Austin Shafran

Name of Council Candidate: Austin Shafran Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Austin Shafran, Candidate Campaign
Website: austin4council.com
2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. Furthering human rights, through policy and advocacy is a legislative and moral imperative because rooting out injustice and inhumane treatment is a responsibility we all bare. I was proud to vocally support the groundbreaking rulings by the Supreme Court - striking down the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act and dismissing California's Proposition 8 as a true victory for equality and justice. As someone who fought to pass Marriage Equality in New York and help restore our legacy as a national progressive leader and beacon for hope, I would like to continue that work as a member of the City Council, addressing vital local human rights issues li ke better funding for womens reproductive health services especially among communities of color, pay equity regardless of gender, working to find long-term housing, healthcare, and employment for the homeless, non-citizen for rights for immigrants, and ending the ineffective and offensive practice of Stop and Frisk which has targeted young minorities through racially-profiled and random searches. 2. How have you used current or previous professional positions to advance human rights? Throughout my nearly ten years in public service, I have led campaigns to help enact statewide and nationallyrecognized progressive legislation, including passage of historic Marriage Equality legislation; Rockefeller Drug Law Reform; No-Fault Divorce; the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights; stronger penalties for domestic violence; the anti-gun violence SAFE Act; and advocating for passage of the Farm Workers Bill of Rights, GENDA, and the Dignity for All Students Act. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Expand municipal voting rights to noncitizens legally living in the U.S. 2. Pay equity for municipal employees who have the same title but do not receive the same salary due to gender. 3. Expand our early education system to ensure that all four year olds are receiving access to full day Universal Pre-K and quality after-school programs.
4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Implement a more progressive tax system: The current tax system is almost regressive, with families making $60,000/year in the same tax bracket as families making $500,000/year. We need a simpler and more progressive tax system, where the more you make the more you pay. I would strongly advocate for the addition of high-end-earner brackets and reductions in PIT rates for low and moderate-income families. 2. Enact charter reforms that balance the powers more fairly between the Council and the Mayor in the budget process. Additionally, I would advocate for equal and fair expense and capital funding for all Council Districts. Equality of funding would be determined through formula spending which take into consideration various categories that account for populations, land area, districts with higher poverty levels, etc. Participatory budgeting, where funding for local projects is done through a community-driven process where those who know their area best get a fair say in what projects get funded is also essential to having more equitable discretionary funding. Assuming that a Speakers Pot is still available, it should be limited in size, so that it is no more in total than all individual pots combined. 3. Restore funding to essential city services, including the addition of an automatic growth rate for senior program funding whereby the baseline for senior funding automatically increases by the same rate of senior population growth. 5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes I do. Funding for local projects should be done through a community-driven process where those who know their area best get a fair say in what projects get funded, and every district gets its fair share. The clearly voiced will of the local community should have final say in what projects get funded in their community. Its the taxpayers money - not some politicians to dole out to politically connected friends or busines s clients - and that money should go where the local community thinks it works best through an objective process and on an equal basis. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. 1. The Community Safety Act: I oppose the NYPDs Stop-and-Frisk policy and believe it is an ineffective and illegal policing procedure. We shouldnt have to break the law in order to enforce it, and the Bloomberg Administrations use of the current stop-and-frisk policy allows for racially profiled searches, which go against our most basic principles of justice and constitutional liberties. The Community Safety Act goes a long way toward reducing the severely damaging impact of Stop and Frisk on young minorities and communities of color. 2. Paid Sick Leave: Getting sick or having to care for a sick relative should NOT cost anyone their job. No one should be forced to choose between working while sick or loosing her or his job. Paid sick leave increases worker productivity and reduces worker turnover. As many workers who were lacking access to paid sick
leave are employed in low-wage jobs and come from underserved and disadvantaged communities, paid sick legislation will help improve workers and human rights significantly. 3. NYC Prevailing Wage, though struck down by the courts recently, would have provided a solid working class income for NYC janitors, security guards and other building service jobs. Encouraging employment that pays enough to support a family via prevailing wage requirements should be an absolute necessity any time tax dollars are invested through economic development programs. 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation will you advance the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? 1. First step is understanding how human rights are being violated. We need to start integrating human rights into all our policies and decision-making processes. In San Francisco, Eugene city departments have already started using human rights assessment tools in everyday planning. We need to do the same here. 2. Our commitment to human rights must be absolute and our funding allocation must match that commitment. So I would strongly oppose city funding from going to private events, programs, and organizations like the St. Patricks Day Parade and the Boy Scouts of America that discriminate against LGBT groups and others. 3. In the council I would also support a constant and open dialogue from human rights organizations to guide all of our legislation and seek to revitalize the NYC Commission on Human Rights. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. Our communities deserve fair and equal access to city resources as well as an unrestricted opportunity to have legislation that affects them debated and voted on in an open and thorough process. That means decentralizing powers that have typically been under the sole authority of the Speaker, and making the entire legislative process more transparent and equitable so every Council member has an equal ability to provide resources to serve his or her constituents. I would advocate for the creation of an independent bill drafting service and I would like to see rules reform that allow for bills which dont have the support of the Speaker to be voted on with greater ease in both committees and in front of the full Council.

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Name of Council Candidate: Austin Shafran Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Austin Shafran, Candidate Campaign

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

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