I am running for the City Council to put the Council on the side of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.

My first priority will be to make certain that the progress made in the war against crime continues. I will work tirelessly with the new mayor and police commissioner to reduce crime further. I will fight to start a new program in each precinct to assign officers to combat crime against senior citizens.

I will fight to improve our education system. We need to change a system that has failed our city and shortchanged our children. Any system that gives the largest borough, Brooklyn, the same representation as the smallest borough is broken and must be fixed. Any system that allows one third of the schools to fail without holding anyone accountable must be changed. We need to give our principals and teachers sufficient resources and support and pay them a fair and competitive salary and to develop a system that holds them accountable for their work. We also need to find ways to support families who send their kids to non-public schools.

We need to support the City University. As a child of working class parents and as a graduate of Brooklyn College, I know first hand the value of an affordable quality public higher education.

As Councilman, I will use my experience to get our neighborhoods their fair share of services and improvements in the City Budget. I will work to bring tax fairness to coop and condo owners, protect homeowners and fight for tenant rights. I will work to improve our train and bus service. The MTA has been insensitive to our neighborhoods. I will hold them accountable.

I will be on your side and on the side of all of our neighborhoods.

(Statement reprinted as supplied by the candidate.)