Public safety is the number one issue of the constituents of this district. There is no denying that a national crime wave is occurring, and New York City has not been immune. As the son and brother of police officers, I know the critical role they play every day in keeping our communities safe. We must make sure they are given the necessary resources to perform their job. It is also a priority of mine to address the underlying issues that lead to crime. This starts with investment in mental health treatment to prevent criminalizing those living with a mental illness, and investing in social services proven to lower crime rates.
It is becoming harder than ever for our working families to get ahead. We are seeing prices increase, housing is becoming unaffordable, and the city is finding every way to tax or fine our residents. It’s time that our government stops making things harder on our working families and starts giving some back. This begins with ensuring the continuation of the Staten Island Resident Discount on the Verrazzano Bridge toll. We also need to finally take action to make property taxes more equitable across New York City and end the practice of Staten Islanders paying a disproportionate share. In the Assembly, I will fight for working parents across this state by pushing for childcare and after school programs for all.
The West Shore of Staten Island is prime location for strategic development that will bring quality local jobs for Staten Island residents. In 2011, The Department of City Planning and the Economic Development Corporation released a proposal titled West Shore 2030; this plan focused on creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and managing growth in Staten Island by effectively utilizing our West Shore. While progress has been made, we need to continue focus on making our West Shore more inviting to businesses that will bring high quality jobs to our communities.
Small businesses are the backbone of every community. They create over 75% of new jobs, and keep money spent within our communities. Unfortunately, our small businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19 over the past two years and we should be doing everything we can to help. I plan to help businesses re-open and new businesses to start by easing the bureaucratic burdens being placed on them by our City and state government.
The gratitude that all of us owe to our Veterans cannot be overstated. During his time in the Assembly, Vincent worked closely with Assemblyman Cusick on property discounts for Veterans, benefits for Conspicuous Service Cross recipients, the Staten Island VETS Discount Program, and funding for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. If elected, he will continue to work every day to honor and help the Veterans of this state.
Education is the foundation of our future. If elected, Vincent will visit every school in the district and identify the most pressing issues and inequities our students are facing. He is committed to improving education across our state and setting our children up for a bright future.
Housing costs have risen to almost unattainable levels especially for first time home buyers. We have reached a point where supply of homes on Staten Island has not kept up with demand. If handled responsibly, we can provide more affordable housing across our borough with smart development on Staten Island and by providing incentives for first time home buyers.
The past two years of the pandemic highlighted the major need we have in our state for accessible and affordable health care. To ensure broader access to health care we should fight in New York State to expand Essential Plan coverage and raise income eligibility for Medicaid. We must also lower prescription drug costs for all, but especially for our seniors.
With the uncertainty we are seeing on the federal level regarding women’s safe reproductive care, it is critical that we make sure that it remains a priority in New York State. A women’s reproductive rights and women’s health go hand in hand, and we must be sure that is protected in New York State.
Staten Island has been repeatedly hit by storms such as Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Henry, both of which devastated Staten Island with an unsettling amount of flooding and even lives lost. Not only are we vulnerable around our shorelines, but we’ve seen many other areas of vulnerability across the Island. While many great proposals have come up, we need to see them through to fruition by making real investment in our resiliency infrastructure. We are unfortunately still as exposed today as we were before Hurricane Sandy.
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