Political Party:
Democratic Party
http://www.FeerickForCouncil.com
Candidate Submitted Biography:
Deirdre Feerick was raised in Long Island City and Sunnyside and currently resides in Woodside. She is a graduate of Dominican Academy, the University at Albany and Brooklyn Law School. Her father, a former NYPD Detective and Teamster and mother, a nurse, instilled in her the importance of working hard and giving back to her community.
Deirdre was fortunate to have been raised in the 26th Council District, where she learned to embrace her community's vibrant diversity at a very young age. This diversity taught her that there is more that unites us than there is that divides us. Regardless of their cultural background, the residents of the 26th Council District all believe in strong families, safe neighborhoods, effective government, and a first-class quality of life.
Deirdre's professional career in government began in the Oversight and Investigations Unit at the New York City Council. In that capacity she evaluated the efficiency of city agencies and made them more accountable and responsive to the residents of New York. She then served as Counsel to the Legislative Division of the NYC Council where she helped craft legislation to protect the most vulnerable among us, including domestic violence survivors and children. She also helped secure funding for important programs and services, meeting with key advocates and organizers to ensure their voices were heard at City Hall. Later, Deirdre became the Counsel and then Deputy Director of the Administrative Services Division of the NYC Council, where she serves New Yorkers to this day.
Throughout her life, Deirdre has been involved in many community and charitable activities. Besides volunteering as a coach, teacher and mentor, and fundraising for local charitable organizations, she has dedicated her time to various causes, from community clean-ups to local food and clothing drives. She also serves as a Democratic District Leader and as an active member of several local civic organizations. Deirdre's civic involvement has enabled her to learn a great deal about the challenges facing the residents of the 26th Council District and has given her the determination to affect positive change.
Deirdre has announced her candidacy to succeed current Council Member Eric Gioia who is vacating the office to run for Public Advocate. As a lifelong resident of the 26th district, Deirdre's decision to run for City Council stems from her steadfast commitment to public service and her willingness and ability to fight for the communities of Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Astoria and Maspeth.
Question 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need? The most important transportation need in my district is ensuring that the right decisions are made so that traffic is reduced, pedestrians and cyclists have safe access to the roads and streets, and public transportation is improved.
Question 2: The intersection of 46 Street and Queens Blvd is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 2 people died and 58 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)? I will work with the community to find a way to safely address the issues at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard. Currently delayed lights for pedestrians are in place to allow pedestrians a longer amount of time to cross at the intersection. However, because of the amount of traffic at this intersection I would consider additional measures to ensure the intersection is safe for everyone.
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 that the speed limit laws need to be more strictly enforced to ensure the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. While the current 35 mph speed limit may be a safe option if it were strictly enforced, I believe lowering the speed limit may raise awareness of the danger of speeding and help drivers slow down and drive more safely.
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? I do believe walking and cycling would improve public health and would support initiatives to increase walking and biking, including increasing the amount of bike lanes and car-free streets.
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 believe options should be explored to reduce traffic through imposing fees on drivers accessing regional central business districts, however, I do not support East River Bridge tolls, as those in my district trying to access hospitals and work would be at a disadvantage compared to resident of Manhattan.
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, I believe that reducing the residential parking requirements will negatively affect traffic congestion and that new developments should be built with sufficient parking for its residents.
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, I support these programs and am proud to have a Summer Streets program one block from my campaign office.
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 believe these programs would enhance the city's transportation program by reducing the number of drivers in the case of Bus Rapid Transit and encourage cycling and better health in the case of a bike sharing program. I support these programs and will work to promote them if implemented.
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