May 5, 2021 By Christian Murray
Sixteen candidates are vying to replace term-limited Jimmy Van Bramer as the representative for the 26th Council District.
In today’s podcast we talk to Jonathan Bailey, who is one of 15 Democrats vying for the seat that covers Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and a portion of Astoria. The Democratic primary will be held on June 22.
Bailey, a Woodside resident, discusses his platform in the podcast. He talks about the need for affordable housing and police accountability.
He says that he would aim to keep rents down; make sure that residential property taxes are low; and ensure that public housing is not privatized.
He says that he is also an advocate for slashing the NYPD budget and holding the police accountable via an Elected Civilian Review Board (ECRB).
The podcast also includes a segment where Bailey discusses a previous article written by Queens Post that he believes didn’t put him in a good light and was not accurately reported.
Bailey, who works in logistics for Amazon in Queens, has a long history of activism.
He is as an executive committee member of the Justice for All Coalition; a member of the Queens Anti-Gentrification Project; and served as the co-chairperson of the Queens branch of the Democratic Socialists of America prior to launching his council campaign.
Bailey also co-founded Amazonians United, a network of Amazon workers fighting for better pay and working conditions. He organized a walkout from Amazon’s Queens warehouse shortly after COVID-19 broke out.
For more information on Bailey, visit his campaign site
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