My story would not be possible without New York City.
My parents came here nearly 50 years ago from Costa Rica to find opportunity, work and build a better life. I was born and raised in a rent stabilized apartment. I’m a proud graduate of our city’s public schools. And my education at P.S. 161 in Crown Heights is the reason why I got into Brooklyn Tech, then Fordham and Cornell for law school.
But, the opportunities that made my family’s story possible no longer exist for me and far too many of my fellow New Yorkers.
My wife and I are both from Central Brooklyn — and like so many New Yorkers, we want to put down roots in the neighborhood that raised us and buy a home. But the average price for a home is a million dollars — making homeownership feel out of reach for so many of us. Even my dad — a former special education teacher in the Bronx with a good pension and UFT retiree benefits — was priced out of the city.
Either we continue to push New Yorkers out, or we rebuild our city. That’s why I’m running for mayor: to make the city affordable for working and middle-class New Yorkers like me.
In City Hall, I’ll deliver one million homes over the next 10 years to drive down the cost of housing. This is the boldest and biggest plan any candidate has presented in the race — because the city needs a plan of this magnitude to address the housing crisis. Incremental development and half-measures got us into this problem; that small-minded thinking will not get us out of it.
As mayor, I’ll build more homes across all five boroughs, including in places like Midtown where tall, empty office towers can be transformed into dense mixed-income housing, and create new neighborhoods on underutilized land like the Aqueduct Racetrack.
As mayor, I’ll also revitalize NYCHA, and expand the Right to Counsel program to include homeowners facing eviction and victims of deed theft. And this housing plan isn’t just good for the New Yorkers who can stay in our city — more housing will strengthen our city’s economy as well.
My housing plan will expand our tax base and generate $18 billion in new revenue over the next decade — critical funding that will shore up our city’s resources in the face of Donald Trump’s dangerous federal cuts.
Along with housing, child care is a major reason why families are leaving our city altogether. That’s why as mayor, I’ll implement free, universal Afterschool for All and full day pre-K and 3-K until 6:00 p.m.
When I was growing up, my mom didn’t get off work at 2:30 p.m. — and neither do most working New Yorkers. Luckily, my mom was able to send me to the Crown Heights Youth Collective after school, which kept me safe, learning and off the streets. Every family should have this same opportunity.
We also must ensure New Yorkers feel safe in our communities. As a lifelong subway rider, I know firsthand that our public spaces feel more disordered and chaotic than they have in a generation. As mayor, I’ll return the NYPD to its pre-pandemic headcount and promote 2,000 more detectives to implement my Clear 100 initiative to solve every shooting.
I’ll deploy 150 police-clinician trios to patrol the entire subway system around the clock to ensure that New Yorkers in distress get the care and support they actually need from qualified professionals. And I’ll fully fund the CCRB to expedite misconduct investigations, and invest in crime prevention measures like 50,000 Summer Youth Employment Program seats and tripling the reach of the Every Block Counts program.
New York is at a crossroads — and this election will shape our city for generations to come. New Yorkers can choose the same crooked, tired politicians of the past who brought our city to this point, or we can forge a new path. And I know the people who got us into this mess will not get us of it.
I’ve centered my campaign on my bold plans to deliver one million homes and Afterschool for All because we need ambitious, new solutions that will ensure my family and countless other New Yorkers like us can build a life here.
If you’re tired of the politicians of the past offering the same half-measures that led us to this moment, support my campaign for mayor. It’s time for bold, new leadership to rebuild our city.
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Zellnor Myrie is a State Senator representing Brooklyn’s 20th Senate District
