

This is what crypto currencies, with the help of the new block chain storage system, are about to revolutionize. The block chain system is a decentralized network. Even Amazon has used its influence to bounce websites because of politics.

The other advantage of the block chain system is it’s harder hack into and lose all your company’s or personal data. This is technology we must promote, not destroy, because it is challenging the large banks, Wall Street, social media, and other established businesses.

Congress needs to set the rules for crypto such as how it’s treated under the U.S. tax code without making it too onerous for us to participate. We need to challenge the large corporations who state they are too big to fail.

 We need to stop lobbyists from corporations from killing these new companies in the U.S. because if we don’t, they will just move offshore and the United States will lose out on trillions of dollars of income and millions of jobs for you and me.

COVID: RETURN TO NORMAL

Covid expert Dr. Anthony Fauci stated on The PBS NewsHour that we are “out of the pandemic phase.“ Emphasize treatment, end overreaction. Covid mutated many times and we cannot live as if it’s the killer it was two years ago. I met people who were afraid to touch a pen. We see troubled students, road rage, a crime wave - we need to repair psychological damage and, sparing resurgence, return to normal.

Pervasive Fear. It’s time to call cases flu rather than Covid. Covid is a common family of virus species - not a death sentence. We are harmed by obsessive Covid news coverage for over two years, yet 98-99% of people who catch Covid (or a variant) recover. The remaining 1-2% are mostly unvaccinated, old or had underlying health problems. Just what is normal? The CDC estimated there were 52,000 influenza deaths in the 2017-18 flu season. Using that as a reference for “normal”, it averages 142 deaths/day. Even in normal times we witness nearly 150 deaths/day. We have made vast improvement snd leaders should work to ease fear.

Downgrade to Endemic. The 1918 Spanish influenza faded by 1920. We’ll likely see the same. Government should downgrade to “endemic” (less restrictive) and experts should stop fueling fear about new variants. Viruses mutate. Always have. Always will. Medical experts before a microphone must turn down the heat.

2nd Booster I commend people who got two vaccines and a booster to protect health, but fear overly zealous officials and employers/schools forcing people against their will to get a second booster, threatening careers, education and ability to live normally. As long as deaths among the vaccinated remain low, with no uptick, let people who got vaccines and a booster make their own choices.

Mutations are Normal. Covid mutated many times (as viruses always do), but mutations appear to be mild, like a normal flu or cold. Vaccinated people seem normal. Normal means we will (as since the beginning of time) get the flu or a cold 2-3 times a year. Normal flu. Not deadly flu… Normal… Government officials need to calm the fear.

Mandates. Protecting people is sensible, but ruining careers or income is going too far. Firemen and police being fired won’t take us to a good place. We need balance, not hypochondriac fear; not career-ruining mandates further dividing a traumatized nation.

Virus-Killing Technology. Tourists and residents must believe NY is safe. Ensure safety now and post-Covid. Install virus-killing UVC ventilation in subways, schools, buses, elevators, etc. Gifting UVC technology to businesses is cheaper than lost tax revenue from a failing economy. Let businesses proudly display the sign "UVC Virus-Killing Ventilation” to restore confidence in safety.

Prioritize Treatment. Millions of people got omicron despite being vaccinated. Vaccines help but are not a guarantee. The logical path is to switch priority from vaccination to treatment. We need to weigh stress and psychological damage brought on by endless mandates and 24-7 virus news reporting (especially with children and teens). Endless stress harms us more than getting the flu.

Antibodies. Millions of people who got covid developed antibodies protecting them from Covid and variants. Antibodies are established science. Antibodies detected in lab tests, even if not from from vaccines, should count as proof on vaccine IDs. Antibodies are part of what is meant by herd immunity. It’s how people survived desease in past. Government arbitrarily decided that those with immunity (without vaccine) should be denied work, entry or a vaccine ID. This goes too far. If we disapprove of those who did not get the vaccine, let them be if they have immunity. Antibodies work whether from nature or vaccines.

