+ Coronavirus Impact

Our state, our nation, and our world are currently facing an unprecedented challenge with the Coronavirus pandemic. First, my heart goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones, every person batting this deadly virus, and those who are suffering economically.

I want to also thank all the frontline health care workers, and every essential employee who is still on the job during this difficult time. Nurses, doctors, home health care aides, group home workers, cooks and restaurant workers, grocery store clerks, truck drivers, and so many others are still going to work every day to provide the care people need and ensure our society continues to function.

As a member of Erie County’s response team, I have been left in awe of the tireless work and never ceasing drive of everyone involved in this effort. From the County Executive and our Health Commissioner, to the laborers working to maintain a safe environment for the public and essential employees, allowing them to work in confidence. It has been a testament to why we elect good leaders and how a steady hand at the helm is so important.

We must continue to confront this challenge while also thinking about the long-term impact. This crisis has laid bare the economic inequality that exists in our society. Coronavirus is disproportionately impacting communities of color. Families who live paycheck to paycheck are working to make ends meet while trying to survive everyday life. Seniors who are living on fixed incomes are seeing their savings wiped out as they battle this disease. These are difficult times for so many Western New Yorkers.

As your New York State Assemblyman, I will work every day to ensure our communities have the resources needed to address the long-term impact of Coronavirus. Our social safety net must be strengthened to ensure our economy, and our people, recover from this difficult challenge.

+ Fighting for the People's Agenda

We are at difficult moment in the history of our country. We must rebuild our nation focused on a people’s agenda and strong progressive values. At the same time, we just can’t go back to the way things were. We have to address the growing problems of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and economic inequality gripping America.

- Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community

We celebrate diversity here in New York State. Our state has the distinction of being the home of Stonewall and the birth of the LGBTQ+ movement. I’m thankful that New York has made great progress toward equality over the years, but more needs to be done. Suicide and homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth is a national crisis. We need to build more affordable housing for vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ+ seniors, people living with HIV/AIDS, and homeless youth. I will also continue to support Governor Cuomo’s Ending the Epidemic initiative to combat HIV/AIDS in New York. I will work every day to fight back against homophobia and transphobia and ensure every New Yorker is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

- Welcoming Immigrants and Refugees

Did you know that nearly 95% of refugees who come to our state settle in Upstate New York, and the majority of them find a home in the City of Buffalo? Immigrants and refugees are helping to stem the tide of population loss in Western New York and add to the rich cultural vibrancy of our region. New York State has a long tradition of being a welcoming home for immigrants from around the world. As the grandson of someone who came to New York from the Caribbean to find a better life, this issue is deeply personal to me. We must support our immigrant communities and the unique challenges they face. I will fight the Trump administration’s continued efforts to restrict immigration and refugee resettlement, and when he is out of office, work to fix the damage he has done to our immigrant and refugee community.

- Championing Progressive Values

We must continue to move our society forward with progressive values at the forefront. What does that mean for you? We need to continue with efforts to reform our broken criminal justice system. We must legalize marijuana for adult use and use the tax revenue to invest in communities that have been left behind. We must combat climate change and set bold goals for clean energy investment. We must fight for women’s rights and equality. We must also continue to lead the way with common sense gun safety reform.

+ Tackling Economic Inequality

The gap between the rich and poor continues to grow, and it cannot be ignored. Throughout so many facets of life, economic inequality is the worst it has been in generations. By tackling economic inequality, we will ensure a fairer system that puts working families first.

- Defending Unions and Worker Rights

Unions built the middle class and have given our society rights and freedoms we often take for granted. We should always support good paying union jobs that you can raise a family on. Across America, unions are under attack by activist right-wing courts and elected officials. I will defend our hard-working union brothers and sisters, and the rights they have fought so hard for.

- Lifting People Out of Poverty

Poverty continues to hold back our region, and we can’t truly claim progress until the issue of poverty is fully confronted. No person working day in and day out should be living in poverty. We need to continue strategic investments in our communities hit hardest by job losses and economic disinvestment. Far too many families wonder where they’re next meal will come from, and how they’re going to pay the bills at the end of the month. We must prioritize lifting people out of poverty as a smart investment in our future.

