Name of Council Candidate: Joyce Johnson Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Joyce Johnson, Candidate Campaign

Website: www.electjoycejohnson.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. Human rights are narrowly labeled, and domestically, we arent protecting enough of these rights. Improving and expanding access to healthcare, housing, nutritious food, and careers with dignifying pay are ways we drastically need to improve to be an international model of humanitarian justice, both as a country and as a city. New York City and, specifically, the City Council can make and change laws that greatly affect the quality and dignity of life. Looking at examples like the recently passed family sick leave bill, it is obvious to see that elected officials on the city level have an impact on the protection and recognition of human rights. 2. How have you used current or previous professional positions to advance human rights? I was born into a family steeped in public service my father, Columbus L. Stanley, was the first African American elected to the city council in Poughkeepsie, New York, and my mother Dorothy B. Stanley was Poughkeepsies first African American school teacher and principal I like to say that I carried on this tradition. I served as the President and CEO of the Black Equity Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to improving the socioeconomic status of Black New Yorkers though strategic partnerships and alliances with special emphasis on building capacity of New York Citys vast Black serving non-profit sector. Additionally, I worked for former Operations Manager and Consultant for the New York City Mayors Office of Children and Families under Mayor Dinkins. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Affordable housing. 2. Education. 3. Gender equity and civil rights.

4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Funding education and child services so NYC schools are the best in the nation. 2. Finding a solution to our pension liability that ensures a fair deal for NYCs labor force. 3. Smartly funding public safety departments in NYC so that were protecting and serving our communities with more dignity and less budgetary fat. 5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? I do plan on using participatory budgeting to allocate discretionary funds across New Yorks 7 th City Council District. These are flexible funds that should be used to aid non-profits and organizations across the city who service our diverse populations and neighborhoods. Speaking with people in our local neighborhoods and the organizations who service them, the financial boon discretionary funding provides to these programs can mean one more child admitted to an after school program or the start-up of a community beautification project. These funds have a moral foundation, and I would be proud to allocate them in a responsible, humanitarian manner across the 7 th City Council District. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. As mentioned earlier this years paid sick leave bill was a major victory in employees rights. Additionally, the Community Safety Act and the creation of a NYPD inspector general are a large step forward in combating racial profiling across New York City. 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? Simply, through community outreach and presence. As a resident of the district in which I hope to serve, I live with my neighbors around me. I know their issues, and as a city council member, I would be able to give voice to their issues against institutionalized forces that may serve as roadblocks to the recognition of their basic needs. Very often, people are discouraged from seeking the services they need or fighting for their rights because theyre overwhelmed by bureaucratic red tape and discrimination. As a Councilmember, I would fight for these individuals as far as I could. 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. I agree with this critique. The speaker has too much freedom to single-handedly hold legislation, as Speaker Quinn did with paid sick days earlier this year. Committee chairs should have more power to move legislation, even if the speaker opposes. The members of legislative bodies should be equal with the speaker as the first among equals not the ultimate gatekeeper to legislation.

For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.