MAYORAL CANDIDATE
Maya Wiley
An attorney by trade, Wiley most notably served as special counsel to current mayor Bill De Blasio, in which she advised on legal issues pertaining to City Hall and the Mayor’s policy agenda. Wiley has worked for the U.S Attorney Office for the Southern District of New York, NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Open Society Institute. She also founded the Center for Social Inclusion which focuses on undoing structural racism. Currently, Wiley is a professor and senior vice president for social justice at The New School, a position she's held since 2017. Wiley was also a legal analyst for MSNBC before deciding to run for mayor.
What Stands Out: Wiley's legal background and experience working with the current administration under Mayor Bill De Blasio. She sees herself as a social justice activist who can use her legal background to hone in on issues such as police brutality. Under De Blasio, Wiley was appointed Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review board to oversee allegations of misconduct about the NYPD. However, she resigned within a year of being appointed in order to take her positions at the New School. While Wiley has never held public office or organized a political campaign, she prides herself on being on not being the "conventional candidate." Wiley claims that serving as a lawyer under current Mayor Bill De Blasio has given her exposure as to how she would run the city differently than her former boss. Her main priority appears to be addressing the city’s relationship with the NYPD.
SHORT ANSWERS
On COVID: "As the first plank of my Economic Recovery Plan, I announced New Deal New York, a $10 billion capital investment program that will create 100,000 new jobs to put residents back to work and build a better future for communities."
On Healthcare: "Healthcare is a human right. I am working with experts to explore strategies that could create affordable health insurance options for New Yorkers not covered by existing programs, including undocumented immigrants."
On Criminal Justice: "When I am mayor, we will no longer police poverty. We will put the public back in public safety with a transformed and right-sized NYPD and reassign functions that should not be police functions, such as school safety officers."
On Housing: "I will use every tool available to help build more affordable housing in New York. That includes zoning and land use mechanisms where appropriate."
Learn more about her policies here: https://mayawileyformayor.com/