2020 Candidate Profile: Chris Fink For 16th CD

PELHAM, NY — There are several contested races in this month's primary, including the Democratic primary for the 16th Congressional District. Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as the primary day draws near.

Chris Fink, 61, is running to be the Democratic candidate on the November ballot. His opponents are incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel, Jamaal Bowman and Sammy Ravelo. Andom Ghebreghiorgis withdrew from the race after the ballots were printed.

Fink has a doctor of jurisprudence degree from SUNY Buffalo and a master of law degree from NYU.

He is married with five children.

The 16th Congressional District includes the northern Bronx and Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Scarsdale, Eastchester, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Pelham, Pelham Manor, Rye, Rye City and parts of Ardsley, Hastings-on-Hudson and Edgemont.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I attended public schools through high school, college and law school. After practicing law for seven years, I became a public finance banker. In my 28 years as a municipal banking professional, I have advised local and state governments across the country on over 700 infrastructure projects that include vital public services such as schools, roads, hospitals, water and wastewater treatment facilities, bridges, public buildings, hospitals, industrial development improvements, single and multi-family housing and electric power. I have the expertise and I want to ensure that we have a strong and safe infrastructure in the New York’s District 16 and across our country.

I grew up the son of an administrative assistant and a Con Ed lineman who was a proud union member. I put myself through college and law school selling dictionaries 6 days a week over the summers. I understand the needs of working men and women. As hard as I worked to get ahead, I recognize that the barriers have risen significantly for the generations that have followed, and that they have always been significantly higher for women and people of color. Access to college has become harder, student loan interest rates have sky-rocketed and most working class folks don’t have a union like my dad did that looks out for a workers’ best interests. I come from a place that instilled values in me to respect everyone, and I will do everything I can as a congressperson to narrow the income gap and provide opportunities to every American.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

The climate crisis.
I intend to lead in Congress on transforming our energy grid to be completely carbon neutral by 2040, on modernizing our mass transit, on creating a nation-wide electric car charging infrastructure, and on regulating construction and modernization of buildings so that they are energy efficient. I will work to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and to end all subsidies to the fossil fuel sector and redirect those resources to renewable energy projects. Read more about my extensive plan to take on the climate crisis on the Issues page of my website.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have not sought money from outside interests. I am not beholden to dark money groups, Brooklyn elites, defense contractors, or the Justice Democrats. Two of my challengers are. I will work for the people of District 16.

I am the only candidate with the expertise and knowledge to implement the Green New Deal. We are all committed to it, but no one else in this race has 32 years of experience implementing renewable energy projects across this country.

Additionally, I have an LLM in tax law, and am committed to removing the SALT deduction cap imposed by President Trump, and to making our tax code more progressive and less complicated.
I won't just talk about these projects; I will get them done.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Our current congressman Eliot Engel receives most of his campaign funding from corporate PACs and defense contractors, which begs the question: whose interests does he serve? The answer is clear: The people of our district have not been served well by our congressman for the last 32 years. 17 of the 27 districts in NY receive more federal dollars for education than ours; 15 of the 27 districts in NY receive more federal dollars for transportation than ours; of the 43 bills that Engel introduced in Congress last year, not one was enacted; during his 32 years in Congress, he has introduced 372 pieces of legislation, only 37 of which have become law and none of which had to do with our District — except the five that were aimed at naming post offices! Congressman Engel claims to have clout; his clout is not producing tangible results for our District.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Jobs program. Racial justice and addressing police brutality. Universal health care. Public health measures to combat pandemics. Protection of women's rights. Protection of veterans' rights and benefits. Foreign policy focused on diplomacy and multilateralism. Illegal guns off our streets with common sense gun reform. Modernization of our infrastructure. Legalization of marijuana. Restoration of full SALT cap deduction.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm very proud of the fact that I was able to make a successful transition from being a lawyer to being a municipal advisor. They take very different skillsets and it wasn't the easiest transition. I will use the experience and knowledge I gained from both to be successful in Congress.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Work hard. My first mentor once said that there are a lot of smart, charismatic people out there. The main thing that distinguishes the successful people — besides luck, which we can't control — is that they work really hard. I undoubtedly have also benefited in my career from the privileges associated with being a white male, privileges which should not exist. But I took my mentor's advice and have always worked extremely hard, and will continue to do so in Congress.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I feel very strongly about the things that are important to me. I'm not just going to propose legislation in the areas that are important to me; I'm going to work hard to get it passed. Also, I have a plan to move us forward as we recover from the pandemic, which is unique among the candidates running for the CD16 congressional seat.

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