Queens Borough President Primary 2020: Meet Anthony Miranda

QUEENS, NY — Queens Democrats will get to cast a ballot Tuesday in a collection of local, state and federal primary races — including the primary election for borough president, a position that opened up after former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz took office as Queens district attorney at the start of the year.

The winner of the primary election will face Queens GOP Chair Joann Ariola in November's general election to determine who will serve as borough president for the remainder of Katz's term, which is up at the end of 2021.

Borough presidents oversee major land-use decisions and control a multimillion-dollar budget to support local organizations. They also appoint members of community boards, the City Planning Commission and community education councils, which govern school districts along with the local superintendent.

The primary election on June 23 is open to registered Democratic voters. Voters who requested an absentee ballot must send it in by the date of the election for the vote to get counted.

Click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the race for borough president to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Anthony Miranda

Neighborhood of residence: Fresh Meadows

Family: Miranda's spouse, Sylvia, is a court analyst with the NYS Unified Court System. They have three sons. Antonio is a graduate of Binghamton University who is awaiting to begin the NYPD Police Academy. Andres is a graduate of SUNY Cortland who is teaching in the Syracuse public school system. Alejandro is a seventh grader at The Bell Academy in Bayside, Queens.

Education: Graduated with an associate’s degree from New York City College of Technology and a B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Yes, my wife, Sylvia, works in the NYS Unified Court System for the Chief Clerk at the Brooklyn Supreme Civil Court.

Occupation/experience:

• Chief of Police, Administration for Children’s Services, 2 years
• Regional Security Director, Home / Life Services, 4 years
• Security Consultant, Anthony Miranda and Associates, 15 years
• Executive Chairman, National Latino Officers Association, 24.5 years
• NYPD, Sergeant / Detective / Officer, 20 years

Current and/or previous elected positions: None

Campaign website: Miranda4Queens.com

Why are you running for borough president?

I am running for Queens Borough President to advocate and represent the people of Queens. Currently, our borough is facing one of its most challenging times: police reform and accountability, a health crisis, housing crisis, employment crisis, school crisis, small business crisis, and many more challenges. Queens is my home and I am raising my family here. Just like many other residents, I am fed up with politicians making promises they never keep. Thus, I decided to create change by taking a giant step to run for QBP.

As QBP, I will represent the voice of the people and fight for the changes we need now. I will fight for police accountability and reform while ensuring the safety of the community. My priority will not be to appease the Queens Machine, billionaire developers, or environmental violators. I will focus on responsible affordable housing. I will freeze all luxury development until we are comfortable with how developers will address the results of feasibility studies and evaluations of potential depletion of local resources. I will ensure that all services, especially health care and COVID19 related issues, are a priority. I will hold public hearings, have legislation introduced into the City Council, and use my bully pulpit to advocate on behalf of Queens.

The single most pressing issue facing Queens is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it:

The single most pressing issue facing Queens is discrimination and equal access to resources. This covers housing, healthcare, and unemployment. This is what I intend to do about it:

• Promote diversity in government by creating a more grassroots, localized political structure; a structure that is more reflective of the ethnic and cultural makeup of our communities.
• Organize elected officials to respond to crises in a more coordinated, seamless, and comprehensive manner.
• Partner with public and private institutions to bridge the gap between underfunded supportive programs and the communities that need them the most.

What is the main difference between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The main difference between myself and the other candidates is my unique experience in defending the community without a political title. I am not beholden to any political machines. Because of this I am not obligated to ask permission when doing the right thing of defending our communities. The other candidates have led political careers for 4 years, 8 years, or more and have been unable to execute the changes we’ve been demanding for decades. If they haven’t been able to deliver in that timeframe, why would we give them another potential 8 years to do the same exact thing of NOTHING? We need new leadership with a different vision for Queens that has a history of defending the community when it is not always popular or goes against the political machines.

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

The QBP position is more than just a ceremonial, ribbon cutting position. I have overseen and drafted budgets in many different positions from Police Precincts, working in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Training overseeing all training for the entire NYPD, Director of Security overseeing 8 shelters, and as the Chief of Police for ACS. The QBP must be able to organize, hold public hearings and advocate for the community. For over 30 years I have organized and worked with a diverse group of people and institutions. We created change in laws, policies and procedures throughout New York City and Queens. The QBP is responsible to hold people and agencies accountable in a fair and unbiased manner above machine politics and billionaire developer money. I have the experience of organizing the most diverse people with different priorities. The QBP is responsible to organize all the Queens elected officials to cohesively address the needs of Queens and hold them all accountable. I will not be limited by personal or political differences. I am the only candidate that has a history of holding people accountable by testifying, holding press conferences, negotiating and when required successfully filing lawsuits.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Get your education because no one can take that away from you. Change is never easy but necessary. You must fight for what you believe in and never give up. One person can cause a revolution. You do all you can and leave the rest to God. We are all human beings and sometimes people need to be reminded of that fact. Most importantly, my mom would always say, “mi’jo, ten cuidado” which means “my son, be careful”. My parents shared many gifts of wisdom on overcoming obstacles, pushing forward, giving back, empowering people and speaking up for those most vulnerable.