Mercedes Narcisse
www.mercedesfornyc.com
Twitter: @MercedesforNYC Instagram: mercedesnarcisse
Do you believe housing is a human right? Yes
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
I have rallied, advocated, and taken affirmative positions on the right to decent and affordable home.
3. What type of housing do you currently live in?
Own a co-op, condo or private home
4. Are you, or have you ever been, a landlord? Yes
4a. If yes, where & how many apts. did you own? 5
5. Does your campaign accept contributions from real estate developers (including related individuals), corporate lobbyists, organizations that participate in the carceral system, and/or landlords? No
6. Have you ever worked in, or had another affiliation with, the Real Estate industry? No
7. Have any of your campaign or advisory staff held a position as a corporate lobbyist or an executive role with the Real Estate industry? No
6. & 7. If so, how can we be assured you will have tenants’ interests in mind? (250 characters)
8. What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a City Council Member? (1000 characters)
The most pressing housing issues are: 1) foreclosures
9. Do you believe that housing should be de-commodified? The most pressing housing issues are: 1) foreclosures
9a. What would you do as an elected representative to move that vision forward? (500 characters)
Yes
10. Do you support the move to legalize basement apts? Yes
11. Do you support the concept of rent regulation and eviction protections? Yes
12. Do you believe in publicly owned and controlled housing? Yes
13. NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems?
NYCHA could utilize its public spaces for multipurpose activities. Leasing space to H + H to bring Community Health Centers (CHCs) for an expansion of access to care and to the DOE for Afterschool programming.
14. Do you support the NYCHA 2.0 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)/ PACT program and other privatization schemes? No
15. Would you support an immediate moratorium on the sale or lease of all City-owned land and air rights to for-profit developers? Yes
16. Would you require that any housing built on public land be 100% permanently affordable to low- and extremely-low income New Yorkers? Yes
17. Would you aggressively use City programs and eminent domain to take ownership of distressed properties and transfer them to community control such as Community Land Trusts? Yes
18. Would you end the custom of deferring to local council members on land use decisions? Yes
19. What standards would a rezoning need to meet for you to support it? (500 characters)
It would need to pass muster regarding the racial impact study.
20. What reforms to zoning would you propose to increase community input into development? (500 characters)
Community boards need to be better educated on land use. Too often members of the community board approve developments without understanding the impact on the context of the neighborhood or geography. There needs to be a mandatory pre-application meeting with the community so that they are better informed and developers become more accountable to the community.
21. Would you pass and enforce a true racial impact study as part of any rezoning? Yes
Percentage of people who are below 200% of the poverty line 20% Percentage of Unhoused New Yorkers 20%
23. What is/has been the most important land use fight in your district and what position did you take on it? (500 characters)
The most important land use fight has been about the multipurpose center in a NYCHA housing development.
24. Would you support increased funding and oversight of NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Mayor’s Tenant Protection Unit to educate tenants on their rights to organize in NYC rental buildings? YesYes
25. Will you support the City seeking injunctions against the landlords on the Right to Counsel’s “worst evictors list,” barring worst evictors from bringing eviction cases while under investigation, and implementing good cause evictions protections? Yes
26. Do you support expanding funding and oversight of the City’s emergency repair program to correct hazardous violations and send the owner the bill? Yes
27. How would you use your office to put pressure on landlords to make repairs and stop harassing tenants? (500 characters)
I would implement and enforce the law that requires landlords to obtain extermination services and to repair appliances and fixtures in their apartments. NYCHA especially, need to repair and replace appliances.
28. Do you support the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA—Int 0737-2018) and Commercial Rent Stabilization bill (Int 1796-2019) currently in committee in the City Council?Yes
29. Do you support converting hotel rooms into permanently affordable apts? Yes
30. Would you end the practice of police responding to people who are homeless? Yes
31. Would you oppose homeless shelters being built in your district? No
31a. Why or why not? (500 characters)
Everyone has a right to shelter.
32. Do you agree that all evictions are bad? Yes
32a. If no, why not?
33. Are you committed to making sure every tenant has free access to counsel in Housing Court? Yes
34. Would you support an eviction moratorium every winter (Heat Season Oct. 1-May 31)? Yes
35. Do you believe that the Rent Guidelines Board should lower rents for rent stabilized tenants? No
35a. If yes, what will you do to influence the board to do so? (500 characters)
I would lobby the members of the board along with tenant advocacy groups to lower the rents especially in the midst of a pandemic.
36. Have you ever testified on behalf of tenants at a public hearing of the RGB? No
37. Do you support restricting the ability of landlords to discriminate and surveil tenants through the use of technologies such as key fobs, smartphone apps, and facial recognition to gain entry into their apartment units and/or buildings? Yes
38. Will you commit to only vote for a budget that decreases funding to the NYPD? Yes