2013 City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Candidate Information Full Name: Mel Wymore District Information District #: City Council District 6 Are you an incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Not an incumbent Campaign Information From which parties are you seeking a nomination: Democratic, Working Families Full Name of Campaign Committee: Mel 2013 Additional Candidate Information Endorsements List here the union, organizations (community, civic, media, issue groups), and elected officials that have endorsed you. I am proud to have the endorsement of the National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. I also have over 200 community endorsements. Candidate Experience Please explain any activities and/or experiences that demonstrate your commitment to the LGBT movement. A proud member of the LGBT community, I'm also a strong advocate for LGBT equality and justice. In October, I testified at the first ever GENDA forum, where I told my personal story and stressed the need to pass a statewide law. Additionally, I have trained as a Course Leader at YES Institute, and traveled internationally to educate and develop safe communities for authentic expression around gender and orientation. I championed and advised the development of a pioneering K-12 curriculum on sex and sexuality. I have also spoken at conventions, educational institutions, and community gatherings on topics ranging from civil rights and cultural biases to creating inclusive communities through civic engagement. What experience do you have to demonstrate you are the best person to represent the district office you seek?

Manhattan Community Board 7 (1996-Present)Community Board Chair (two terms), Vice Chair, Co-Secretary, Youth Committee Chair, Green Committee Chair, Strategy/Budget Committee Chair, Urban Planning Working Group, Small Business Working Group Fostered collaboration among community leaders, elected officials, local organizations and businesses to develop vision and address needs. Results:
600,000 square feet of affordable housing 100,000 new square feet for public school Zoning plan to protect over 500 local businesses New recreation center on 59th Street $35M in park funding Safer, greener street redesigns 20% increase in baseline budget for all Community Boards

West Side Y (1996-2008)Board Chair, Capital Campaign Chair, Trustee The West Side Y is a critically acclaimed provider of after-school programming throughout New York City. Results:
Strategic plan to ensure financial health during recession New satellite location for working families and immigrant populations Transparent governance systems Facility expansion for early childhood, teen, and senior programs

Ethical Culture Fieldston School (1998-Present)PTA Chair, Board Member Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a unionized independent school in NYC. Results:
Integrated parent education programs across four divisions Universal guidelines for access and affordability Community-wide discourse on unconscious bias and inclusive practices Expansion of K12 programs on ethics and civic engagement

Various Civic Organizations (1993-Present)Co-Founder Organizations:

West 70th Street Block Association Stratford Arms Food Pantry (over 200K meals served) Citizens for an Accessible West Side Theodore Roosevelt Park Working Group The Carbon Squeeze New York association of community boards Citywide facilitator and advocate, Participatory Budgeting in New York City

Please detail any specific policy proposals you may have that will affect the LGBT community, that are not addressed in the next section. I believe that our schools should assist in teaching our children tolerance for LGBT people. LGBT history should be incorporated into the education system, and we should educate children comprehensively about gender and sexual identity and expression. We also need greater enforcement of existing laws to prevent and respond to school bullying, of which LGBT youth are disproportionately the victims. Policy Positions Please answer the following questions in full, using your policy proposals and including specific examples of your previous actions on any given topic when possible. Marriage Do you support full marriage equality for same-sex couples? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. There is no justification for arbitrarily restricting the rights of LGBT Americans. Disallowing same-sex marriage is to the detriment of all, and the benefit of none. Will you work with New Yorks congressional delegation to support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. There is nothing ambiguous about a commitment to full marriage equality. So long as some couples are treated differently from others, the marriage fight must continue. Adoption Do you support full adoption rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. Discrimination against LGBT people is rarely more pernicious than when it deprives an orphan of a warm, happy, healthy family that wants nothing more than to welcome them into their home. Human Rights Do you support equal rights and treatment for people of transgender experience in the New York Shelter System, both adult shelters and youth shelters? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. Shelters must be sanctuaries of compassionthose who make use of them almost certainly have no other choice than to do so, and to arbitrarily treat some people differently from others is simply not right, regardless of their current station in life. HIV/AIDS In 2011, Mayor Bloomberg proposed cutting 248 case managers and millions in rental assistance from the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA). Individual legislators ended up using discretionary funds to fill the gap. o Do you support increased funding for the HASA? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. While not as prevalent a topic as it once was, HIV/AIDS is no less a threat to the health