Tourism. Tourists in New York City spent nearly $47 billion annually (pre-covid). Tourism collapsed. It brought over a quarter million jobs, from restaurants to hotels. Restore those jobs! A modern-day “I love New York” ad campaign can help return tourists.

Small Businesses. Help small business owners harmed by Covid, ruined by no fault of their own. Rent help and no-interest loans must be offered without time-wasting red tape. Prioritize business owners who live in the city, many unfairly forced into bankruptcy. We need to do everything possible by tax incentives and government help to bring business back to life. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. It is common sense. A city only thrives with a strong economy.

CO-OP & CONDO RELIEF

Condo and coop owners face serious problems. I offer reforms that will help.

Condominiums and cooperatives are among the largest sources of housing in New York City and even more so in Manhattan. New York has about 370,000 cooperative apartments (with maybe 1,000,000 or more persons) and many thousands more with shared-ownership (Mitchell-Lama cooperatives, condominiums and similar). {NYC Cooperative Community Organization}.

Most New Yorkers who live in these apartments are content, but for some, living in a co-op or condo can be a nightmare. At the center of this sad reality is wanton abuses by co-op boards. Victims of this absurd behavior are co-op shareholders. Widespread allegations of fraud, intimidation, embezzlement, and harassment have plagued New York’s co-op board shareholders for years. Exacerbating this reality is the fact that little concrete legislation exists to protect co-op shareholders from the whims of co-op boards.
Mandate that co-op boards disclose all pertinent decisions regarding tenants in a maximum of 45 days. There are currently no limits or stipulations regarding how long a co-op board must notify a shareholder of pertinent information regarding renovation requests, requests to rent out their space, sale, etc.
Push legislation which stipulates that, in a situation in which a co-op board forces a resident out of his or her space or does not allow the owner’s beneficiary to inherit, the board in question must monetarily compensate the individual either 10% more than the market value of his or her living space or pay the remainder of said individual’s mortgage, whichever payment is higher.
Dictate that all co-op and condo boards post financial statements on the Internet.
Create a co-op review board panel to investigate shareholder grievances and solve them in an equitable manner. This entity would be composed of three members, one chosen randomly, one by the board, and one by the shareholders, and would change members based upon the issue being investigated.
Push for legislation that states that co-op or condo owners who live and use their apartments as their addresses of record will have their tax rates reduced to the same rates as those that own houses in New York.
Mandate that all co-op and condo boards must have three signatories on any expenses. They shall be the president and treasurer and another rotating board member. This is to prevent corruption from boards that have been controlled over the long term by the same people. By rotating in a different board member every year, there should be more transparency.
When repairs, new construction, or any other service is contracted by the co-op board by using a company that is owned by a board member or a relative of a board member, then they must have at least three other estimates from other potential contractors in a letter of justification of why they chose a company where nepotism can be claimed.

When fellow citizens purchase real estate for their primary residence, it is usually the largest expense they’ll ever incur. It’s incumbent upon our government to protect them from unscrupulous behavior.

STUDENT LOANS

Student debt overwhelms college students and grads. I support helping those in need, but believe it should be done by asking them to return something to the country. Donating time to AmeriCorps, public service… something! It’s time to ask people to give something in return to our country for all that it gives to us.

One gnawing concern is exorbitant interest on student loans. It’s unacceptable that students borrow to pay for education at high interest rates. Government should regulate banking practices and subsidize interest students pay.

Government can provide loans at zero percent interest rates. This is the least it can do to help people doing the right thing in going to college. While free education is a desirable goal, let’s at least ensure zero interest rates are the norm. I also believe tuition and interest should be tax-deductible.

Lastly, let’s also help the poor and those who are deserving by ensuring that they don’t pay exorbitant fees for room and board. Families making $80,000 and up should pay their share on a steadily sliding scale. Those making over $200,000 can afford full tuition. Help the needy, not the rich. We need a common sense approach.

SMALL BUSINESS AID

The small business climate in our city is atrocious. Mom and pops need help! Small businesses historically accounted for 51% of our state’s total jobs (Small Business Advocacy). Unemployment in New York is high. No wonder our state is ranked the 49th unfriendliest for businesses (Tax Foundation). Small businesses are not reimbursed for burdensome regulations and as a result middle-class and lower-class New Yorkers are hurting. Lets institute the following measures to fix what the two-party system has broken.

