Fresh Ideas for 2021 Campaign

1. Real Affordable Housing for All - a lifelong tenant who had a landlord spike his rent during a high-risk pregnancy and spent the pandemic in a one-bedroom with his wife and daughter, Ben knows first hand that we have an affordable housing crisis and will rezone to stop buildings for billionaires, protect existing rent regulated housing, and mandate new housing that is affordable for each neighborhood as part of every new development.

2. Invest in Our Children and Families - Ben was on free and reduced school lunch as a public school student and didn't eat because he was too embarrassed that's why he won free school lunch for every student as a Council Member and why he wants to turn every public school into a community center that offers universal child care, after school, three square meals a day to end youth hunger, a laptop with Internet to close the homework gap, and gives parents and adults in the community the services they need to get better paying jobs.

3. Economic Recovery Starting with You - the social safety net caught Ben in hard times offering health insurance and income when he didn't have it. But millions of New Yorkers don't get the benefits they need because they don't know or because of too much red tape, that's why Ben is working on "barrier free benfits" by automatically giving residents direct payments for earning income, rent increase exemptions, health insurance, even free mobile phones and affordable Internet. Ben will go further by raising wages, creating new jobs, helping people save for retirement, and filling empty store fronts.

4. Faster Commutes - Ben doesn't own a car and will invest in public transit, protect pedestrians and cyclists, and rethink our road and waterways so we can all get where we are going faster.

5. Quality of Life - Ben's been fighting to get scaffolding down, with plans to house the homeless, and to clean up with a new solar compacting trash can on every corner in Manhattan.

As lifelong tenant, Ben knows what it's like to have his rent spiked to force his family out, and during a high-risk pregnancy no less. Living through this pandemic in a market-rate one-bedroom with his wife, daughter, and cat, Ben knows first hand that despite all the vacant apartments everyone is talking about New York City still has an affordable housing crisis.

Real estate developers get billions in tax breaks, corrupt politicians get thousands in contributions, and tenants pay for it all. That's why Ben has always refused big money from real estate developers, corporations, and lobbyists. This has freed Ben to fight for tenants by building and preserving affordable housing and against the displacement of affordable housing by overdevelopment.

Hundreds of thousands of affordable homes will now be available for re-rental thanks to a law Ben wrote, with 6,000 affordable homes built or preserved on city land under his oversight and 1,000 affordable apartments built or preserved in his district alone. Ben also won the first-of-its-kind, community-led rezoning to stop Billionaire's Row.  He then led the rezoning of residential neighborhoods throughout the city to stop the construction of artificially all buildings with empty voids just to give billionaires better views. Ben even wrote the law to turn down the volume on after-hours construction.  And he won three rent freezes for one million rent-regulated tenants.

As Borough President, Ben will continue working for tenants, fighting to 

• Build tall and build affordable
• Create real investment, repairs, and rights for NYCHA tenants, and 
• Stop Billionaire's Row

Ben believes that climate change is not only real but an emergency. That's why Ben worked with Extinction Rebellion and climate activists to author and pass a resolution making New York City the largest city on the planet to declare a climate emergency. Inspired by Captain Planet at an early age to be a Planeteer, Ben's been focused in the Council on the environment and saving our planet, earning him the endorsement of the show's co-creator.

As a Council Member, Ben 

• Declared a Climate Emergency
• Fresh Food Boxes and Green Markets
• Banned Single-Use Plastic Bottles in Parks
• Climate Works for All to Clean Up Dirty Buildings
• Renewable Rikers & Offshore Wind

As Borough President, Ben wants to go further by 

• Harvesting energy locally from solar on our buildings, water in our rivers, and wind in our air.  
• Divesting and moving beyond fossil fuels, 
• Protecting environmental justice communities from climate change with a resilient waterfront, and 
• Creating 100,000 jobs in the climate industry as we strive to meet the City’s 2050 climate goals.