- Investing in MWBE

Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises deserve our unyielding support. New York State has set an ambitious goal to ensure at least 30% of state contracts go to MWBE’s. We need to not only meet that goal, we need to work every day to go beyond 30%, ensuring MWBE’s thrive in our communities.

- Smart Education Policy

A great education is an essential part of efforts to combat poverty and economic inequality. Every child deserves a world-class education. We must continue investing in our public schools, and ensure a smart education policy for the 21st century. We need to build on New York’s efforts to ensure free college tuition for all. We also need to recognize that not every student will want to follow the traditional four-year college pathway. We need to invest in apprenticeship and job training programs to give young people a different pathway to success while also ensuring that our economy has the workers we need to close the skills gap.

+ Supporting Working Families

Families today face enormous challenges. From health care to child care and so much more in between, working families have not received the support they deserve for far too long. We need a families first agenda to ensure every person in our community has the support they need to get ahead.

- Universal Affordable Health Care

Access to health care is a basic human right. Period. Every person deserves to have universal access to affordable health care. In the most developed nation on earth, no person should go bankrupt because of medical bills. While Donald Trump fights to take away your health care, we need to build on the progress that has been made in the last decade and transform our health care system to ensure that every New Yorker gets the care they deserve.

- Expanding Paid Family Leave

No one should have to choose between caring for a new baby or a sick loved one and putting food on the table. For too long, that was the reality in New York, and that remains a reality for most of our nation. Thankfully New York led the way with Paid Family Leave. We need to expand our Paid Family Leave program and continue the progress it has made for working families.

- Investing in Child Care

Working families must have access to child care to help them move forward. Women in particular are held back by the lack of high-quality affordable child care. We need to invest in economic development projects that prioritize child care and ensure they are enough available options for the working people of Buffalo and Western New York.

+ Investing in Our Communities

In order to keep Western New York moving forward, we need to invest in the future of our region. We must ensure a healthy environment, vibrant small businesses, strong walkable neighborhoods with high-quality affordable housing and access to public transit, and we must protect our most vulnerable populations and ensure they have the support they need.

- Protecting Our Environment

The 149th district is bordered by the Niagara River, the Buffalo River, and Lake Erie. It’s a reminder of the role we must play in protecting our environment and our water resources. For generations, dirty and contaminated air and water was an economic drain on Western New York. Thankfully over the years we have made progress in cleaning up our air and waterways, and ensuring the blue economy is an integral part of the overall economic landscape. But we have to keep working to continue the progress, address the legacy of contamination, and build a better environmental future for Western New York. We need to put an end to sewage discharges that contaminate our shoreline and our communities. Finally, we need to continue investments in renewable energy, to create good paying jobs, and protect our planet for our kids and future generations.

- Expanding Affordable Housing and Ending Homelessness

We face a real housing crisis in Buffalo and Western New York. Everyone deserves the dignity of a great place to call home. For far too many in our community, that dream will never become a reality. We must invest in revitalizing our housing stock, adaptively reuse buildings and build more affordable housing, hold out-of-town and absentee landlords accountable, and ensure our tax dollars and not being used to prop up developers at the expense of working people. We must also end the homelessness crisis gripping our state. The safety and security of a roof over your head is a basic human right. This is the 21st century. We must invest in proven measures to ensure no New Yorker experiences homelessness.

- Improving Public Transit and Walkability

Many Western New Yorkers rely on the NFTA and public transit to get to school, work, and access to healthcare services. It’s an economic lifeline for countless families. We need to ensure the NFTA can best serve our community, including those who need our support the most, like those with disabilities. At the same time, we must also keep working to transform our neighborhoods and ensure they are walkable and accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists.

- Supporting Small Businesses

Small Businesses are the cornerstones of our communities. They are part of our identity. We wouldn’t be who we are without the small town restaurants, clothing stores, shoe shops, artisan markets and so much more. We need more policies that support Main Street, not Wall Street. Investing in small business growth is a surefire way to reinvigorate our communities.