MAYORAL CANDIDATE
Kathryn Garcia
Garcia started her NYC political career as policy analyst for the New York City Dept. of Finance. Garcia eventually became the Vice President of Appleseed, a non-profit that advocates for fair allocation of resources to schools and neighborhoods in New York City. She went on to work under the Bloomberg administration, eventually working her way up to Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Environmental Protection in 2012. In 2014, she was appointed the Commissioner of Sanitation by Bill De Blasio until 2020.
What stands out: Her experience under the current mayoral administration. Under Mayor Bill De Blasio, Garcia was relied upon to oversee the nation's largest municipal waste management agency and its 9,700 employees. Garcia prides herself on the role she played in enhancing NYC's sewage and water supply systems, recycling and waste disposal programs, and keeping roads and streets clear during storms. In 2019 after widespread controversy over whether the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) had adequately performed inspections to ensure safe living for its residents, Garcia was appointed by Mayor De Blasio to oversee the NYCHA as CEO and Interim Chair. Most recently, when COVID struck and NYC declared a state of emergency, she was named NYC's "Food Czar" and was tasked with organizing the delivery of over 100 million meals to food-insecure families. Garcia has since stepped down from her positions to run for mayor.
SHORT ANSWERS
On COVID: "I will expand protection for workers, instituting free childcare for working families, and more strongly enforce paid sick leave and fair work week laws. Additionally, I will build job pipelines from our city’s community colleges and trade schools."
On Healthcare: "We must expand services of Health + Hospitals and invest more in telehealth for preventative and mental health care."
On Criminal Justice: "When I was Sanitation Commissioner and oversaw a uniform agency that was 98% male, I had a zero tolerance policy. I would approach the NYPD in the same way, while also working to transform the culture from warrior to guardian."
On Housing: "We need to create 50,000 units of deeply affordable housing (<50% AMI) as well as increase the overall housing stock to bring down rents by legalizing basement apartments, SROs, and streamlining ULURP."
Learn more about her policies here: https://www.kgfornyc.com/policy/