UPPER WEST SIDE — Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell is facing a challenge in Tuesday's Democratic primary from another longtime neighborhood resident who is hoping to unseat the 14-year incumbent.
Steven Appel, 31, who manages communications for a financial literacy nonprofit, is vying for the 69th District office held by O'Donnell since 2002. The district's southern border starts at West 80th Street to the east of Amsterdam Avenue and West 90th Street to the west, stretches up to 125th Street, and includes parts of Central and Riverside parks.
DNAinfo asked O'Donnell, 55, and Appel, 31, to answer a series of questions about their core beliefs and how they'd tackle local issues. In some instances, their responses have been condensed.
You’ve lived on the Upper West Side for a long time. What are you working to preserve and what would you like to see change?
O'DONNELL: I have lived on 111th street for 25 years. My adoration for our neighborhood led me to found the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, which for years has aimed to protect the grandeur of our community from non-contextual overdevelopment. I am happy to report that all of our hard work has paid off — Morningside Heights will finally be calendared by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday September 13th! Regarding things I want changed, I have consistently urged commercial landlords and institutions to fill their storefronts with goods and services that fit the needs of our community.
APPEL: We must do everything we can to preserve our current stock of affordable housing units and make sure tenants aren’t forced out of their homes, fall victim to vacancy deregulation, or are discriminated against based on source of income. I am also deeply committed to preserving the unique historical character of the Upper West Side, Manhattan Valley, and Morningside Heights.
I would also like to see an enhanced focus on improving quality-of-life issues like litter in our streets. For example, I will encourage members of our community to become “mayor” of their block and volunteer to pick up trash. This idea is inspired by Boston’s successful adopt-a-hydrant campaign that encouraged citizens to volunteer to keep hydrants clear of snow during storms. I will start with my own block on 106th street. I will also regularly organize volunteers to clean up blocks that are particularly dirty.
Manhattan Valley is part of your district. How will you work to continue the revitalization of this area, but also ensure residents don’t get pushed out because of gentrification?
APPEL: If elected I will bring together diverse members of the community to engage in a new series of dialogues on the future of Manhattan Valley... I will work closely with organizations like the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, the Manhattan Valley Community Development Corporation, and the Municipal Arts Society to build on previous visions for the revitalization of Manhattan Valley and ensure we continue to preserve the diversity of this unique community.
I believe revitalization should also include a greater focus on empowering seniors. Manhattan Valley has one of the highest concentrations of seniors in Manhattan. Seniors possess a lifetime of experience that is often underutilized in our community. I will work with senior groups to better integrate seniors into the fabric of our community and increase interactions between seniors and youth. Revitalization should also include a greater focus on cleaning up litter, which is a big problem in the low 100s along Broadway. To ensure residents aren’t pushed out, it is critical we work to strengthen our rent laws, end vacancy deregulation, develop alternative senior housing, and provide tenants facing eviction with increased access to legal services.
O'DONNELL: In my 14 years as your Assembly Member, I have worked closely with the Columbus-Amsterdam BID to ensure that local businesses can thrive in our community. I also have a full-time staff member dedicated to keeping residents in their apartments and defending tenants against unethical landlords.
There are some excellent schools in your district and some in need of help. What would you do with neighborhood schools that are struggling in terms of their achievement, diversity and enrollment?
O'DONNELL: I provide discretionary money to the Parent Teacher Associations in our district and I attend their fundraising events. I have interceded with the City Board of Education to make necessary repairs to school facilities, like the restrooms at P.S. 75. I have also stood alongside the parents of P.S. 163 to fight the construction of a 22-story nursing home adjacent to their school building.
APPEL: First and foremost, I believe Albany should start listening to teachers more often. I have many ideas for improving neighborhood schools; however, I am also wary of proposing new ideas to fix our schools before I hear directly from a much larger cross-section of educators throughout our district who are in the best position to address these issues. I will organize an Education Innovation Summit in our community to bring together diverse educators to share their ideas for improving our schools. Our district’s Education Innovation Summit would form the foundation for a new vision for our schools and generate creative new ideas for increasing diversity, enrollment and achievement across all schools in our district. These ideas will guide me in my fight for better schools for our neighborhood. My approach toward helping our neighborhood schools will be grounded in a deep respect for — and admiration of —teachers as well the need to hold charter schools more accountable and shift the focus back on our public schools.
