LOWER MANHATTAN — Dennis Levy says he has high hopes for weeding out corruption in New York State politics.
Levy, the president of New York State’s Committee to Legalize Marijuana, is the latest candidate to announce his run in the special April 19 election called to replace disgraced Assemblyman Sheldon Silver.
“I want to stop this culture of politicians lining their own pockets in Albany and not focusing on the people in the neighborhood,” said Levy, selected as the Green Party candidate. “I’m a community organizer, I will fight for the underserved people of New York.”
Silver, the longtime Democratic Assemblyman for Lower Manhattan, was convicted on extortion, fraud and money laundering charges related to two bribery schemes in November.
Foremost on Levy’s platform is supporting New York State Senator’s Liz Kreuger’s bill to legalize marijuana — something he says will bring needed jobs and money to New York.
“Marijuana legalization will bring $1 billion to New York State, “ Levy, 67 said. “The bill would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol — and this is a way to help fight for the working class and poor, to bring more jobs to those who need it.”
Levy, a father of two and a grandfather, became a passionate advocate for marijuana legalization in the years after he was diagnosed with HIV in 1992, he said.
“Nothing helped me with the side effects of my HIV medication like marijuana," Levy said. “It’s time to make marijuana legal in New York, it’s just time.”
For several years Levy, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, with an African-American mother and Jewish father, ran nonprofit Black and Latino AIDS Coalition, which focused on AIDS education for heterosexual black and Latino communities in New York.
But in recent years, his focus has been on marijuana, something he credits with helping to slow the progress of his HIV.
New York City has made strides in loosening up policies related to marijuana — in 2014, the city decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, leading to the lowest level of marijuana related arrests in since 1996. New York also opened its first medical marijuana dispensaries in January.
All that is great, Levy said, but doesn’t go far enough.
Aside from marijuana legalization, Levy, who lives in the Lower East Side’s public housing project, the Smith Houses, said he wants more affordable housing for the working class and poor and supports a $15 minimum wage.
As the Green Party candidate, a party founded on environmental issues, Levy says he wants a ban on nuclear power plants in New York and also wants to see affordable housing and other buildings in New York made with eco-friendly and sustainable materials and practices.
For more on Levy's views, watch this video where he discusses his platform:
Levy will join several candidates in the special election race, held on the same day as the New York presidential primaries. A Democratic candidate, Working Family Party candidate and Republican candidate are also running.
The winner of the race in the overwhelmingly Democratic 65th Assembly District will have to run again in the November general election.