Ben knows what it is like to be an employee at a small business and what it's like help run a small business, from keeping money flowing in to cover payroll to managing benefits and what seems like unending government regulation. That's why Ben is fighting for an economic recovery led by workers and small businesses. That means raising wages for workers, creating new jobs, and filling every store front.

In the Council Ben Kallos:

• Authored and passed Retirement Security for All to automatically give every private sector employee a retirement account through their employer.
• Advocated for Outdoor Dining to save restaurants during the pandemic then co-sponsored the law to make it permanent.
• Cut the ribbon on a new half-billion-dollar campus expansion of Rockefeller University and the brand new Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island.
• Created new job by launching a new biotech incubator at Rockefeller University.

Ben has already been fighting for and will win as Borough President:

• Raising wages for our workers who never stopped working throughout the pandemic.
• Make direct payments to residents in need by making government benefits barrier-free with Automatic Benefits
• Creating more high paying jobs for everyone including those without degrees, homeless, justice involved, and those returning to work.
• Universal Internet guarantee built on having won affordable high-speed internet for low-income New Yorkers.
• Support small business with funding to help retrofit for improved ventilation and accessibility.
• Fill every empty storefront.

As a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, State University of New York at Albany, and Buffalo Law School, Ben believes in providing every child with a world-class education.  That’s why Ben has always prioritized investments in, and improvements to, our public education system.

As a Council Member, Ben won::

• 900 new pre-kindergarten seats and funding for 824 new school seats
• $6.5 million in investments for STEM education,
• Funding to rebuild our schools and libraries, including new gyms, green roofs, and a new library on Roosevelt Island,
• Free school lunch and low-cost, $14.99-a-month, Internet for low-income public school students,
• Funding to support the Summer Youth Employment program, and
• Laws to support LGBT students.

As the next Borough President, Ben will keep fighting for his daughter and all of our kids

• Pass his legislation to end youth hunger as part of universal after school,
• Give a laptop with Internet for every child,
• End overcrowding in school,
• Provide universal childcare, and
• Desegregate our schools, both online and in-person.

Ben doesn’t own a car and relies on public transit. That’s why he advocated to make commutes faster by opening the 2nd Avenue Subway, wining two ferry stops, and expanding bikeshare, Select Bus Service, bus lanes, and bike lanes. Ben also knows that streets must be safe for pedestrian and cyclists, and he's won new safe streets infrastructure and a bike safety program.

As Borough President, Ben will continue making commutes faster and streets safer by

• reducing the number of vehicles entering Manhattan, 
• investing in public transit, and 
• expanding his safe streets and bike safety program to protect pedestrians across the borough.

Real estate developers get billions in tax breaks, politicians take thousands in campaign cash, and tenants like us pay for it all. That’s why Ben has always refused money from real estate developers, corporations, and lobbyists.

As a Council Member, Ben wrote the laws to:

• Ban outside income and make the City Council a full-time job.
• Refused $64,000 from the Speaker’s slush fund then made it illegal.
• Get big money out of politics by matching every small dollar donation.

Ben’s not done yet and as Borough President will keep big money out of politics, restore ethic in government, root out corruption and make it easier to vote, by

• Finally implementing Online Voter Registration,
• Expanding ballot access for all,
• Expanding early voting,
• Passing a Lifetime Ban on Lobbying for Elected Officials, and
• Posting all City jobs to the public.

Ben believes that New York City must protect and invest in public housing and the diverse residents who mold these vital communities.  

That’s why in the City Council Ben:

• Led the Progressive Caucus the fight for $2 billion in funding for NYCHA,
• Invested $3.5 million in safety improvements with security cameras, layered access, and lighting for every NYCHA development in his district.
• Invested $2.5 million for NYCHA senior and youth centers.
• Funded every Tenant Association in his council district, and
• Defeated Infill at NYCHA Holmes Towers with Borough President Gale Brewer.