Though changes have been made to the West 96th Street corridor, it’s still one of the most crash-prone in the neighborhood. How will you fix that?
APPEL: I have spent a lot of time observing pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow on 96th and I have personally seen a number of close calls. In order to begin to fix the issue, I would organize a Pedestrian Safety Summit in our community that would bring together members of the NY City Council, DOT, non-profits focused on pedestrian safety, and members of our community with the single goal of generating creative new ideas to enhance pedestrian safety on 96th street. As part of my district office’s Innovation Lab — a component of my platform designed to encourage innovative solutions to problems in our community — I would reward creative proposals to improve the safety of 96th street and tap our district’s high school students to take on this issue. More specifically, I would like to see better syncing of traffic lights and the pedestrian walk sign on 96th street to protect pedestrians from drivers who make a left turn from northbound traffic on Broadway and head toward West End Avenue. Many unsuspecting pedestrians are caught in the middle of the street as the light changes green for vehicles making a left turn, creating a dangerous situation.
O'DONNELL: I wrote the law which allowed New York City to lower the speed limit to 25 mph, and I have fought to limit development which would negatively impact the flow of traffic.
Lots of luxury buildings are springing up in Morningside Heights. How are you planning to respond and what are the responsibilities of developers to the community?
O'DONNELL: As a seven-year member of Community Board 9 — and former chair of its Land Use Committee — I fought against overdevelopment and have advocated for over 20 years the need to address these issues through rezoning. Many communities have the ability to influence which developments enter the neighborhood because they have been designated as a Historic District. I am proud to say that opportunity is finally coming to our community.
APPEL: Often... events focused on luxury development tend to involve community members listening to — and asking questions of — authority figures in the front of the room, and not each other. I will sponsor additional community dialogues so that community members can discuss this important issue with each other. I will work closely with the Morningside Heights Community Coalition to ensure our community’s interests are protected. I will be a passionate advocate for preserving the historical heritage of Morningside Heights. I believe developers have a social responsibility to engage in genuine dialogue with the members of the community in which they are building and make a good-faith effort to address community concerns. Developers are often in a position to do a lot more for the communities in which they build and they must be pushed to do so.
How do you differ from your opponent?
APPEL: My opponent and I generally see eye-to-eye on the issues. We are both progressive Democrats. I believe, however, we differ in three crucial ways:
1. I will bring energetic and responsive new leadership to our community. Assemblyman O’Donnell has been in office for nearly 15 years without a serious challenger and has grown complacent, taking certain parts of our district for granted. The fact our Assemblyman has repeatedly refused to debate me during this election speaks volumes about his lack of visibility and accountability...
2. I believe in term limits of eight years for the Assembly just like the NYC Council. Term limits have transformed the City Council for the better. I believe in self-imposing ethics reforms even before they are enshrined in law. We need a new generation of ethically-minded leaders in Albany and I will hold myself to a higher ethical standard.
3. I believe I am a different kind of leader than our current Assemblyman. In 2009, I co-founded a nonprofit dedicated to bringing diverse people together to enhance understanding. I deeply value listening to all people and building diverse coalitions. I will treat every member of our community with the dignity and respect they deserve, especially those I may not agree with.
O'DONNELL: I have a record of serving our community for over 20 years and I have demonstrated my ability to lead by passing momentous legislation such as the Marriage Equality Act and the Dignity for All Students Act — our state's first law to provide both recognition of and protection to the transgender community.
In one sentence, describe yourself and your platform.
O'DONNELL: Just last night a neighbor told me that I "speak tersely and act abundantly"; that says it all.
APPEL: I am a progressive Democrat who has lived in our community for 25-plus years and believes the purpose of government is to unify us and help us reach our deepest potential — my innovative platform reflects that higher purpose.
