ANTHONY WEINER ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY
A NEW DEMOCRATIC VOICE FOR NEW YORK CITY
TRAVELS TO ALL FIVE BOROUGHS TO TALK ABOUT CUTTING TAXES ON THE MIDDLE CLASS, BETTER SCHOOLS FOR OUR KIDS, SUBWAYS THAT ARE SAFER AND MORE SECURE, REAL HELP FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, AND FIGHTING FOR WORKING PEOPLE
New York City – Today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn), a four term United States Congressman and a former member of the New York City Council, formally announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City.
“My campaign, and my administration, will be about offering New Yorkers real solutions. And I will offer a different approach to governing this city.
“I want to cut wasteful spending, lower the tax burden on the middle class, put more money in the classroom, and restore discipline in our schools.
“I will fight for the hardworking people of New York City everyday.
“I will spend every waking moment thinking about how to make this city better for middle class New Yorkers and those trying to make it. I will be fighting for them every day. That’s what my mayoralty will be about.”
Weiner traveled to all five boroughs to make his announcement today.
He began in the neighborhood he grew up in, Park Slope, in Brooklyn. Introduced by his brother Jason, Weiner stood with his family and State Assemblyman William Colton, as well as a crowd of Brooklyn supporters, and outlined his vision for relieving the tax burden on the middle class. Weiner pledged meaningful tax relief for middle class families, including a 10% tax cut for everyone making $150,000 or less a year. Weiner said he would finance the tax cut by creating a new tax bracket for people making more than a million dollars a year, and by cutting or reprogramming the bottom 5% worst performing programs in the city budget every year.
Then Weiner traveled to Queens, where he currently makes his home. Standing outside of a subway stop in Long Island City with Michael O’Connor, the former Chief of New York City Transit Police and other Queens supporters, Weiner detailed the proactive steps he’ll take as Mayor to secure our subways and our City. Weiner promised to be relentless in his efforts to keep New York City safe, hiring 4,000 new police officers, fighting for federal funding for cops dedicated exclusively to fighting terror, fortifying our subways against terrorist attack, and bringing 9-1-1 emergency cell phone service to subway platforms.
Next, Weiner stood with small business owners from across the City in the Palombo Bakery, in Riverdale. Welcomed by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and introduced by Michael Agovino, owner of the Sedgwick Pharmacy in the Bronx, Weiner, speaking to supporters from Riverdale, outlined his plans to transform City Hall from a place that caters to big developers and special interests, to a resource for small business owners to help them thrive and prosper. As Mayor, Weiner said he would help small business owners afford health care for their employees, put an end to the City Hall ticket blitz, help outerborough businesses become wired for the Internet, and facilitate the creation of Business Improvement Districts throughout the city.
In Manhattan, Weiner stood on the steps of City Hall with working men and women from the five boroughs. Introduced by Nelson Resto from the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union, Local 338, and Rose Brady Cohen, a member of District 15 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local Lodge 1322, Weiner promised as Mayor to relieve the tax burden on working families, get back to basics in our classrooms, create real affordable housing, and make quality health care more accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers.
Ending in Staten Island, Weiner stood in front of PS 35, with Assemblyman Michael Cusik, Barry Kaufman, the Former Chair of the Citywide Council on High Schools, and Staten Island supporters, and talked about his ideas for improving our schools. As Mayor, Weiner pledged to give teachers the pay raises they deserve, scrap the current gimmicky curriculum in favor of an approach that focuses on the basics while relying on the ingenuity of teachers to help students learn, cut the red tape to allow principals to discipline unruly students, and spend every education dollar in the classroom first.
Weiner said: “I am here today because hardworking New Yorkers aren’t getting everything they deserve out of City Hall. I believe we can do better.”
Anthony Weiner was born and raised in Brooklyn, and now lives in Queens.
The son of a public school teacher, and the product of our public schools, Weiner graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1981. After college he went to work for then-Congressman Charles Schumer.
After more than six years working for Schumer in Washington and home in Brooklyn, Weiner ran for City Council, winning a six-way primary and a four-way general election to become – at the time – the youngest person ever elected to the City Council. In the City Council, Weiner started a program called “Weiner’s Cleaners” to take at-risk and troublesome teens and put them to work cleaning graffiti. He spearheaded development plans for historic Sheepshead Bay that led to a revival of the area. And he won citywide recognition for his efforts as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Public Housing, fighting on behalf of some of New York’s most underserved and underrepresented citizens. His investigation into the cause of sudden and fatal stairwell fires exposed dangerous practices that eventually led the city to replace the paint in developments citywide.
When Congressman Schumer decided to run for Congress in 1988, Weiner ran to replace him in the district that included Brooklyn and Queens. With neither the Brooklyn nor Queens political organizations supporting him, and a busy field of more experienced candidates Weiner won, with the support of his mentor, Chuck Schumer and a dogged door-to-door grassroots campaign.
In Congress, Weiner was immediately appointed to the Judiciary Committee, and currently serves on its Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. He was elected “Whip” of his class and remains a member of the leadership team for the Democrats in the House of Representatives. He also serves on the Transportation Committee, where he has delivered tens of millions of dollars for New York City transportation needs. After September 11th, Weiner was the only New Yorker appointed by the Democratic Leader to serve on the Homeland Security Task Force.
He has brought millions of dollars home to New York City: funds to restore our city’s parks and beaches; funds to improve the collection of DNA to solve crimes against women; funds for programs for the developmentally disabled; funds to combat pests that have ravaged our trees; funds for additional police officers; funds to improve pedestrian safety; funds to bring ferry transportation to more New Yorkers; and even funds to clean graffiti.
He has also fought to uphold New York values. The National Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) praised him for his vigilant efforts on behalf of a woman’s right to choose. He has won perfect scores from our nation’s largest environmental groups. He was even given the “honor” of a grade of “F” from the National Rifle Association.
The New York Times says that “other candidates have discussed policy, but not one has staked out a claim on issues as early or ardently as Mr. Weiner.”
The Village Voice says that Weiner’s “candidacy has sounded the toughest notes on the Bloomberg Administration’s shortcomings, while laying out his own ideas for reform.”
The New York Post simply says that “Anthony Weiner has become the Democratic mayoral candidate to watch.”
He lives in Forest Hills.