and safety of New Yorkers than it was 30 years ago. Prevention and treatment must remain a priority for New York City until medical science and sensible education and public health practices can eradicate HIV/AIDS completely. o Please explain your position on using discretionary funds to support agencies like HASA. It is extremely unfortunate that Mayor Bloombergs proposal resulted in the need for city councilmembers to use money more suited for assisting community initiatives on retaining a basic city service. In my opinion, the member item process needs a major overhaul to democratize the way funds are allocated, but within the confines of the current system, I believe that the councilmembers decision to fund HASA was both compassionate and pragmatic, fundamentally right, and admirable. What actions do you think the City Council should be taking to provide emergency housing for homeless people living with AIDS? Our goal as a city should be to eliminate homelessness in its entirety, for everyonethis is even more urgent for people suffering from chronic illnesses such as AIDS. My approach to the issue of homelessness is three-fold. First, our social safety net is not adequate for keeping people on the brink of homelessness in their homes. We should study the most common causes of homelessness in our city, and reinstall programs such as Advantage that work to stave off imminent homelessness. Second, we must expand the affordable housing stock in the city. If someone is no longer able to afford the home they currently live in, there should always exist a cheaper option for them. And third, we must strengthen our mental health services citywide to better support people who are having a difficult time keeping their lives together. Only by addressing the immediate, long-term, and systemic causes of homelessness can we put an end to it. AIDS funding no longer corresponds to the demographics of which communities represent the greatest number of HIV cases in NYC. Would you support yearly statistics of both the geographic areas where HIV is most prevalent and as well as which populations in those neighborhoods are most affected, and then allocate yearly funding to services and communities based on these results? YES. In all government services, the goal should be to use taxpayer money as efficiently as possible; to provide the greatest public benefit per dollar possible. HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding is no exception. Community Boards Many community boards routinely oppose applications for liquor licenses in their areas, particularly if the proposed venue is tailored to appeal to the LGBT community. Please explain your position on the appropriate balance between support for nightlife, minority communities and respect for neighborhood concerns. An appropriate balance between the three areas mentioned is the product of a community board that is truly representative of those who live there. A strong, inclusive community will naturally come to agreements and reach solutions that incorporate the wants and needs of all of its members. Community boards are the best tools to implement these

natural solutions, but in order to do so effectively, their membership must accurately reflect the community it serves. As such, my answer to this question is very much tied into my answer to the next one. Please outline the criteria you would use in selecting Community Board members. In selecting community board members, I would begin by focusing on the makeup of the community board membership. I would investigate thoroughly the composition of the area that board servesdemographically, culturally, vocationally, etc.and would do my best in partnership with the board and borough president to ensure that it accurately reflects the community. With that goal in mind, I would seek diverse members with local expertise and skill bases that make them effective navigators of local ordinance. NYPD The NYPD often targets bars, restaurants and clubs serving the LGBT community for increased scrutiny. They have used health code violations, allegations of drug use or sale, allegations of prostitution, allegations of serving minors, and a myriad of tools at their disposal. What changes would you implement to ensure LGBT institutions are treated equally by enforcement agencies? Ensuring that the interests of LGBT citizens are appropriately represented in community boards would make for significant improvement, since the community boards have meaningful input into NYPDs routine practices in their area. Another underutilized medium for complaint and representation is the NYPDs local precinct boards, which are open to the public. However, they cannot be effective if not publicized. I would reach out to communities that have disagreements with police practices to publicize precinct boards, and encourage the NYPD to do the same. Do you support reforming Stop-and-Frisk? Please detail any specific changes to the program you believe are necessary. I believe the NYPD's Stop and Frisk policy exhibits clear racial profiling against Black and Latino men and the communities they live in, and must be corrected. It can also prove traumatic for members of the LGBT community, particularly transgender women and gender-nonconforming people of color. But improving a poor policy does not always make a good one: Stop and Frisk is fundamentally flawed and should be ended. Eliciting fear among potential criminals and law-abiders alike is a sloppy, draconian method of preventing crime. It is an excessively blunt instrument that changes little, when we need to be focusing more on understanding and correcting the systemic causes of crime. Do you oppose the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution in criminal cases? Please explain your support or opposition. YES. This is a commonsense public health initiative. The current system disincentivizes the use of condoms by many; not only sex workers and those who frequent them, but also those who due to prejudice are unfairly targeted by law enforcement officers, such as transgender women and gender-nonconforming people of color. Runaway and Homeless Youth

