City Council Survey (District 39): Josh Skaller

Skaller_0302.jpg
Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://skaller09.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Josh Skaller loves Brooklyn and is committed to making sure that Brooklynites have the support they need from the City Council to meet the challenges they face.

It's only natural that Josh Skaller would grow up to be passionate about serving our community. On one side of his family are Jewish immigrants who fled Germany in 1939 to build a new life in America, and on the other side, a grandfather who served as shop steward in the tailors' union. Born in New York, Josh's dad taught environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania, and his mom teaches children with learning disabilities.

Creating a more economically-just society, protecting the environment, contributing to the community, improving education...these are the things that Josh grew up discussing around the family dinner table. It's these values that form the foundation of all his work on behalf of our community and the reason why he is running for New York City Council.

Education has been a central theme in Josh's life. A graduate of Hampshire College, Josh holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University in music composition and theory. He served as the Associate Director of computer music at Harvard University before becoming the Director of Technology for GlobalWorks Group. Josh's wife, Kelly, has graduate degrees in Judaic studies and early childhood education. These days there's a new reader in the family -- their young son, Wolf, who is eight years old. Wolf’s educational experiences have heightened Josh's already keen concern about our schools and whether they are preparing our children to live informed, productive, and successful lives. He has strong ideas about what we need to do to improve education for all our kids.

Josh and Kelly, a science teacher at the Audobon Center in Prospect Park, settled in Brooklyn to start their family and fell in love with the energy and diversity of the neighborhood. The more Josh became involved in the community—looking for a school for their son Wolf, joining the Park Slope Food Co-op, attending local block meetings—the more he became aware of the pressing issues we're all facing in our neighborhoods: out-of-control development, struggling schools, disappearing green space.

Josh asked himself: What can I do about it? The answer was clear: Get involved!

Josh joined the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), one of the most admired reform groups in the city, to change the things that needed changing. During his tenure as president, CBID tackled tough community issues, including unchecked development, poor urban planning, and the future of the Gowanus canal. Josh made greater community control of our political institutions his first priority.

That was just the beginning. Today, Josh serves as a director for the all-volunteer grassroots organization Democracy for New York City, whose mission is to make government accountable to the citizens and to put the needs of neighborhoods above the powerful few. He is also a volunteer organizer with Brooklyn For Barack and Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn.

City Council Survey (District 39): Josh Skaller

Question 1:
What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?

I will lead the fight to preserve Brooklyn bus and subway lines and minimize the impact of any MTA fare increases and service cuts. I take the “F” train to work every day. This line serves a large swath of my district and its service is consistently poor. I will push for more trains on this line and more buses (namely the B75) to reduce the overcrowding on the “F” train, which will make the commute easier for working people and seniors. Additionally, I will work to make bus service better by installing a Vehicle Locator system at every bus stop in the 39th District. Better, more efficient public transportation will encourage more people to use it and will reduce congestion and improve our city’s air quality.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 2:
The intersection of Ft. Hamilton Pkwy and McDonald Ave is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 3 people died and 15 people were injured between 1995-2005 (NYS DOT). As a City Council member, what traffic enforcement policies or physical changes to the intersection infrastructure would you support to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers)?

Firstly, there seems to be a problem with the timing of the right-turn arrows heading south on McDonald onto Ft. Hamilton Parkway. Currently there are 2 separate—and differently timed—right-turn arrows feet apart from each other that direct traffic around an island onto Ft. Hamilton,. Bringing the timing of these lights in line with each other would be a step in the right direction. In addition, there are cars entering that intersection from too many directions without enough clarity, and too many cars crossing double lines to try to beat the traffic lights, and maneuver around buses and trucks, etc. I would look into making Ft. Hamilton Parkway 2-way all the way to the Prospect Expressway (currently it is 2-way only up to McDonald Avenue), and adding adequate left and right turn lanes onto McDonald. I would ask that the timing of the lights be looked at again and adding signs and markings on the ground that say “Right turn only” or “do not cross double lines” to clarify the intersection for motorists. For pedestrians, there needs to be more time to cross the intersection; this has been brought to the attention of the DOT, but the DOT disputes that it is a problem. And of course there must be enforcement of these rules.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 3:
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City’s current speed limits are safe?

