Public Advocate

 

CANDIDATES

Democratic

Michael E. Brown*

Damon L. Cabbagestalk

Jay Golub

Betsy F. Gotbaum

Andrew Rasiej

Norman Siegel

Andrew Rasiej

Democratic

Party enrolled in: Democratic

Occupation: I am a community leader, small business owner and Internet entrepreneur

Occupational background: Small business owner

Educational background: I went to high school in the Bronx and received a BFA from Cooper Union

Organizational affiliations: Seeing city students left out of the technology revolution, eight years ago I founded MOUSE, a non-profit that connects schools to the Internet and trains 1000 students a year to be their schools’ technology experts. The program benefits 89,000 students and 6,000 teachers, saves the City $1.2 million a year, and 95 percent of its participants go to college.

Prior public experience: I served on the Board of Education Technology Task Force, the 14th Street Business Improvement District, and Community Board 5

Email: info@advocatesforrasiej.com

Web site: www.advocatesforrasiej.com

 

 

1. What is the most important issue in the city you would address if elected?

We should be using new tools and technologies to make NYC’s government more efficient, open and accountable, and to give New Yorkers more control over the decisions that affect their lives. As Public Advocate, I will lead the City to create a low-cost wireless community Internet system for all New Yorkers. That way, all of our kids will be able to access the Internet’s educational resources whenever they need them, our workforce will be prepared to compete for the jobs of the 21st Century, and all New Yorkers will share in the benefits of the Digital Age.

 

2. What other important issues would you address if elected?

Modernizing Services. The current Public Advocate has done next to nothing to modernize city services. With new technology: ** firefighters rushing to a fire could download a building blueprint on their way to the scene; ** emergency personnel could get real-time traffic data to plot the fastest routes to hospitals and emergencies; ** New Yorkers could call 911 from the subway, communicate with and receive information from city authorities in the event of an attack, and get real-time information about the arrival and departure times of buses, subways and ferries.

 

3. What makes you the best candidate for this office?

A New Vision as Your Public Advocate: I am the only candidate with a vision for the Public Advocate’s office beyond collecting complaints, issuing press releases and suing people. I want to reinvent the office to better connect New Yorkers to each other and their government. Instead of taking people for granted, I want to tap all of their ideas and energy to find solutions to our common challenges. The reality is that one elected official can’t solve eight million people’s problems. But eight million people working together can solve one city’s problems. In addition, I’m the only candidate to voluntarily limit contributions to $100 per person. New Yorkers will know from day one that I come with no strings attached. My only constituency will be you.

 

(Reprinted as supplied by the candidate.)

 

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