BA: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Is it all right if I jump right in?
AA: Yes, of course, I’m happy to. Go for it!
BA: You went to Somos, the annual political conference that takes place in Puerto Rico. Did you make some good connections?
AA: It’s a good question. Somos is a very interesting gathering. You know, when I was there, I did not meet with lobbyists and or other special interests… I really saw it as more of an opportunity to connect with my colleagues who will be will be either in government soon enough like me or were working in government already. I viewed it as an opportunity to spend time with the people I will be working with. So one of the things I could think of that was distinctive was I organized, in collaboration with a few others, our own panel highlighting front-line organizations in Puerto Rico that were doing really critical work for the people on the island, given their very difficult conditions.
BA: A question that has come up with others was how did it end up getting paid for?
AA: No no, it’s a good question. I paid for my trip personally.
BA: A big issue is land use. Gowanus, our neighbor has just approved a rezoning allowing residential buildings up to 30 stories. Do you think that type of rezoning is appropriate for Red Hook?
AA: It’s a good question. There are many parts of that rezoning that I have problems with. The environmental aspects feel very unresolved and concern me the most.
In Red Hook, the ongoing wastewater treatment is an issue. I think I’m not fully versed in all the details, but we have to hold agencies both at the city and state level accountable for protecting the health and safety of Red Hook and Gowanus residents.
BA: Are there any changes to zoning that you think might be appropriate for Red Hook?
AA: I think the land use process that we use is antiquated, ineffective, and truly problematic. There’s a ton of work to create a process that works and that centers around community needs, that requires real environmental reviews, that requires mitigation and answers. The process right now really centers on developers, and it allows them to not really fully respond. The result is not thorough and objective.
Essentially, developers pay professionals to say, “Yeah, there are some issues here, but you know, nothing with major significant impact on a community.” And we’ve seen that in tons of applications.
As community members know, that is absolutely untrue. There are always many impacts and things that we have to hold developers accountable for and demand mitigation responses to. The whole process needs reform.
You know, I would venture to say we should scrap the whole process and start again. This has many, many documented shortcomings that community members over the years across the city have fully articulated.
And yet, because in our city the leadership has very much been in lockstep with real estate developers and most special interests, they have not reformed this process. We see the implications of that. We see mass displacement in communities, particularly of working-class people, plus people of color who have been long-term residents. There’s definitely an enormous amount of work to be done.
BA: Have you had a chance to meet some of the local leaders in Red Hook like Jim Tampakis, John McGettrick, Jo Goldfarb, Greg O’Connell?
AA: So some of them I’ve spoken to but I know who all of them are and know of their work. Jim has done an enormous amount of advocacy work on smarter, better truck routes, particularly around the last mile warehouses. And so we’ll definitely be following up with him about that and I’m looking forward to working with all of them.
BA: How about Nydia Velazquez?
AA: The congresswoman, myself, and all the elected officials that overlapped in Red Hook have been definitely doing a lot more collaboration and discussion right around what is happening in Red Hook because the issues at play are complex and multi-jurisdictional. Also, the congresswoman has a much longer tenure in the community and has a historical perspective that is really important and staff that has had some long, deep ties to many of the issues that the community has faced. So yes, we are often in meetings together and collaborating.
BA: That’s good to hear. Are you aware of the upcoming Red Hook West Tenant Association elections?
AA: I’ve also actually been observing the TA elections and I think we have been in conversation about the challenges of the process. The meetings that we’ve attended have fundamental challenges like lack of language interpretation or problems like basic confusion among residents. I think my interest is that the residents have access to a fair and democratic process. It is the same interest I hold for our regular elections at the local, state, and federal levels.
BA: Have Red Hook organizations reached out to you already?
AA: I’m looking forward to working with all the Red Hook organizations. There are some that I’ve known for a long time, like RHI. I’ve also received information from the council member around all the organizations that we currently support. So I’ll be looking through all those details. I’ve known Cora Dance for many, many years. Many have reached out, many are reaching out. Right now we don’t have staff. We are in this transition period working to staff up for January. So, you know, there are only so many meetings we can attend at this point. But our door will be open for any and all organizations.
