Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City

Borough President Candidate Questionnaire

Candidate Information Full Name: Ruben Diaz Jr. Address: Personal Phone: Borough Information Please indicate the borough in which you are seeking to be elected Borough President: [ x ] Bronx [ ] Brooklyn [ ] Manhattan [ ] Queens [ ] Staten Island Are you an incumbent? YES If yes, when were you first elected? April 2009 Campaign Information From which parties are you seeking a nomination: Democratic, WFP Full Name of Campaign Committee: People for Diaz Campaign HQ Address: 840 Grand Concourse, Suite 1A Bronx, NY 10451 HQ Phone: (718) 731-2009 HQ Fax: (718) 294-1234 Campaign Manager Name: Paul J. Del Duca Managers Cell:

Please return to Robert Atterbury at Robert.Atterbury@gmail.com by April 15, 2013, with SDNYC Questionnaire [Candidate Name] as the subject.

Additional Candidate Information Endorsements List here the union, organizations (community, civic, media, issue groups), and elected officials that have endorsed you. Bronx Democratic County Organization

Candidate Experience - Please explain any activities and/or experiences that demonstrate your commitment to the LGBT movement. I have long been a supporter of the LGBT community. Specifically, I sponsored, supported, and voted in favor of numerous LGBT legislation while still serving in the NYS Assembly. I have publicly fought the exclusion of LGBT individuals in the military, and I support equal marriage rights for LGBT individuals. - What experience do you have to demonstrate you are the best person to represent the office you seek? I have served four years as Bronx Borough President, prior to which I served almost 13 years in the New York State Assembly. - Please detail any specific policy proposals you may have that will affect the LGBT community, that are not addressed in the next section.

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? Yes

Will you work with New Yorks congressional delegation to support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act? Yes

Adoption: Do you support full adoption rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples? YES 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? YES

Will you work with the New York State Legislature to support the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act? YES

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. Do you support increased funding for the HASA? YES Please explain your position on using discretionary funds to support agencies like HASA. While I do support increased funding for HASA, my office does not have discretionary funding to issue. However funding for HASA should be included in the Citys budget.

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 effected, and then allocate yearly funding to services and communities based on these results? Yes, I would support such a proposal.

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. While these concerns have not been an issue in my borough, I do believe that liquor license applications should be judged on the merits, including the actual record of the applicant.
Please outline the criteria you would use in selecting Community Board members. My Community Board selections have been inclusive and reflective of the areas they serve. Upon taking office four years ago we added a new optional section to our community board applications, in order to assure diversity, that asks each candidate to explain how they "self identify." The choices include "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender."

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? While my office could not implement such changes, I would advocate for fair treatment should such concerns arise in my borough. Do you support reforming Stop-and-Frisk? Please detail any specific changes to the program you believe are necessary. YES. I prefer a return to a stop, question & frisk program as we had in the past, as it would provide for greater investigation by our police prior to physical contact. http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/press/releases/2013-01-08.html Do you oppose the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution in criminal cases? Please explain your support or opposition. YES. We should be encouraging safe sexual behavior, and not criminalizing those who simply carry condoms on their person. My office also serves as a distribution site for free NYC Condoms.

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? I do support such increased funding. If a capital proposal for such a program were presented to me, it would receive the same consideration as all other projects.
What will you do to expand access to services for runaway and homeless youth? My office continues to work to bring the Bronx Pride Center back to our borough. The BPC offered considerable resources to homeless and runaway youth, and its return remains a priority of mine.

LGBT Services and Funding: 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? Yes, I would consider such a proposal if it were presented to me.

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? Please explain your position. My office does not have discretionary funding or member items, only capital funding. I have been supportive of LGBT organizations in a variety of ways, and would consider offering capital funding to an LGBT organization were I approached with a worthy project. We do recommend funding through the Department for the Aging, and in the past I had used that money to fund the Bronx Pride Center. 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? My office continues to work to bring about the return of the Bronx Pride Center, which I supported during its existence. The meetings to bring about the BPCs return are hosted in my office.

Other: Please state concrete achievements for the LGBT community that you are responsible for in your current, or previous, elected office/s. I created the John F. Wade Memorial Award, honoring leaders in the LGBT community who are committed to public service. We hand out this award during our annual LGBTQ & Allies Awards Event.

Have you endorsed any LGBT candidates? Which ones? Lewis Goldstein for State Committee, Kenny Agosto for District Leader. 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 Will you hire openly LGBT staff and/or designate a liaison to our communities if elected? (Y/N If no, please explain) My Chief of Staff for the past 17 year, Paul J. Del Duca, is openly Gay. Our office's liaison to the LGBT community is Tracey McDermott.