Overview:
In an interview with The Haitian Occasions, New York Metropolis mayoral candidate Brad Lander outlined his high priorities: increasing reasonably priced housing, ending delays in nonprofit funds, addressing sanitation in uncared for neighborhoods and defending the town’s sanctuary standing. He additionally mirrored on his connections with Haitian-led teams in Brooklyn.
Editor’s word: This interview has been condensed and a few responses paraphrased for size and formatting.
Because the 2025 mayoral race ramps up and early voting begins Saturday, Brad Lander is pitching a message rooted in expertise, fairness and accountability. The current city comptroller and former Metropolis Council member says he has spent many years centered on reasonably priced housing, employee protections and authorities transparency. In his bid to guide Metropolis Corridor, Lander is positioning himself as a champion of equitability with a reformer’s monitor document.
And, he’s no stranger to Haitian New Yorkers. Lander recalled his collaboration with Life of Hope, a Brooklyn-based Haitian group, and longtime ties to the neighborhood via grassroots activism. He praised the Haitian neighborhood’s “extraordinary historical past” and “resilience,” describing the bond between Brooklyn and Haiti as “actually inspiring”—and, he added with a smile, “additionally scrumptious.” If elected, Lander stated, his administration would search to be an enduring accomplice, not only a marketing campaign customer.
Lander began out on the Fifth Avenue Committee, a tenants rights group, and advocated for constructing new reasonably priced properties. He represented Brooklyn’s thirty ninth District within the Metropolis Council for 12 years. He touts amongst his accomplishments: Preventing to desegregate District 15 middle schools, passing laws for deliveristas and Uber and Lyft drivers to get a dwelling wage, defending quick meals staff towards sudden modifications to their schedules and unfair firings, and passing the Neighborhood Security Act to cease discriminatory stop-and-frisk.
The Haitian Occasions: You’ve held a number of metropolis roles already. Why run for mayor?
Brad Lander: I acquired fed up with all of the corruption in Eric Adams’ administration—and with a authorities that’s not delivering for working individuals. We want a metropolis that’s safer, extra reasonably priced, and higher run.
Do you’ve quarter-hour? Additional studying on affordability, immigration and neighborhood sanitation points from The Haitian Occasions
As comptroller, the town’s chief monetary officer, I root off fraud and waste. I’ve saved taxpayers $2.5 billion. So I perceive why persons are fed up with authorities. I’m fed up with authorities too, however in all of the locations I’ve been, I’ve helped finish corruption and produce extra transparency and integrity.
THT: What are your high three priorities if elected?
Lander: Affordable housing—that’s primary. In 1996, my spouse and I had been in a position to purchase a co-op in Brooklyn, a two-bedroom co-op for $125,000. That’s why we’re in a position to be in Brooklyn and lift our household, however nobody can do this right this moment. Rents are simply pushing individuals out and there’s no properties or co-ops that hardworking households can afford to purchase. I’ve acquired a plan to construct 500,000 properties within the subsequent decade, together with 50,000 properties on city-owned golf programs. Second is public security.
My “Housing First” proposal would join almost 2,000 mentally unwell homeless people who find themselves sleeping on the road on to supportive housing and SRO (single-room occupancy) models to obtain housing and companies to get them off the streets and subways.
Third, increasing child care and after-school programs. If these packages solely go till 2:30, it’s nonetheless unimaginable for a working household.
THT: Sanitation is a big concern in elements of Flatbush that have an effect on residents’ high quality of life. What’s your technique for cleansing them up?
Lander: Containerization, getting trash off the sidewalks and into bins, is admittedly good. However it ought to have been piloted in a working-class neighborhood of colour the place companies are struggling and we haven’t offered good companies. My “Trash the Rats” plan would deal with doing it in a method that isn’t simply equitable, however leans into hardworking communities of colour who deserve simply nearly as good a top quality of life as everybody else.
THT: You’ve lengthy spoken about nonprofit funding delays. What’s your answer?
Lander: Town owes over $1 billion in unpaid invoices and $5 billion in late contracts. These aren’t grants—they’re contracts for important companies like after-school packages or meals pantries. I wish to set up fee deadlines for each metropolis company. I wish to launch a clear monitoring system for individuals to see the place their funds are getting caught, so we will remedy the issue there. Perhaps the company wants extra workers or new know-how.
On this Q&A, mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer discusses housing affordability, immigrant rights, and sanitation, whereas reflecting on his long-standing relationship with the Haitian neighborhood.
THT: Mayor Adams proposed advancing 80% of funds to nonprofits. Is that sufficient?
Lander: No. Giving out 80% of a contract up entrance sounds good, however it’s dangerous. Some people are sincere, others may take the cash and run. A greater answer is beginning contracts on time, offering an inexpensive advance, possibly 25%—and paying invoices shortly. That’s the correct strategy to do it, and that’s how I’ll get it performed.
THT: What’s your immigration stance, particularly underneath the specter of federal deportation efforts?
Lander: About 40% of New Yorkers are foreign-born, 50% of New Yorkers stay in mixed-status households, together with 1 million kids. That is the way forward for New York Metropolis. I co-sponsored our sanctuary metropolis legal guidelines and I’ll absolutely implement them. We are able to’t have ICE in faculties, hospitals, homeless shelters or police precincts.
That is the best immigrant metropolis on this planet. Everybody—no matter standing—deserves due course of and security. So, I’ll combat. I’ll arise and combat on behalf of New York first. Town works with the federal authorities, however you’ll be able to’t cave into bullies.
THT: How will you clear up the corruption you stated motivated you to run?
Lander: We’ve rejected so many contracts, performed so many audits, uncovered waste, fraud and abuse in each administration, however boy, this one has had a whole lot of it. I’ve plans for cleansing up procurement, ending pointless emergency procurement, which skips the bidding and doesn’t do sufficient vendor integrity. We’ve got so many minority and women-owned small companies (MWBEs), we should give them an opportunity to bid out the contracts so that you don’t simply get cronies. I wish to make the conflicts of curiosity board extra unbiased. And, I’ll carry my appointees to the Metropolis Council for recommendation and consent so the general public can see that Metropolis Corridor is combating for New Yorkers, not padding the pockets of the mayor or his cronies.
THT: One final query—what ought to Haitian New Yorkers learn about you?
Lander: The most effective factor about being a New Yorker is attending to see all our wonderful communities. The Haitian neighborhood right here—with its extraordinary historical past as the primary unbiased Black republic wherever, all of the struggles and challenges Haiti has been via, how a lot persons are resilient and the deep bond between New York Metropolis as an entire—I discover it actually inspiring, and in addition scrumptious.
So, I stay up for being a accomplice for a few years to come back.