Here's Where Forest Hills Candidates Stand On Your Issues

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Ten people are vying to represent Forest Hills in NYC's City Council, and Patch asked them all to respond to the issues that residents care the most about.

We went through neighborhood groups, forums, and Patch comment pages, and found three main issue on locals' minds: the Kew Gardens jail, the rise in reported hate crimes, and neighborhood development.

Now, with early voting beginning on June 12, and the election ten days later on June 22, we asked all District 29 candidates to respond to those issues.

The issues

Here's each question we asked, with excerpts of each candidates' response (barring Avi Cyperstein, Edwin Wong, and Donghui Zang, who did not respond to our survey):

1. Knowing that all candidates have come out in opposition to the Kew Gardens jail, and that it’s within the city’s legal rights to continue building it, what is your plan to mitigate the impacts of the jail?

Every candidate who responded said they do not support a jail in Kew Gardens, but had different ideas about how to mitigate its possible impacts.

Both Sheryl Ann Fetik and David Aronov said they would seek to rezone the jail site and prevent its construction.

Lynn Schulman said she would "form a coalition with the Council Members who represent the other districts where jails are proposed and bring our concerns to the next Mayor."

Aleda Gagarin said that "as a council member, I would vote down any budget that includes funding for new jails," but also pointed to larger coalition building, because "a single no vote out of 51 won’t result in material change. Thus, NYC needs to elect council candidates who are willing to reimagine public safety, and end mass-incarceration, all over NYC, not just in District 29." If the project does go forward she would work to "reduce incarceration levels."

2. What would you do to address the rise in reported hate crimes citywide and in District 29 specifically?

Fetik, Schulman, Eliseo Labayen, and Michael Conigliaro (the race's sole Republican) all said they would work with the NYPD to address the rise in hate crimes.

Fetik, Schulman, Aronov, Gagarin, and Douglas Shapiro all said they would work to implement education around tolerance in public schools.

Aronov and Gagarin both said they would increase funding to the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes.

Gagarin also said she would "fully fund the NYC Against Hate pilot that members of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (who endorsed me) and the Coalition Against Hate organized, and expand it to districts all over NYC." That program would include bystander intervention training and teach restorative justice practices.

3. There is currently a significant amount of development underway along Queens Boulevard and in other parts of the district. What kinds of development would you like to see, and not see? What would you do to ensure that there’s responsible development?

Fetik said she would focus on development that addresses "how local people function, on the streets, with access to schools and transportation, as well as with regard to the stability and security of utility, water and sewer lines, and access local food and stores."

Aronov said he would focus on developing "affordable housing, recreational space, community facilities, and good-paying union jobs with new developments. I would make sure to take this all into consideration with new rezoning applications."

Gagarin said her vision for development "centers workers rights, racial justice, sustainability and affordability. New development should provide good, union jobs with prevailing wages and safety standards to workers throughout the city, and meet strong labor standards." She would focus on developing "affordable housing" and "transit, schools and hospitals."

Shapiro also said he would focus on hospitals and schools, specifically including the "expansion of hospital capacity and an expansion of upper elementary and middle school capacity."

Conigliaro would focus on "preserv[ing] our community and not let it fall into the hands of wealthy developers."

Labayen's approach to development would starting with bringing "in a BID (Business Improvement District) to support the small businesses of our neighborhood. Every conversation with developers will start and end with how this directly benefits district residents."

Schulman would "hold regular check-ins with developers so I can be made aware of projects on the horizon and have the important conversation about labor and other specifics before, not after, a project is proposed."