Name of Council Candidate: Ken Biberaj Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Ken Biberaj, Candidate Campaign

Website: www.ken2013.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. My strong feelings about the domestic applicability of human rights are rooted firmly in my familys journey to the United States and my experience as a citizen of its greatest city. Inspired by my grandparents flight from communism, my father joined the State Departments Voice of America in 1980. Today, he leads the VOAs efforts to promote freedom and democracy in the Balkans. Although I share my fathers passion for human rights globally, I am much more troubled by the situation here at home. Nearly a fifth of our residents live in poverty, a third have difficulty affording food, and nearly every New Yorker of color has a friend or relative who has been stopped by police without just cause. The human rights situation in our proudest city is not one that my father can broadcast with pride to the world. Our moral authority, as a nation and as a city, is directly tied to our citizens enjoyment of those human rights . As a Council Member, I will not rest until this city lives up to its ancient heritage and promise of opportunity and justice for all. 2. How have you used current or previous professional positions to advance human rights? As Americans, we are fiercely protective of our civil and political rights, but often lack the same attention to cultural, economic and social rights. It is these latter human rights that I have worked particularly hard to advance over the course of my career. I currently serve as the Vice President of the Russian Tea Room, where I have taken a leadership role on food security issues. As a member of the Culinary Council of the Food Bank of New York, I have worked to provide much-needed support for the food pantries and soup kitchens that one in five of New York Citys children rely on to meet their needs. More than just providing food, I believe that everyone has a right to nutritious meals. That is why I have been active in the Food Banks efforts to expand the availability of fresh, healthy options to underserved communities across the city. Additionally, as a mentor for New York Needs You, I have provided assistance to first generation college students who are realizing their rights to an education. Many of these students come from low-income backgrounds, and I fight to ensure that they receive the services to which they are entitled. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Increasing transparency and accountability of the Department of Homeless Services and their use of Emergency provisions to bypass communities and the Charters Fair Share Provision in siting supportive housing.

2. Work to make the appropriate investments in our infrastructure to prepare for future storms and the impacts of climate change. The Mayor laid out an ambitious set of goals and I would seek to move forward in implementing that plan. 3. Create a tax credit for small businesses. *I recently released 25 New Ideas for the Upper West Side. Those ideas can be found on my homepage: www.ken2013.com 4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Funding for Childcare and Afterschool programs 2. Senior Centers and support programs 3. Cultural institutions and Libraries *I also plan on working to identify public/private partnerships to get results for my community. I understand that the budget is going to be very tight in 2014, and leaders will need to forge partnerships with non-profits and the private sector to get results for the community. 5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes, I plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate a portion of my discretionary funds. The distribution of discretionary funds across the city has been an arcane process that has aroused suspicion for far too long. Participatory budgeting promotes greater transparency in the operation of government and gives taxpayers a greater say in the spending of their hard-earned money. And nobody knows where discretionary funds are needed more than the residents of the district, many of whom are not privy to the workings of community boards and others who traditionally guide the allocation of funds. As a Council Member, I want to see funds directed to the places where they will do the most good, and I believe that participatory budgeting is the way to accomplish that goal. In addition, the impressive results of the 2011 pilot program heralded a very welcome development: participatory budgeting engaged low-income New Yorkers, minorities, women and immigrants at far greater rates than City Council elections. I agree wholeheartedly with the Human Rights Report Cards conclusion that a process, which creates mechanisms of accountability and seeks out the voices of historically marginalized community members is one which enacts key human rights principles. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. The City Council has vast power to effectuate change and promote human rights. I applaud so much of the work that current Councilmember Gale Brewer has done over the years. From her support of Paid Sick Leave, advocacy for tenants and steadfast commitment to preserving funding for senior centers and afterschool programs, she is a model of how much can be done by just one member. Other legislation in the Council that also promote human rights include focusing on increased transparency of the City contracting process (Intro 0729-2011), enhanced banking products to meet the needs of consumers and community groups (Intro 0485-2011), and limiting Department of Corrections collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in deporting individuals who pose no threat to the public safety (Intro 0656-2011) to name a few.

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? While legislation is perhaps the foremost tool that Council Members possess for advancing human rights, it is not their only means of doing so. If elected, I will promote human rights by reimagining how the City Council uses its traditional powers and how I utilize my own professional abilities in service to the cause. My campaign is based on bringing new ideas and new energy to the City Council and that includes how Council Members promote human rights. I am committed to creating public private partnerships to advance human rights and get results for the Upper West Side. As an example, I am deeply concerned about the growing technological divide in our housing developments and have already met with the vendor who installed free wi-fi in Chelsea that was funded by Google. I have a proposal from them to do the sample in the Amsterdam Houses and if elected am confident that I can find a private sector company to fund it. The resources of government are going to be constrained next year, but that will not deter me in advancing the issues that are important to my community. 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. This is a difficult question. And considering that the legislative record clearly demonstrates that human rights bills which face delayed hearings or votes have, on average, many more sponsors than non-human rights bills, this is a question of critical importance for human right advocates. Amid ongoing reports that the Speaker only advances bills which she approves of, furthermore, and her continued control over allocation of discretionary funding to Council Members, claims that the Speaker has too much power over legislations progress in the Council are not without merit. Nevertheless, I believe that Council Members themselves are not blameless in these developments. Council Members possess tools with which they can defy the Speaker to advance legislation, such as Sponsors Privilege and Discharge of Committee. Far too few Members, however, exercise those prerogatives, and critical human rights legislation has suffered as a result of their timidity. While the letter of the charter and the force of precedent grant a leadership role to the Speaker, the Council remains a pluralistic body. One Council Member, even the first among equals, should not have the unilateral power to deny the passage of vital legislation to protect human rights. The Speakers overwhelming power must be addressed.

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