Tiffany is Committed to Local Economic development

From rent hikes to rising childcare and food expenses, a major component of solutions to district problems will rest in stimulating our local economy. Tiffany is the only candidate in this race holding a Master's in International and Public Affairs with a concentration in Economic and Political Development coupled with experience working on economic development and who also served on the Committee on Economic Development at Manhattan Community Board 9. Her life experience also guides her policy. Tiffany has real solutions she will implement from week one.

 

1. Small Businesses

As District 7’s only candidate who owned a small business that held contracts with New York City, Tiffany understands the challenges of both running a business in our city and some of the frustrations with the government procurement process. Furthermore, rent regulation, was once a protection that more NYC small businesses enjoyed. It’s unsurprising the loss of commercial rent regulations concomitantly occurred while mom and pop businesses began disappearing. Covid-19 aggravated this situation. As it is, there are few legal resources for residential rent-regulated tenants; commercial rent-regulated tenants have even fewer free legal clinics or other affordable resources. Tiffany will dedicate a unit within her office to assist small businesses with commercial rent-regulated spaces with keeping their storefronts. This not only helps those businesses, but also the communities in which they operate. Everything from more affordable products/services to preserving the existence of heritage cuisines that define our neighborhood are just some of the multiplier effects we all win from this.

 

2. Scholarships, Fellowships and More

Tiffany is the only candidate with extensive international work and study abroad experience who also has the language skills to connect our high school and college students to study and work abroad programs, from which historically predominantly wealthy white students benefitted. Her office will host a series of workshops to guide our young people on how to navigate and succeed in this increasingly globalized world.

 

3. Vocational Training

For students who chose work after high school, or our neighbors that are just getting back on their feet, we need more robust vocational training that (1) offers better guidance, and (2) does not limit applicants to ages 16-24 as some of our current city programs do. We also need a City Council person who has broad experience in a variety of fields from teaching to economic development as Tiffany does to ensure that such programs don’t merely look good on paper, but actually meet community needs and is willing to work closely with schools, churches, foster care facilities among others to ensure that people in these programs are able to be productive members of our district.

 

4. Financial Literacy

Financial literacy merits its own category. From adolescence to well into adulthood, many of us were never taught about credit--how to build and maintain it or how this issue affects us in everything from securing certain jobs to getting a home. Tiffany will work with community-based non-profits and other groups to host ongoing workshops on this vital matter.

  

5. Grants for First Time Home Buyers

Tiffany grew up in a home in Brooklyn, which her mother still resides in. The significance of home ownership and caring for her community instilled in her from early childhood were seeds that grew exponentially when she was later able to secure student loans thanks to her mother’s homeownership. No candidate in this district 7 race understands that and has actively worked to ensuring that others are able to become homeowners as she has. In the spring of 2023, Tiffany wrote a resolution to inform more people in our district about resources to assist them with what is often the biggest hurdle for homeowners:  the down payment. As your City Council member, Tiffany will not only raise community awareness of existing resources for prospective first-time homeowners, but also ensure that the city processes their applications fairly.

 

6. Consumer Protection

In 2017, Tiffany witnessed her disabled West Indian aunt targeted by a “legal scammer” i.e., an ESCO (Energy Services Company) representative vehemently press her aunt to sign up for their “services.” Companies like these often target the elderly, immigrants and other vulnerable groups. After investigating the matter, Tiffany reached out to then Village Voice reporter, Jon Campbell, whose investigative journalism shed a light on this. That exchange can be seen here.

The 2002 amendment to the Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA) should have been an opportunity to help New Yorkers reduce their utilities bill. Instead, it ushered in a wave of legal energy services scams. Although that was a state decision, Tiffany’s office will work with community, state and federal authorities like the FTC to combatting scams such as these and others that rob New Yorkers.

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