BHB Exclusive: Pete Sikora Talks About His Campaign for the 52nd AD Seat

By on August 28, 2014 3:09 pm in Brooklyn Heights, Election 14

BHB: Rapid real estate growth has resulted in over-crowding at P.S. 8. How will you address this shortfall of public elementary seats in Brooklyn Heights?

PS: Let me start from the bigger picture then [narrow] in. I’ve worked on education policy, helping to fight off hundreds of dollars of SUNY and CUNY tuition increases proposed by[Governor] Pataki .

On the other end of the spectrum I was part of the Mayor’s [de Blasio] campaign to push through universal Pre-K. We have to be certain that high-quality slots are appropriately distributed and sufficiently available in neighborhoods throughout the city, including in the 52nd Assembly District. It’s a two-year schedule of implementation to get to high-quality Pre-K for all the kids in the city, so as an assembly member I would be involved in making sure we got the correct number of slots to properly serve the community.

We have a big problem in the district with overcrowded schools. P.S. 8 is a good example of that; [they] had to cancel it’s Pre-K program because of space considerations. We need to be expanding services not cutting them. However P.S. 8 doesn’t have the space! What we need is think creatively about where we can get a new school located, how that would impact the district, and figure out how to do that within existing buildings. There are only a couple of new developments where it’s possible for there to be a school but we don’t know whether that would happen. What we should do is… go to the City—I would do this as an assembly member—and push for a feasibility study of where can we actually locate a new school on Court or on Montague Street so we can relieve some of the capacity problems in Brooklyn Heights and the surrounding areas.

BHB: Would you look to include a school in a new development?

PS: Not a new building. We don’t want to build, build, build. What we want to do is locate in an existing structure.

BHB: What about holding the developers accountable for subsidizing new infrastructure necessary to support the increased population they are bringing to the Heights?

PS: That’s one of the possibilities, whether it’s at the LICH site or if we are forced into housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park [Pier 6] which I oppose. There are opportunities where we can get into a negotiation with a developer over [this]. I don’t take any real estate money for my campaign. I’ve stood up to the real estate industry repeatedly. I will take a hard line on over-development. This district has too many luxury condo developments already… a massive missed opportunity to create mixed-income housing as part of those new developments.

We don’t want to have new condo towers throughout this district that are for luxury residences. That raises the price of housing, [and] puts additional strain on schools, on infrastructure [and on] mass transit.

We need to fund the schools. The way to do that is to ask the very wealthy to pay a little bit more of a fair share and use that funding to invest in public services. Whether it’s schools, mass transit, libraries or hospitals or infrastructure, we need a massive public investment in those kinds of resources so that we can have the society we need.

BHB: What’s your position about all options for public education, including charter schools?

PS: Charter schools come up all the time, and they are an important issue, but there are many other issues that frankly matter more than charter schools.

There are some good charter schools and some not so good charter schools. Overall the research shows that charter schools are no better or worse than traditional public schools. I don’t think that we should govern by anecdote, we should govern by data. So charter schools are not producing better results, according to research, than traditional public schools.

There are individual charter school chains or operators who do a better job than some schools…. Some public schools do much better jobs than the charters, and that’s true in this district. What we need to do overall is think how are we going to get to the services and the quality of education that we need. Class sizes are too big, arts and music education has been cut, there are libraries that don’t have librarians. The schools are not funded at the level that the state courts have ruled [is necessary] under the state constitution’s mandate on basic education.

We need to fund the schools. The way to do that is to ask the very wealthy to pay a little bit more of a fair share and use that funding to invest in public services. Whether it’s schools, mass transit, libraries or hospitals or infrastructure, we need a massive public investment in those kinds of resources so that we can have the society we need.

We also need to make sure that teachers are well prepared and professionally supported. We know what makes great teachers; there’s been a tremendous amount of very good research showing the kinds of teaching techniques that lead to progress. What we should do is create the kind of professional development and training structure—that takes money—to make good teachers into great teachers, great teachers into excellent teachers and make mediocre teachers into better teachers.

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  • stuart

    has this guy ever had a real job? has he worked for CWA for instance? or is he just a hanger on? Biviano as far as I know has never had a real job either, that leaves Simon, who is voting place poison, great race. Seeing as the State Assembly is basically a do-nothing job, both Biviano and this guy seem very well qualified….eye roll.

  • Doug Biviano

    Sikora on proposed ER, “It’s not the kind of lifesaving interventions that are needed in acute emergency situations.” On standing up to Berlin Rosen and WFP, “I have stood up to that kind of pressure repeatedly.” Yet, he praises deBlasio on his efforts to save LICH completely missing the fact that deBlasio accepted Cuomo’s dictates without a whisper (mainly so WFP could get Cuomo’s ballot line) and Sikora doesn’t mention the deceptive Gary Reilly LICH letter that Berlin Rosen and deBlasio’s PAC mailed the voters saying the level of medical emergency care at proposed ER was adequate (doctors immediately disputed). — MR. SIKORA WHY DON’T YOU STAND UP TO YOUR BOSSES ON THESE TWO MATTERS AND APOLOGIZE FOR THE MISLEADING LETTER FOOLING THE VOTERS?

    http://dougbiviano.com

  • miriamcb

    Great questions, and thanks for the quick coverage.

    Pete – I hope you will check back for comments as well (and answer). I noted that you were asked specifically about PS8 and how you would alleviate the overcrowding in the area. I understand solutions take time and as someone who worked in the classroom for years and years (and trained teachers), I also understand what it takes to support teachers. Sometimes it is re-appropriation of current resources and other times it’s taking a different tact altogether. It’s not always about more money (more initiatives at teachers sometimes is a huge waste of time, energy and money!).

