14 point approach to the Office of the Public Advocate

The backbone of my campaign and my desire to serve as New York City’s Public Advocate is my vision for how this unique elected position – the only position in America that represents the people against the government – can operate as an example of democracy in action. No New Yorker would have to ask “what does the Public Advocate do?” if I were in charge of the office. The City Charter specifies in section 24g, “The public advocate shall establish procedures for receiving and processing complaints, responding to complaints, conducting investigations, and reporting findings, and shall inform the public about such procedures.” Accordingly, I’ve outlined fourteen procedures and approaches I would use to make the office more dynamic and accessible:

1. I will not only contact the appropriate city agencies when it is appropriate, but I will also connect concerned residents and community groups to the appropriate agencies, so they do not get the run-around when trying to deal with city bureaucracies.
2. The Public Advocate has access to the media, and he or she should use it. The Public Advocate’s office will put pressing issues into New York’s papers by writing letters to the editor and opinion editorials on a constant basis.
3. Similarly, our office will hold press conferences to keep New York’s journalists apprised of the problems people are facing, and the work our office and our partners are doing to fix them.
4. A Public Advocate cannot understand the concerns of the City without going directly to the people. That is why we will hold public conferences/town hall meetings throughout the five boroughs to allow residents to give feedback about the difficulties they are facing.
5. Not only will I hold meetings in all five boroughs, but I will also decentralize the office. I would establish satellite Public Advocate offices in each borough, not just the municipal building in downtown Manhattan. No advocate waits for people to come with their problems; advocacy is about taking the first step by reaching out to people in their own neighborhoods.
6. Once a problem has been identified, the Public Advocate’s office will designate a task force to speedily gather information, make recommendations, and if necessary, take action.
7. If a task force is insufficient, I will not hesitate to create Public Advocate Commissions that can hold hearings, issue reports, and bring additional media attention to an issue.
8. If our office identifies an issue that warrants substantial study, we will commission Special Reports and have experts look into those issues.
9. There will be times when new legislation will be required to solve the issues we face. Under my direction, the Public Advocate’s office will be aggressive in recommending and supporting new legislation.
10. As Public Advocate, I will encourage and participate in all protected First Amendment action events, including marches, rallies and protests.
11. One of the most important features of the Public Advocate’s office is its authority to hold public hearings. When dealing with City agencies accused of wrongdoing, one can be assured that holding hearings is a tool I will use liberally. Additionally, New York law allows the Public Advocate to petition for judicial public hearings when there has been any showing of government impropriety, which allows the public to hear the acts in a court of law. As a civil rights attorney representing taxpayers I used this process to bring public attention to the “slush fund” that had been funneling city money to fictitious organizations. That case is currently on appeal in the New York Appellate Division. The incumbent has never asked for judicial hearings, but I will show no such reluctance in exposing government improprieties, such as fraud and corruption.
12. I would create an Institute of Advocacy where the Public Advocate staff would quarterly hold weekend training sessions on the “art of advocacy.” The goal would be to create a citywide network of skilled advocates.
13. To this end, I would recruit, train and supervise hundreds of volunteers (assistant Public Advocates) to participate in weekly intakes at housing developments, public libraries, and senior centers, identifying the systemic issues and recurring grievances that are plaguing city government.
14. As a last resort, the Public Advocate’s office will engage in litigation. We will sue for declaratory judgments, injunctive relief, or, in state court, for a judicial public hearing.

I will employ all of the above energetically and forcefully, because I see the Public Advocate’s office as the culmination of a lifetime of work, not just a political stepping stone.