Reduced Fees & Regulations. Reduce fees and regulations on small businesses. Penalties should be on a sliding scale since penalties are supposed to protect the public by halting dangerous business practices. Having the same fine for small businesses and large corporations hurts the small business but does nothing to curb the behavior of the larger corporation.
Tax Relief. Reduce New York business tax rates, one of the highest in the nation on small businesses (Federation of Tax Administration). Given this crippling tax rate and new regulations for which small businesses are not reimbursed, it is no wonder that most New Yorkers are having increasing difficulty finding jobs.
Tax Credits. Institute a new tax credit for small businesses that offer their employees fair sick days and pension plans.
Empower Community Boards. Give every community board two seats in zoning boards to ensure that the community has a voice in zoning and building decisions. Revise the city charter to ensure this.
Fine Predatory Corporations. Severely fine predatory behavior by large corporations to protect small business owners who live in our city. They are the lifeblood of New York and must be protected by their elected government. Government must protect its citizens, not kowtow to wealthy real-estate tycoons.
Rent Controls & Evictions. Community Boards should be empowered to prevent landlords from giving the boot to mom and pop stores that are in good standing and satisfy rent. I will lobby to enact statutes to ensure that small-business rent increases reflect the inflation rate plus reasonable cause for increases. Landlords will apply for permission to raise rent beyond the inflation rate.
Corporations Abuse. Out-of-state and S&P 500 corporations shall not be allowed to push out mom and pops aided by landlord holdovers designed to scare away local store owners in good standing. Landlords holding stores vacant for more than three months will be severely fined unless they demonstrate cause and show that they are not holding out to enlist rich corporate entities for higher rent.
Landlord Abuse. Tax landlords heavily for keeping stores empty for more than 3 months. Lower taxes for store owners who are NYC residents. Remove burdensome, time-consuming and costly paperwork.
Zoning Board Accountability. We must grant Community Boards the right to oppose corporate actions harmful to local business owners by granting boards two votes in zoning boards. Boards must have teeth and be more than “opinions” ignored by powerful and well-endowed real estate tycoons.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY & CANCEL CULTURE

Reasonable Americans know of horrible racism and slavery of past. Critical race theory (CRT) & cancel culture proponents use past racism to make ethnic groups feel more divided. CRT undid great strides by Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement trying to rid us of segregation and Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” and instead made ethnic groups feel ever more separate. CRT is an ill-conceived view of history further dividing our country.

CRT and cancel culture pose a threat to academic excellence. Biased teachers broadcasting extremist ideas are not how we want students to learn history. Books should not show bias or blame ethnic groups for events that occurred centuries ago. We should ensure history is taught accurately and ensure teachers are not harassed for teaching truthful history.

Corporations. We must prevent corporations, banks or institutions from using their influence to harm people. CRT tends to threaten free speech and let institutions block dissent. That will take us to a bad place. Federal government should prosecute violators of free speech.

Biased Books. Some schoolbooks may be so critical of American history so as to make people (and kids) feel blamed and responsible for awful things that happened decades or centuries before they were born. This is where books (and teachers) cross a line. CRT potentially breeds anger between black and white people, the consequence of recklessly taught history.

Teaching History. There are troubling aspects of American history, like slavery and shameful voting limitations. Truth must be taught, but children should also learn the good aspects of our history. For example, some books about World War II make it sound like we were a racist nation fighting a war to defend racism. True, there was racism at the time, but we had a justified cause: defeating Nazi Germany and fascist Japan, holocaust of 6 million dead Jews, attack on Pearl Harbor, bloodthirsty fascism, attack on democracy. Are these facts taught correctly?

Cancel Culture. Ignorance of history also poses danger. We hear about statues being torn down by angry mobs. This is an example of the danger of cancel culture. It’s one thing if statues of Confederate generals who fought for an ugly cause are torn down, but we also saw torn down statues of John Adams, a giant American figure and creator of our independence who never owned slaves and fiercely opposed slavery. One mob tore down a statue of African American and slavery fighter Frederick Douglas! Need more be said?