BA: Along those lines, do you have anyone that you’re planning to have on your staff that has a special connection and ties to Red Hook?
AA: It’s a great question and a commitment that I’ve made from the beginning of the campaign. I think primarily in response to Red Hook residents saying they felt left out and often feel ignored. So we will certainly have one representative with ties that can really make sure that Red Hook is always a part of the agenda. So absolutely!
BA: That’s awesome! And do you have any plans to introduce yourself to the Red Hook community, either with a town hall or other events?
AA: Yes, absolutely. There’s a lot to be planned for sure. We have been doing lots of small events haven’t planned a big town hall yet, but that is definitely in the works.
I’ve met with all the schools and the principals and so many parents and organizational leaders and residents, certainly over the campaign and before. We like to do town halls. We’re also thinking about the inauguration event and what that can look like. So there’s a lot to be planned and I’ll keep you all posted.
BA: Are you familiar with the people on Community Board 6?
AA: Yes, I’ve actually attended Community Board 6 meetings. I had individual meetings with CB 6 members on different items related to rentals specifically. And also, I’ve met with a lot of residents who were interested in participating on the community board as well over the years. Clearly, because of Red Hook, we will be having a systematic connection to what is happening on that body.
BA: And do you have any specific areas of interest regarding legislation?
AA: One of the things that we’re going to be watching for is legislation that would be critical for our community, but somehow get stuck in council. So we want to watch for implementing critically important legislation that was passed but not implemented properly. We want to find that legislation that is kind of sitting in limbo. The other pieces that we’re looking at includes everything from land use to housing issues. I can’t talk specifically right now about particular legislation because we’re really just kind of exploring all the different ideas.
BA: What committees do you think you might be on?
AA: It’s a great, great question which I think about every single day. For me, what’s important is to be on committees that have a significant impact on our district. And so they include committees like public housing. It includes affordable housing and inclusive education since immigration doesn’t cause economic development. And certainly, small business and ensuring that we’re looking at economic development in more holistic ways. Committees are important places for oversight and also provide hearings in ways that can help improve city services, programs, and funding.
BA: The Red Hook Houses have problems that never really get resolved. Any plans, on how to change that?
AA: Absolutely, Brian, there are persistent, challenging issues in the Red Hook houses in particular. One of them is just the state of the buildings themselves and the conditions that residents have to endure every single day. I think NYCHA is an incredibly large, bureaucratic, and somewhat dysfunctional agency.
I don’t have a silver bullet response for it. Sadly, I don’t think there’s a silver bullet answer. NYCHA should not be the only agency that is solving these problems. We should be able to access other city services to come in and support residents in what they need. The state of public housing is truly, truly concerning and we’re going to need really bold ideas. We’re going to need our colleagues to be unafraid to try new things, to be unafraid to make some hard choices. Residents have been ignored too often in decision-making bodies. We need to change the paradigm to make sure residents are calling the shots and not just simply the people have to bear the impact of inadequate decisions.
BA: How do you plan to balance your family with your political life?
AA: Magic! I think with discipline. I work for the love of the public interest, love of community. I’ll spend some of my holiday weekend working but also remembering how important it is to be with my family and to do other things that also bring me joy. As a working mom, it’s always been a balance. How do we balance our work, lives with our family, lives with our kind of passion and interest? So I think it’ll be a work in progress.
BA: The last thing is just if there’s anything else you’d like to say?
AA: I’m looking forward to working with residents and I think we have a lot of trust to build and I’m here to do that. My door is open and we have a lot of work to do and I’m honored to be able to do that. And so again, I just really welcome people to come and ask questions and figure out how we can work together for our community.
BA: Thank you so much, we really appreciate it!
AA: Sure, thank you! Happy Holidays!
