Political Parties:
Democratic Party
Working Families Party
http://www.liuinewyork.com
Candidate Submitted Biography:
J
ohn Liu learned early in life that strong communities can only be built with hard work, vision and leadership. As an immigrant, his parents also encouraged John and his two brothers to live by the proverb that "a rising tide lifts all boats," so their actions would always have a positive influence on their community.
John was a newcomer to politics when he was elected to the City Council in 2001, the first Asian-American elected to legislative office in New York history. Since then, he has proudly represented the Northeast Queens communities of Auburndale, Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Linden Hill, Queensborough Hills and Whitestone.
Experience In Government, Finance and the Comm¬unity:
A Mind For Fiscal Management
Prior to being elected to the City Council in 2001, John was an actuary and worked as a manager at the financial consulting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. His expertise has helped the city to root out waste and mismanagement in government and to expose and correct fiscal mismanagement in city agencies like the DOT, MTA and TLC, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
A Passion for Fairness and Justice
John believes that every New Yorker deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and he has been called on many times to speak out and act against bias and hate crimes in our City.
John has co-sponsored numerous City Council measures protecting the rights of minorities, women and members of the LGBT community; he has taken on radio and television personalities who try to exploit ethnic and racial differences in the name of "humor"; and he has denounced assaults and killings of New Yorkers because of their race or sexual orientation.
A History of Community Involvement and Leadership
John has lived in Flushing since he was five years old, and he has had the opportunity to know and work with many diverse communities in Queens and across our city.
John's lifelong commitment to serve his community and his city, embodied by his work with these organizations and on the City Council for the past eight years, are major reasons why he is embarking on this new journey to become New York City Comptroller.
John and his wife Jenny live in Flushing with their son Joey.
In his two terms in the City Council, John has had a distinguished record of achievement:
Transportation
As Chairman of the Transportation Committee, John has paid special attention to the critical role mass transit plays in our city. He has supported capital programs to upgrade subways, buses and ferries to meet increased demand and conform to higher environmental standards; sponsored laws to improve pedestrian safety and initiate public works projects improving traffic flow and relieving congested streets, bridges and tunnels; and developed programs to bring yellow taxicab service to areas outside of Manhattan.
John conducts extensive legislative oversight over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), finding and eliminating waste and mismanagement in these agencies. His leadership has resulted in long-term changes to make getting around our City easier for working New Yorkers and for people with disabilities.
Education
John strongly believes that a quality education is the key to the future of our city. He is proud to be a product of New York City public schools and is committed to common sense education reform that doesn't shortchange our kids or exclude teachers, parents and students from the decision-making process.
As a member of the City Council's Committee on Education, John has called for a reassessment of standardized testing and the role it plays in determining our kids' grades; supported investing millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and high-tech upgrades to our schools; sponsored legislation to make schools safer for our kids; and demanded that city schools get a fair share of education funding.
John Liu serves on the following City Council Committees:
Transportation (Chairperson), Consumer Affairs, Contracts, Education, Health, Land Use, Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses, Lower Manhattan Redevelopment, Oversight and Investigations.
Question 1:
As Comptroller, how would you help to improve mobility in New York City?
Mobility can be improved if we are able to encourage people to use mass transit and other forms of transportation other than the personal automobile. I have introduced many pieces of legislation to help improve mobility and increase pedestrian travel. I wrote and sponsored a bill that would encourage people to use mass transit by requiring all companies with 50 or more employees to offer pre-tax transit benefits. I have also introduced legislation that would create taxicab stands across the City, making it easier for people to hail taxis, preventing them from cruising, adding to congestion and pollution. I also introduced a bill that would encourage car sharing programs such as Zip Car. By requiring the City to set aside spots in municipal parking lots for car sharing programs. Another important component is to fully implement a Bus Rapid Transit system like the MTA’s Select Bus Service where routes are well defined, with fewer stops and transfers are minimized. With advanced communications & technologies, Select Bus Service would provide real time bus arrival information at stations to make bus use more attractive to riders. By maximizing the current mass transit system & upgrading our express buses, we will provide real choices for residents and get more cars off the roads.
Question 2:
The Partnership for New York City estimates that traffic congestion is to blame for $13 billion a year in losses to the New York Metropolitan Region’s economy. What relationship do you see between the regional economy and traffic congestion? Which, if any, policies do you support to mitigate traffic congestion in New York City?
I believe there is a direct connection between the regional economy and congestion. History shows us that those societies that have good transportation thrive: the Romans conquered most of the known world because they had a great system of roads; the British had colonies all around the world because they controlled the seas; and the United States became a super power because of its extensive transportation and railroad network. Our regional economy cannot thrive when a truck used by a business has to spent hours in traffic – hours that could have been used to generate economic activity.
Because I believe all New Yorkers who drive have collective responsibility for our traffic congestion, I would support a traffic mitigation policy where all New Yorkers who drive would be responsible for paying some of the cost. I supported the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan because, although it wasn’t perfect, it imposed the cost of traffic congestion on everyone who drove a car.
Question 3:
The current comptroller has done several reports documenting inequities in City and State MTA funding, resulting in the agency being shortchanged hundreds of millions of dollars. Would you continue to do periodic reports on MTA finances? Would you take any actions to address these inequities?
As chairperson of the Transportation Committee, I have conducted vigorous oversight over the MTA, particularly its finances. It was through these hearings that I discovered that the MTA had 2 sets of books costing the taxpayers of millions of dollars. I would continue to conduct regular audits of MTA finances and highlight any inequities in City and State funding of the MTA. I want full transparency of how and where every dollar is spent.
I would also conduct audits on the way that the MTA uses the money that it has been allocated. The MTA has a reputation of funding projects that go over budget or are failures. One of these wasteful projects was the MTA’s attempt to track its buses. The MTA has been working on it for over ten years and has spent millions of dollars and still cannot track buses. Another project is the MTA’s plan to install an artificial intelligence camera system on the subways that would be able to detect suspicious activity. Hundreds of millions of dollars later, the vendor that won the contract, Lockheed, is suing the MTA and the MTA has held Lockheed in breach of the contract but no system is in place. The MTA has to spend our taxpayer money more wisely.
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