    I’m curious with one of your solutions being, “The way to do that is to ask the very wealthy to pay a little bit more of a fair share and use that funding to invest in public services.”

    There are some undefined terms in this statement would like to know if you are considering increasing taxes (and by what amount) on the very wealthy (and who is that).

  • marshasrimler

    I see nothing in Mr. Sikora’s background that indicates he would be superior to Ms. Simon in representing us. He is another young man in a hurry. Joanne is a community person who has done lots of pro bono work not a paid lobbyist. i belive in diveristy of representation and believe we need female as well as male representation.
    Mr. Sikora’s patron Brad Lander has described the destruction of our library(not even in his district) as “creative”. His supporters have been weak on protecting our library. My friend Stephen Levin who I am deeply dissapointed in has remained silent on this city issue even through he has been aware of the library problem for over one year. Daniel Squadron has flip-flopped first remaining silent.
    Is this the kind of leadership Mr. Sikora will provide?

  • Doug Biviano

    Marsha, Jo Anne Simon told CDL that she wants to put a museum in the library to cover the budget instead of finding the money in our budget. I say cut all the tax breaks and abatements to developers that last 10 years so we have the tax $ for our schools, a park, a hospital and the libraries.

  • Tobyen

    I’m concerned about the daily bombardment of full color mailings I receive from Mr. Sikora. Where is all that money coming from? It does not speak well for his judgment.

  • Doug Biviano

    Marsha, No Matter the Harm Cuomo has done to our community closing LICH, Jo Anne Simon still supports him. Given the chance to say she wouldn’t endorse Cuomo at the debate, she didn’t because is supported by Cuomo supporting Party Boss Frank Seddio and law partner Frank Carone (who represented SUNY and Carl McCall in the deal closing LICH). She’s part of this machine and that’s why Jo Anne doesn’t stand up and say things that need to be said just like Sikora is praising deBlasio despite walking away from LICH after elected then deceiving voters again with the Gary Reilly LICH letter lying about the emergence medical protection proposed ER would provide.

  • Quinn Raymond

    I’m not sure you have the strongest grasp of how public service works.

  • Quinn Raymond

    DOUG WILL YOU SIGN A PLEDGE TO STOP USING ALL CAPS AND THREADJACKING EVERY BHB POST?

    THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW.

  • Quinn Raymond

    You must be new to NYC? Is this your first election?

  • Tobyen

    That was uncalled for,

  • Quinn Raymond

    Serious question!

  • marshasrimler

    He is getting it from the
    working families party and the
    Unions

  • stuart

    I don’t think you have the strongest grasp on reality. these are do-nothing jobs. its just a lot of blah-blah and postage costs.

  • stuart

    right Doug, put the brakes on development -all the jobs, housing and taxes- and really put the squeeze on the tooth fairy to fund the schools and pensions and cops and everything else. Good thinking!

  • davoyager

    yes, please put the breaks on the over development which is going to lead to another housing crash. Schools, pensions, cops and parks, roads, libraries, hospitals and all other aspects of city infrastructure critically need funding. There is no tooth fairy, only greedy developers making money hand over fist at the tax payer’s expense.

  • davoyager

    Pete, your idea of mandating energy audits for property owners is misdirected and is typical big government heavy handed abuse of small business. Look rather to Government owned buildings because those are the buildings I see with open windows during winter due to over heating and a poorly balanced system. Go by any school on a winter day and observe the open windows especially on the top floor. Lead by example. As a small property owner I work very hard to balance my heating system because those are my energy dollars going out the window if an apartment is too hot. Nobody seems to care enough to see to government owned buildings and I have long thought it a disgrace the way these buildings waste tax payer’s money and spew CO2 into the air.
    If you want to combat climate change than make it affordable for property owners to cover their roofs with solar and wind generating installations and force the utilities to buy back this locally generated power. Every building in NYC should have solar on it and we wouldn’t need to burn #6 oil to generate electricity.Answer the critics of solar by pointing out modern methods of storing power generated during the day for use at night. If you want to mandate something, then mandate that the food industry recycle it’s used oils and fats into bio diesel by subsidizing the collection of this resource so there is no cost to the small business.
    Oh and if we must lose much of LICH because local politicians are failing to stand up to Cumo and sue SUNY downstate for the $dollars they stole destroying our hospital than that campus is the perfect place to situate a large school which can serve this community for decades to come, We don’t need more high end housing and Montague or Court street are already too crowded and busy for a school however the LICH area without the hospital is a quiet area and is on high ground with room enough for a k through 12 school campus. Think big my friend.

  • Doug Biviano

    That is my point about special interest money driving election and sucking power of governing decisions out of our neighborhoods. Simon and Sikora both raised about $200,000. Both are supported by machines that are closed and deceived us. Simon supports a day is supported by Frank Seddio. His law partner Frank Carone was SUNY’s and Carl McCalls lawyer who closed LICH.

  • miriamcb

    I was wondering if any of the candidates would suggest LICH (if we can’t save it as a hospital at least) to be used for another infrastructure necessity and figure that out. Looks like you beat them to it. I’m tired of all the over-development of housing without infrastructure!

  • Michael D. D. White

    I am thankful for these interviews, except that how does it work that the interview setups identify the proposed sale and shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library as a top issue in the neighborhood, and then this particular interview pretty much skips over the subject entirely, except for a very oblique mention of it? I hope this is better addressed in the debate the blog is hosting.

  • Doug Biviano

    Michael do I not go into Library despite not being asked? Would you be willing to provide some analysis of positions candidates presented at CDL last week?