Crain’s asked the nine leading candidates in the June Democratic primary for mayor of New York City to answer questions about their stances on the city’s biggest issues. Below are the answers by Brad Lander, the city comptroller and former Brooklyn councilman. Known for his work on progressive workers’ rights laws and for shepherding the Gowanus rezoning, Lander has focused his mayoral campaign more on competence and fiscal management.
1. What’s your single biggest idea that you’d implement as mayor?
My #1 commitment is to end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness — with a continuum of care that breaks the cycle from subway to street to hospital to jail and back, and a proven “housing first” approach with wraparound services — to make our city safer for all.
2. Is there a next neighborhood that should be rezoned to allow for more housing? If so, which one?
Long Island City, Brooklyn Marine Terminal, neighborhoods near Interborough Express, four of the city’s 12 municipal golf courses.
3. What promises are you making to increase the availability of affordable housing? How will you make sure they come to fruition given current high interest rates and backlogs in the city housing department that finances affordable projects?
I will declare a housing affordability “state of emergency” to speed up housing production and protect tenants. My housing plan will build 500,000 homes over the next decade — including 50,000 affordable homes for New Yorkers to own or rent in new neighborhoods on four of the city’s 12 municipal golf courses, with more along new transit lines. I will rebuild a meaningful pathway to homeownership for working class New Yorkers, through a new wave of permanently affordable cooperatives (a 21st-century version of Mitchell-Lama) and a Homes for City Workers program that doubles the home-purchasing power of municipal employees. I will triple the city’s capital spending on housing and issue expanded revenue bonds so the Preservation Trust can act as a land bank and public developer. Finally, I am the only candidate with plans to reform HPD and fix NYCHA so they can deliver on their goals.
4. Should the city take steps to limit member deference vetoes for land-use projects at the City Council?
Yes, local input should be valued, but land-use decisions must reflect citywide goals. A comprehensive, equitable planning framework would reduce the reliance on member deference.
5. What’s one specific thing the city should do to take advantage of artificial intelligence to boost the city’s economy or workforce — or limit AI’s influence?
We should use AI to identify patterns in claims against city agencies (traffic crashes by city vehicles, medical malpractice, police misconduct) — which cost $1.5 billion per year — and then assign budget responsibility to agencies to bring them down. I’m the only candidate in the race with a plan to modernize city government using technology, including utilizing — and setting boundaries to prevent abuse of — AI.
6. Should the city add to its budget reserves this year to brace against potential federal cuts? If so, by how much?
Yes, we should add $1 billion to the City’s General Reserve to protect against federal budget cuts, and deposit an additional $1 billion in the City’s rainy-day fund to protect against a potential recession.
7. Would you consider raising property taxes if the city faces severe fiscal problems?
We must reform the city’s broken property tax system, which is inequitable and opaque. I will bring a proposal to Albany to do so in my first year. I have outlined detailed plans to modernize the city’s fiscal framework.
8. Should the city tackle e-bike safety problems by changing criminal enforcement, building bike infrastructure, or both?
My plan to address moped and e-bike safety will stop the flow of unsafe and illegal vehicles at point-of-sale, establish a licensing program for app-based delivery companies, enforce traffic rules more consistently, and expand protected bike lanes to improve safety for all.
9. Is the city ready to implement the Local Law 97 climate policy, whose first compliance reports were due May 1? If not, should the city ease requirements, do more to help landlords comply, or something else?
I was an early co-sponsor of Local Law 97. More must be done to implement it effectively, with a smart balance of enforcement and support. I will help 350,000 building owners and households adopt clean energy through incentives (e.g. the J-51 tax break), technical assistance, affordable housing programs, cutting red tape, and the Public Solar NYC initiative.
10. Should the city deploy more police into the subway system, fewer, or the same number?
NYPD should target its officers to “hot spots” and preventative engagement and expand co-response (social workers with police officers) to connect people with mental illness to housing and services.
11. Police officers stopped and frisked more pedestrians in 2024 than they had in any year since 2014, according to NYPD data. Would you continue that policy?
No. I helped spearhead the Community Safety Act to strengthen the city’s prohibition on racial profiling and create the NYPD inspector general’s office. We cannot go back to the dark days of stop and frisk abuse.
12. Should the city expand its use of involuntary commitments for people with serious mental illness? If so, what steps would the city need to take to expand their use, and if not, why not?
My #1 commitment is to end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness — with a continuum of care that breaks the cycle from subway to street to hospital to jail and back, and a proven “housing first” approach with wraparound services — to make our city safer for all.
I do support increased flexibility for involuntary hospitalization when individuals are a danger to themselves or others, along with secure treatment beds, expanded Mental Health Courts, and assisted outpatient treatment to ensure more people receive the care they need. But ultimately, we must connect people to housing with services, or they will simply wind up right back on the streets.
