Evan Thies

Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://www.evanthies.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Evan Thies is running for City Council in Brooklyn’s 33rd District, including the neighborhoods of Park Slope,
Williamsburg, Greenpoint, DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill.

As senior advisor to the current Council member for
nearly five years, Evan worked on a wide range of local
issues in the Council, as well as many citywide initiatives
at City Hall—becoming a leader on affordable housing,
education, environment and government reform policy.
He was recently named as one of New York’s “40 rising
stars under 40”, for his work to “lead efforts to build more
parks and affordable housing” in Brooklyn.

Evan has advanced policies that affect New Yorkers’ quality of life today by using his knowledge of government to make the City work for us:

• Securing school aid, new open space, and affordable housing
• Cleaning up government by co-founding and advising the Council’s first committee on reform
• Protecting the environment by holding polluters accountable, making NYC a more livable community
through alternative transportation, and transforming NYC taxis into hybrid vehicles
• Looking out for working class families by securing jobs and fair treatment at work
• Keeping us safe by holding irresponsible gun dealers accountable for putting guns in the hands of criminals

Since leaving the City Council, Evan has been working to expedite clean-up of the country’s largest terrestrial oil
spill in Greenpoint, to rid Downtown Brooklyn of the House of Detention, to add new open space across the district,
and to ensure that affordable housing is built where it’s needed most. Evan has also fought for street parking
permits for residents of Park Slope and Boerum Hill, and against irresponsible development in Brooklyn Heights,
DUMBO, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

Prior to his experience in the Council, Evan worked at the office of Sen. Hillary Clinton, where he worked to, among
other things, bring fresh New York-grown fruits and vegetables to NYC schools.

Today, Evan serves as chairperson of the Environment and Sanitation Committee of Brooklyn’s Community Board
1. As chair, he has proposed sweeping reforms for the departments of buildings and environmental protection,
fought for less frequent opposite-side-of-the-street parking, and to get North Brooklyn the government dollars it
needs by making Newtown Creek a superfund site. In addition, Evan has led the charge for changes in education
spending which would provide more resources for students and teachers while eliminating wasteful spending.

Evan also chairs the Williamsburg Watchdog Project to protect neighborhood character, and is on the boards of
many civic and issue-based organizations in New York City, including Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, the
Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee, the Propsect Park Audubon Center Advisory Committee and New Yorkers
Against Gun Violence.

As a strategic planner to some of New York City’s largest non-profit advocacy organizations, Evan has worked with
Environmental Defense Fund, the Pratt Center for Community Development, the Brennan Center for Justice and
the Urban Justice Center. As part of his work with these groups and others, Evan has fought for better working
conditions for blue-collar workers, pushed for wide-ranging improvements to state and local affordable housing
policy, and worked to expose corruption inside the Federal Department of Justice.

Evan lives in Williamsburg with his wife Beth.

City Council Survey (District 33): Evan Thies

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

Our subways and buses handle more and more commuters and visitors each year, and keep our City economy moving. It is essential that the MTA continue to expand its vast transportation network, especially in fast-growing areas of the City such as DUMBO, Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn, Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Areas like these should be targeted to receive funds first, and protected from cuts, so that we don’t cost working people time and money. The G train and L train need immediate attention as well, and it is imperative that each be given priority to increase capacity, decrease overcrowding, and to make those lines more reliable.


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Question 2:
The intersection of Adams Street and Tillary Street is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 0 people died and 39 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)?

The Tillary/Adams intersection requires serious attention. It is one of the widest and fastest flowing in the district, and I believe that narrowing the lanes and using this space to create additional bike-lane space would be the most efficient way to both curb traffic speed and danger as well as bring additional space for cyclists to operate quickly and safely. Transportation by bike one of the most efficient ways to navigate New York and we should take the opportunity to put unneeded space for cars back in the hands of bicyclists. I would also add funding for an extra squad car and traffic enforcement agents at the intersection.


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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?

I believe we need to implement stricter guidelines for the NYPD to catch and ticket speeders. Speeding within the city is too often overlooked and given the volume of pedestrian traffic that cross New York City streets 24 hours a day we need to be more cognizant of speeders and the danger they create. I think we should implement high traffic zones where large numbers of pedestrians are active and increase penalties in these areas, as well as increase penalties for drivers who are caught speeding significantly over the limit. I believe the current City speed limits are safe as long as we better enforce them. Lowering the speed limits will have no effect if drivers do not feel obligated to abide by them. Empowering traffic enforcement agents to give moving violations would also ensure increased enforcement.


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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. Walking and bicycling are two of the easiest ways for children (and adults) to lose weight while not requiring them to set aside large portions of their day for exercise. I have worked to expand bike lanes in North Brooklyn while a member of Community Board 1 and as a Council aide. I also believe that cutting down on vehicle traffic on our streets would be another significant step towards making our streets more accessible to bicycle traffic.

To increase foot traffic in the 33rd district we must also better educate the public of the practical advantages of walking, and not just the health benefits. In some areas, walking is often a faster way to get around the 33rd District given the long waits for buses and subways. With easily available maps, safer intersections, and well-kept sidewalks more people will walk instead of ride.


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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 worked on the campaign to bring congestion pricing to New York City as a political activist and paid consultant to Environmental Defense Fund. As a member of the City Council, I would continue to fight for such a program. Car and truck traffic is increasing at an unsustainable pace, and it is hurting our regional economy as much as it is our environment. The 33rd District -- home to three of the East River Bridges -- in particular would benefit as it stands to experience some of the largest outer-borough reductions in traffic of any other district. North Brooklyn, for instance, is inundated with truck traffic that is noisy, dirty, and dangerous. A congestion pricing plan would help reduce through traffic and create a more livable environment for locals in Greenpoint and Williamsburg by disincentivizing drivers from avoiding tolls elsewhere.


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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?

Yes. The parking requirements for new residential buildings are outdated regulations that are better suited to a City that does not have an alternative transportation network, and where residents must rely solely on automobiles to get around. Reducing the number of cars trolling the streets for parking would lower noise and pollution levels in residential neighborhoods, but this is better achieved through a residential permit parking program. By preventing commuters from parking in residential areas, we can increase the number of available spaces on the street without increasing traffic.

I fully support a residential parking permit program. In fact, I have advocated for RPP for years, helping direct Department of Transportation funds to a pilot project as an aide in the Council. The 33rd District of Brooklyn would especially benefit from such a program, as it is home to some of the City’s largest transit hubs, surrounded by residential neighborhoods.


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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. The old model of planning streets – cars first, pedestrians and bicyclists second – should be thrown out. Not only is it safer and more practical to accommodate all of the walkers and riders who are filling our streets and sidewalks, but it is in all of our best interests to make this City more accessible to alternative transportation users and less dependent on cars. That means we should always be looking for ways to encourage the development of bike connections between neighborhoods, and areas separated from the roadway for bikes and pedestrians. “Complete streets” will take all of these elements into account, and lead to a City that’s safer, cleaner, and easier for residents to get around, and nicer for guests to visit.


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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. As a consultant to the Pratt Center, I worked to push the Bloomberg Administration to consider and then study Bus Rapid Transit in New York. BRT would fill a significant void in our transportation system. Buses are often neglected because of their slower travel times. By making buses more efficient we could help take some strain off of crowded subway lines and better utilize one of the cleanest forms of transportation that we have.

Bike sharing is another way that the City could better serve individuals--both from a transportation and a health standpoint. By making bikes available to residents, we could lessen the burden on our public transportation system, make New York a cleaner place to live and give our citizens the means to lead healthier lives.


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Submitted by evanthies on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 19:20.
Submitted by evanthies on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:39.