Political Party:
Democratic Party
http://www.kendiamondstone.com
Candidate Submitted Biography:
Ken Diamondstone is a real reformer and lifelong Democrat, dedicated to community service and progressive reform. He has made human rights, environmental protection, affordable housing, and economic justice his life’s work and mission.
Ken was born in Flushing, New York and attended the prestigious High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. He holds a degree in political science from Queens College and completed his graduate studies in public administration at New York University. His activism for progressive causes has taken him everywhere from the doorsteps of his neighborhood, where he campaigned for Adlai Stevenson at the age of 14, to Puerto Rico, where he protested the Navy bombing of Vieques in 1970.
As a community leader and activist, Ken has transformed his democratic ideals into concrete actions, directly benefiting the lives of those around him. A developer of socially responsible housing, he has provided hundreds of affordable apartments to working families and seniors. As Chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, Ken worked to pressure Mayor Bloomberg into restoring recycling to the City and promoted plans to drastically reduce solid waste over the next 15 years. He established an outreach program that has served over 50,000 meals to people living with HIV/AIDS.
A staunch environmentalist, Ken negotiated with a major car company to provide non-polluting electric vehicles to parks and not-for-profits free of charge. Ken has been an active member of the LBGT community, speaking out for Marriage Equality and participating in the creation of legislation such as the Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Act (SONDA).
Ken has served at the forefront of numerous community organizations, including Brooklyn Community Board 2, New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, Brooklyn Parents for Peace, The Brooklyn SWAB, and the Citywide Recycling Advisory Board. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, on the executive board of Lambda Independent Democrats, as board member of Independent Neighborhood Democrats, and as Coordinator in the 52nd Assembly District reelection campaign of Congressman Major Owens.
Ken has a long record of standing up to the developers and bureaucrats who sacrifice our quality of life for their profit margins, and will continue to do so as a City Councilmember. In a time when career politicians, lobbyists, and special interests have taken over Albany, Ken will put an end to the backroom deals and fight for the progressive reform our community needs. Ken Diamondstone is a real reformer who gets real results.
Question 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need? Among the many pressing transportation issues in my district, one I would give special care to is the lack of incentives to bike. Currently there are not enough bike lanes or parking locations. These problems lead many people to view bicycling as both too dangerous, because they must merge with automobile traffic, and impractical, because they have nowhere safe from theft to put their bike. I would support legislation to require new buildings to provide indoor bicycle parking and to create fully staffed, municipal, 24-hour bicycle parking facilities of the sort seen in China and Europe. The more pleasant we make the bicycling experience, the more likely we are to see a rise in the number of people who choose to ride one. I also believe that there should be increased education for cyclists to help reduce the number of dangerous situations that arise between them and automobiles or pedestrians.
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 intersection of Adams Street and Tillary Street is exceedingly dangerous. Thankfully, the New York City Department of Transportation has already recognized this and is in the process of developing a plan to deal with the many problems of this intersection. However, that makes this a vital time; we must ensure that the plan that gets put into effect is sufficient to resolve the intersection’s issues. As is, the highway appearance of Adams Street in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge is intimidating. The intersection should be redesigned with fewer lanes on Tillary and wider, more inviting medians on all sides. Neckdowns would also play a significant role in making the space more pedestrian friendly. Less space to cover when crossing the street means pedestrians are less at risk for a collision. A renovation of the medians would also provide an opportunity for beautification of the space that for many is their first sight of Brooklyn. There should also be an increase in bike lanes to keep that traffic safely separated from cars. Something clearly must be done about bike safety; this intersection was tied for the third-most bicycle crashes in all of New York from 1995-2005.
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? The unfortunate reality is that New York City’s speed limits are currently irrelevant. Moving the speed limit up or down would likely have little impact on the problem, as most drivers in New York have concluded that they can speed with impunity. In fact, as the number of fatalities attributed to speeding has increased, the number of summons issued for speeding has decreased. As a City Council member, I would push for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and more traffic cameras. The NYPD and DOT must become better coordinated and place a higher value on traffic safety. I would also support an increase in the use of traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, neckdowns, and raised crosswalks.
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? Study after study points to a sedentary lifestyle as a leading cause of obesity. We must encourage a more active lifestyle. Getting New Yorkers, especially children, to see walking and biking as simply a part of life, rather than dreaded exercise, would contribute to reduced rates of obesity. As a member of City Council, I would fight for more greenways and bike paths. The more inviting we make the decision to walk or bike instead of taking a car or bus, the more likely people are to choose fitness. Additionally, we should roll out an educational campaign to clearly explain to people the dangers of obesity and the benefits of even a moderate amount of walking.
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 that road pricing can have major benefits for traffic in New York. I support two-way tolls on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels in addition to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The current tolling system encourages people to take a circuitous route through the city, in on the Verrazano Bridge and out through one of the tunnels, to avoid paying tolls. I also support a broader congestion charge, with the revenue directed toward mass transit. If we reduced the number of cars on the road, we would see air quality improvement, traffic reduction and more reliable bus service. I believe that if we place barriers to the use of cars, then more commuters will naturally take advantage of our wonderful public transit system.
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 think that reducing residential parking requirements in the NYC zoning regulations would reduce traffic congestion. A reduction in parking spaces would create a disincentive for car use and ownership. People don’t want to have a hassle ahead of them at the end of the workday, so if mass transit is less of a hassle than driving, they will choose to leave their cars at home. There are certainly some who need to drive, and for that reason I would not support total elimination of residential parking requirements, but for most New Yorkers public transportation is a valid option.
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? I support the repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists. Responsible development of underused streets into pedestrian plazas is a great way to revitalize communities and encourage outdoor activity. It shouldn’t be done in areas where the loss of street space for cars would have a major negative impact on traffic, but in many places a new public place would be a boon. Outdoor activities and gathering places do a lot to both get people out of the house and inspire a sense of community.
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. Both of these projects would be of great benefit to the city’s transportation network. Busses currently suffer from issues of backlog and timeliness, which makes commuters less likely to rely on them. However, a Bus Rapid Transit system would help alleviate much of the reliability issues marring that mode of transportation by limiting traffic to busses and ensuring that the drivers using the space are professionally trained. Bike share programs too would provide our city with the benefits already seen in cities with similar programs across Europe and in some North American cities such as Montreal. I believe the New York City Department of City Planning has got the right idea with regards to bike shares, and I will support such programs in my district.
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