Will you support increasing the funding for both emergency shelter beds and transitional beds for homeless youth, a huge percentage of whom are from the LGBT community and will you pledge to support capital and expense funding for programs serving this population? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. Our city is always better off when fewer people are forced onto the street at night. We should show the most compassion for those who endure the greatest hardships. It is also important to help these persecuted youths communities to be more inclusive. The city should establish community education programs that provide support in navigating the complexity of families, schools, and religious institutions struggling to embrace LGBT children. What will you do to expand access to services for runaway and homeless youth? LGBT youth often become homeless as the result of unwelcoming and/or unsafe cultural environments. Providing effective community education (like that offered by YES Institute) about gender and orientation breaks down barriers and builds relationships that strengthen the network of support for LGBT youth. This is key to healing families and nourishing healthy development. I would make this type of education available in schools, religious institutions, and community groups throughout NYC. LGBT Services and Funding: The LGBT community has no direct funding for the arts from the NEA or other funding sources because of institutional homophobia. Would your office help with funding for LGBT Arts? If yes, please explain how. YES. I support art from all communities, to the exclusion of no one. If elected, I will seek to foster publicprivate partnerships to fund art projects and reach out to artist communities. The LGBT community is uniquely enriching in this respect due to its cross-cultural nature, and I will proudly help promote and seek funding for the art we create and inspire. The LGBT community is in great need of senior housing for many of our aging population. Many seniors experience homophobia in senior facilities making them feel they must be closeted. Would you help with the funding of senior housing for the LGBT community in your district? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. It is deeply important for seniors to feel a sense of community in the places they live. As a city, we must strive to help those who have been ostracized and isolated in the past find acceptance and inclusion in later life. If you are currently in office, have you made member item grants or supported LGBT funding requests? If seeking office for the first time, would you give strong consideration to LGBT social service organizations seeking funding from your office if elected? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. My opinion of the member-item grant system is that it has great potential: allowing communities to fund programs, projects and initiatives to enrich and strengthen their lives. The process of allocation, however, is not in keeping with its purpose. I am a strong proponent of member-item reform that would bring the process more in line with the goal, following the principles of community decision-making and participatory budgeting, and

plan to use my member-item allocation in a manner consistent with that position. What actions will you take to help support the LGBT community center in your borough? If there is not an LGBT community center in your borough, what actions will you take to help develop one? Vibrant, healthy, active LGBT community centers are critical for providing a friendly and inclusive space for those who can experience so much exclusion elsewhere. If elected, I will ensure that the Centers activities are publicized in my district, and will work to foster both public and private engagement and assistance. Other Please state concrete achievements for the LGBT community that you are responsible for in your current or previous elected office(s). As a member of the Ethical Culture Fieldston Schools PTA Boardand later as its chairpersonI championed and advised the development of a comprehensive, K12 curriculum on sex and sexuality, and raised money for diversity initiatives at the school. As a leader with the YES Institute, I trained hundreds of people in communities often hostile towards LGBT people and issues, from Bogot, Colombia to the American South, to foster inclusiveness and dialogue, and raised money for the organization as well. And as Chair of the West Side Y, I worked to increase the available LGBT-focused programming offered. Have you endorsed any LGBT candidates? Which ones? YES. I have a long history of supporting LGBT candidates for public office, and most recently was a strong supporter of Brad Hoylmans campaign for the New York State Senator. If endorsed will you display the endorsement of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC in your literature whenever you list other endorsements and will you display the endorsement on your website? YES. I would be deeply honored to receive SDNYCs endorsement and, if granted the honor, will wear it loudly and proudly! Will you hire openly LGBT staff and/or designate a liaison to our communities if elected? (Y/N If no, please explain) YES. My campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, field director and I are all openly LGBT, and I currently have an LGBT Liaison Officer on my campaign staff. (Openly LGBT people are definitely the majority on my staff, but were almost 5050!) Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you and your membership soon! Sincerely,

Mel Wymore

City Council candidate, District 6