First, we must have more signage for speed limits. People cannot obey speed limits if they do not know what they are. Even Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was caught not knowing what the speed limit was in the city. And then we need enforcement, enforcement and enforcement. The TA report on the lack of enforcement is staggering. If this were any other crime statistic we were talking about, the police department would be so ashamed that there would be a major, high profile task force to deal with this issue. Ticketing for speeding needs to be a priority; I support more resources going to enforcement officers, empowering the parking officers to give speeding tickets, and approvals for more red light cameras at key intersections. Word of mouth among drivers can be a strong deterrent, and these extra efforts will pay for themselves with revenue from the tickets. In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, limo and livery drivers are some of the worst offenders. I would look into revoking business licenses if there are too many traffic violations. I also support traffic calming efforts to reduce speeding. I support lower speed limits because they combine both our need for safe roads and a sustainable environment and will determine where to apply lower speed limits on a case-by-case basis.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 4:
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website reports: "In New York City, obesity is epidemic: more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%). Data show that obesity begins early in life: nearly half of all elementary school children and Head Start children are not a healthy weight. In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten students, and 1 in 4 Head Start children, is obese." Do you believe that increasing walking and biking in New York City would improve public health? If yes, how would you work to increase walking and biking in your district?

Yes, I am a passionate believer in walking and biking—they are easy affordable ways to stay healthy. My wife and I do not own a car; we get around on foot, on the subway and by bicycle. I would improve bicycle safety and make it easier to ride a bike in the city (the Bicycle Access Bill is a great step in this direction). I would continue to build a network of bicycle lanes and take steps to publicize them. We hosted a recent campaign event entitled SKALLER-THON, where my supporters and I rode through the district on our bicycles to bring attention to my campaign AND to highlight cycling as a fun way to get around the borough.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 5:
Road pricing, including such measures as non-stop tolling, fees based on vehicle miles travelled or entry into a highly congested zone, has been the source of much discussion in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. London famously uses a congestion charge to fund its transit system, Oregon recently piloted a program to replace the gas tax with a fee for miles driven and Seattle recently studied how road pricing could be introduced on a regional basis. Seattle's study, “Traffic Choices Study" (http://psrc.org/projects/trafficchoices/index.htm), found that introducing new tolls on major corridors during peak traffic hours influenced drivers’ behavior and projected that a region-wide road pricing scheme could significantly reduce vehicular traffic congestion. Do you think that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers’ travel choices? Do you think that this would be an effective way for the City to reduce backups on high-traffic roadways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway or the Long Island Expressway? Finally, do you believe there are additional benefits in the surrounding neighborhoods which could be realized from the reduction of vehicular congestion on these routes?

I support road-pricing strategies and do believe they have the potential to reduce the amount of cars on the road; this will lower asthma rates, reduce carbon emissions, and contribute to a better quality of life for New Yorkers. Representing Brooklyn, I would make sure that any congestion pricing plan would not unfairly burden people in the outer boroughs (i.e. middle to lower income Brooklynites, the elderly or infirm, people with large families, small business owners, and special groups, such as musicians with large instruments for whom public transportation may not be a viable option, nor have the unintended effect of causing an increase in congestion and parking problems in our neighborhoods. That being said, I will work very hard to create a congestion plan that works for New York City. The evidence that congestion pricing works is irrefutable and the benefits are immense.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 6:
Do you believe that reducing residential parking requirements as set forth within NYC zoning regulations would affect neighborhood traffic congestion, and if so, in what way?

I’ve seen the report “Guaranteed Parking-Guaranteed Driving” and I understand and agree that that the parking requirements increase congestion because people are more likely to use their car if they know they will have a space to come home to. However, there are also reports that a high percentage of congestion in Park Slope, in particular, is created from people driving around and around the neighborhood looking for parking. I would like to study this issue in more detail and look forward to working with Transportation Alternatives to formulate an effective course of action.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 7:
The NYC Department of Transportation's Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events are intended to diversify the use of public space and provide more places for New Yorkers to recreate and socialize. Do you support the temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists?

Yes. This repurposing improves our “quality of life” by giving people a chance to get out of their houses and cars and interact more directly with others. People are brought together and neighborhoods are strengthened.


View other candidates responses to this question
Question 8:
The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. Do you think these new projects would enhance the city's transportation network? Please explain.

Yes, I am a strong supporter of BRT as a way to expand public transportation to underserved areas and make people less reliant on cars for their daily commute. The Nostrand Avenue plan is very promising.

As a cyclist, I know first-hand that bikes are the fastest and best way to get around the city (after the subway, of course). I am excited about the prospect of a Bike Share program, making this option available to more New Yorkers who may not have the ability to own or store their own bikes.

Both of these projects will enhance the city’s transportation network by empowering more New Yorkers to travel without cars.


View other candidates responses to this question
Submitted by jskaller on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 18:15.
Submitted by jskaller on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 12:55.
Submitted by jskaller on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 18:15.