Cancel culture and the erasing of history are a dangerous path… perhaps it’s what George Orwell feared when he wrote “1984”.

Don’t erase history. Students need to learn the good, the bad, and the truth. If government interferes with academic independence, it may interfere with the proper teaching of history. But when extremists in schools let loose on opinions, it poses danger. We must be wary of both oppressive government and extremist teachers shouting angry and biased ideas.

NON-PROFIT REFORM

Non-profits provide vital services for thousands of New Yorkers. Scores of corrupt politicians used non-profits as personal slush funds to enrich themselves at the taxpayers’ expense.

Here are my common-sense reform proposals to ensure that non-profits can no longer be used as a conduit between needed resources and greedy, corrupt public officials.

Require the New York State Attorney General’s office to post the Financial Statements for all non-profits throughout the state online in a searchable database.
Prohibit all elected and high-level appointed officials in New York State from receiving any remuneration from a non-profit organization.
Require all elected, high-level appointed officials and government employees who serve in any volunteer leadership capacity at a non-profit (i.e. a non-compensated board position for the organization) to file an initial and an annual Disclosure Statement with the New York State Attorney General’s office. Such statements will be included in the searchable database and will require information pertaining to any potential conflicts of interest.
Require all elected and appointed public officials’ family members or domestic partners who serve in any volunteer leadership capacity or receive any compensation themselves from a non-profit to similarly file such a Disclosure Statement. Required information will include any potential conflicts of interest and/or compensation.
Require that all non-profit organizations that receive any federal, state, or city money not spend more than 30% of all funds raised by the organization on administrative and fundraising expenses. They must apply for a special waiver. Charity watchdog groups state that less than 1/3 of funds should go to administrative and fundraising expenses. This applies to all raised funds, not just government funds.

END GERRYMANDERING

Gerrymandering - drawing of district borders to benefit a political party - has plagued politics since our earliest days. It’s unfair to voters. I offer a legislative plan beautiful in its simplicity and logic: legal boundaries strictly based upon existing counties made as "rectangular or square as physically possible." I call it, "The Fair Square Districting Act."

A recent New York Times analysis concluded that only 40 of the 435 congressional seats are competitive due to gerrymandering. Less than 10% competitive - an embarrassment to democracy. Ten years ago it was 73… it just gets worse. How many politicians actively oppose this? The answer, apparently, is few.

Gerrymandering harmed Democrats in Wisconsin and Republicans in New York State, lately, in Staten Island. I wish to help my political party, but as an American I acknowledge that honest democracy is more important than loyalty to political party.

The Fair Square Districting Act could eliminate corrupt gerrymandering by requiring district borders be drawn according to legal county/city borders. It would create districts “as square or rectangular as physically possible” as opposed to the bizarre shapes that are now so common.

It will take courage by politicians to implement this solution, but all politicians (hacks, namely) must act in the best interests of America. Make politicians, by law, earn votes the right way - not by bizarrely shaped districts.

FYI The origins of the gerrymander term were from early America in Massachusetts, where a district was drawn so bizarrely that it looked reptilian. See the above picture. Perhaps “reptilian” is a good way to describe this practice that needs to end.^[12]

”

—Mike Zumbluskas' campaign website (2022)^[13]

2020

Mike Zumbluskas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

Mike Zumbluskas did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Zumbluskas' campaign website highlighted the following issues:^[14]

Education

Excerpt: "Immediately cut and cap administrator pay, currently clocking in at an average of $179,000 in most parts of the state. This will allow more money to go back into the classroom-where we need it. -Cut or eliminate pay for suspended teachers who have been expelled from the classroom, yet still get paid: $100,000 in most cases."
Excerpt: "Start funding trade schools in a manner that will increase equity between students who wish to pursue a trade and a traditional college education."

Small Businesses

Excerpt: "Reduce fees and regulations on small businesses. Furthermore, all penalties should be on a sliding scale, as penalties are supposed to help protect the public by halting dangerous business practices. Having the same fine for a small business and a large corporation only hurts the small business, but does nothing to curb the behavior of the larger corporation."

