I am adamantly opposed to the service cuts facing our city. The mass transit system is the life blood of our region and is a necessity to millions of households in the region. The cuts to student metro cards and Access-a-Ride are particularly troubling and will only create other problems down the line: truant students in low-income neighborhoods, health problems for Access-a-Ride customers who will miss medical appointments, and a more dangerous system as station workers are cut.

Six weeks after the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) abruptly invalidated their new Section 8 vouchers for this year— leaving 2,600 New Yorkers without alternate housing, elected officials, local legal agencies, and housing advocates came together to call on NYCHA and the Bloomberg administration to provide housing solutions for the impacted low income and formerly homeless families. In December, NYCHA announced they would rescind Section 8 vouchers for 2,600 New Yorkers, in many cases, leaving them facing homelessness. Brad joined a wide range of colleagues, advocates, and families to call for a solution. “After revoking promised vouchers to 2600 families who desperately need a safe place to live, it is outrageous that 6 weeks later the City did not even appear before our committee to discuss possible solutions. I urge the City and State to listen to what was presented today and to take swift action to fix this problem."