As Borough President, Ben will put residents by continuing to advocate for real investment, repairs, and rights for NYCHA tenants, including:

• Fully funding NYCHA from NYC’s $133 billion capital budget.
• Stopping privatization and eviction of NYCHA tenants.
• Creating safer complexes with lighting, layered access, and cameras for every development.
• Supporting Tenant Association leaders and residents with dedicated staff, hosting regular meetings for leaders, and tenant-led oversight.

When the Covid-19 pandemic started, the first thing Ben did was try and help our City and state secure hospital beds which were in huge demand early on. Ben succeeded and was able to open 550 new hospital beds in the district. Ben also launched a supply clearinghouse, and we continue distributing masks, sanitizer, and food. 

Over the years Ben's focused on public health with laws to take on Legionnaires' disease and make happy meals healthy, and even worked to connect New Yorkers with the benefits they need automatically. Ben wrote the law to create the Office of Food Policy and is fighting to adopt good food purchasing.

When it comes to crime, Ben knows that we need a more comprehensive approach that matches that right tools for the right circumstances. We've seen the greatest reduction in gun violence through modest investments in violence interrupters like cure violence which should be expanded. Similarly, free and subsidized programs for youth from after school, to summer camp, and even youth jobs, have had an incredibly impact in changing outcomes for children and improving graduation rates which is why Ben is carrying legislation to make all of these programs universal. There are still incidents involving people battling mental health issues and addiction, which must be addressed with dedicated mental health outreach teams coupled with making mental health free and affordable to anyone and everyone starting in school throughout our lives. This way police can focus their attention on responding to more serious threats to public safely.

As Manhattan Borough President, Ben will continue to fight for public health:

• Medicare for All.
• Vaccinate every New Yorker in homes, schools, senior centers and anywhere we can.
• Ensure free and low-cost access to medical care through our public hospitals.
• Comprehensive mental health and substance abuse counseling for all who need it.
• End hunger and take on poverty by giving cash and other benefits to those who need them most.

Cleaning up doesn’t just mean corruption in government, it also applies to the neighborhood. We wrote the law to lower the volume on after hours construction. We’re fighting hundreds of miles of scaffolding, some of it almost old enough to vote, with legislation to force repairs so it comes down quickly. We even put a new, covered trash can on every corner and are working with Wildcat to keep streets clean.

As Borough President, Ben will clean up Manhattan:

• Take scaffolding and sidewalk sheds down around Manhattan.
• Solar compactors on every corner that are not only rat proof but can hold 5 times more trash.
• Enforce quality of life laws by holding absentee landlords accountable.
• Help the homeless.

Parks are more important than ever as we seek refuge from tiny apartments that weren’t built for a pandemic. Working alongside Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney as Co-Chair of the East River Esplanade we have now secured $874 Million for a resilient waterfront. This is on top of a $3.3 million renovation of Carl Schurz Playground, $1 million for a new pool and basketball courts at John Jay Park, a $2.9 million expansion of Sutton Place Park, $1.4 million in security cameras for hard to patrol parks, and having a new conservancy for almost every park. We even opened indoor tennis for free or low-cost year-round. Ben worked with students to even make parks pesticide free.

As Borough President, Ben Kallos will:

• Reclaim our waterfront to build a green resilient ring around Manhattan.
• Invest in parks in every neighborhood.
• Foster conservancies and residents to care for every park.
• Enforce the ban on toxic pesticides that Ben wrote to keep our parks and playgrounds safe.
• Activate every park with activities for youth and seniors.

Ben Kallos, grew up living with and taking care of his grandparents who had Parkinson's Disease. Ben knows how important services for seniors on a fixed income can be from meals that are home delivered or shared at table to social work to free trips to Broadway shows or even Costco. That's why Ben has always fought to fund programs for seniors and invested millions in senior centers.

As our next Borough President, Ben will:

• Invest in fully funding senior centers.
• Create new senior centers for under served naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC).
• Make Manhattan accessible from fixing every sidewalk ramp to making storefronts accessible.
• Offer every senior who needs it a device with free or low-cost Internet to keep them connected.