Low and Moderate Income Housing

Excerpt: "Immediately pass legislation to save Roosevelt Island’s Mitchell Lama facility. Experts have ascertained that if the current privatization plan becomes a reality, co-op shareholders will be subject to a 17.8% increase in Multiple Capital Improvement fees resulting in an extra $243,876 for the co-op board. Even worse, Roosevelt Island’s Mitchell Lama facility has withdrawn from the City’s J51 Rent Control Plan, which offers a tax credit for entities who offer rent controlled apartments for low and middle-income individuals."

Condominiums and Cooperatives

Excerpt: "Mandating that co-op boards disclose all pertinent decisions regarding tenants in a maximum of 45 days. There are currently no limits or stipulations regarding how long a co-op board must notify a shareholder of pertinent information regarding renovation requests, requests to rent out their space, etc."

Corruption

Excerpt: "Establishment of a permanent special prosecutor's office for State legislature/state government crimes, overseen by a blue ribbon commission with no connection to elected officials."

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Mike Zumbluskas campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. House New York District 12	Lost general	$19,177	$16,056
2020	New York State Senate District 28	Lost general	$1,674	N/A**
Grand total			$20,850	$16,056
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

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Footnotes

[show]

New York's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Chuck Schumer (D)

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas LaLota (R)

District 2

Andrew Garbarino (R)

District 3

Tom Suozzi (D)

District 4

Anthony D'Esposito (R)

District 5

Gregory Meeks (D)

District 6

Grace Meng (D)

District 7

Nydia Velazquez (D)

District 8

Hakeem Jeffries (D)

District 9

Yvette Clarke (D)

District 10

Daniel Goldman (D)

District 11

Nicole Malliotakis (R)

District 12

Jerrold Nadler (D)

District 13

Adriano Espaillat (D)

District 14

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)

District 15

Ritchie Torres (D)

District 16

Jamaal Bowman (D)

District 17

Michael Lawler (R)

District 18

Pat Ryan (D)

District 19

Marcus Molinaro (R)

District 20

Paul Tonko (D)

District 21

Elise Stefanik (R)

District 22

Brandon Williams (R)

District 23

Nick Langworthy (R)

District 24

Claudia Tenney (R)

District 25

Joseph Morelle (D)

District 26

Tim Kennedy (D)

Democratic Party (18)

Republican Party (10)

[1] Gotham Gazette, "23 Candidates Submit Petitions to Get on February 26 Public Advocate Ballot," January 15, 2019

[glist16-2] New York State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed October 11, 2016

[gresults16-3] New York State Board of Elections, "Election results, 2016," accessed December 23, 2016

[plist16-4] 4.0 ^4.1 New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 State/Local Primary," accessed August 29, 2016

[presults16-5] 5.0 ^5.1 New York State Board of Elections, "Election returns September 13, 2016," accessed November 6, 2016

[6] New York Board of Elections, "Certification for the September 9, 2014, State Primary Election," accessed December 17, 2014

[7] New York Board of Elections, "Primary results for September 9, 2014," accessed October 1, 2014

[8] New York Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed December 17, 2014

[9] State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate List for the September 13, 2012, State Primary Election," accessed July 31, 2014

[10] State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official September 13, 2012, Primary Results," accessed July 31, 2014

[11] State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official Assembly Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed July 31, 2014

[quotedisclaimer-12] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[13] Michael Zumbluskas for Congress, “Issues,” accessed September 30, 2022

[14] Mike Zumbluskas' campaign website, "Mike on the Issues," accessed October 7, 2014

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	v • e State of New York Albany (capital)
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Mike Zumbluskas

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 12

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Working Families Party primary election

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 12

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 12

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Conservative Party primary election

Working Families Party primary election

2020

General election

General election for New York State Senate District 28

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Independence Party primary election

Working Families Party primary election

2019

General election

Special general election for New York City Public Advocate

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

2014

2012

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

Campaign website

2020

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

2014

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2025 Elections

Analysis

Public Policy

Information for candidates

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