Education

Attending public schools in the district Rafael always felt that there weren't enough educational programs easily available to residents in the community of all ages. That issue still remains. As a former teacher of an Adult Literacy program in East New York, Education will be his top priority. Rafael is looking to bring more adult literacy and GED programs back into the district to empower our community. Neighborhood residents will receive the tools needed to capitalize on opportunities and better paying jobs.

Rafael will also look to find ways to implement more arts programs into our public schools. There is a lot of talent in our schools and most of our kids are never able to tap into it because the schools don't provide enough arts programs during school hours. Rafael believes that the future of our community starts with them.

Affordable Rental Housing and Increased Home Ownership

As a lifelong homeowner in the district, Rafael Espinal knows the importance of affordable housing and the need for homeowners to have a stake in the local community. He will work with community based organizations and local elected officials to further expand affordable housing services.

Rafael also understands that homeowners are being hit hard with property taxes. Property taxes create an environment that is unfair to both owners and tenants. When in Albany, he will look to vote on legislation to put a tax cap on property taxes across the city.

Health Care

One of the top reasons for personal bankruptcy is medical bills. As a son of a SEIU/Local 1199 homecare worker, Rafael knows that to build a strong local economy, residents and workers need to be healthy and not buried beneath a mountain of medical debt. As our next Assembly representative, Rafael will work to enforce and expand on the Medical Redesign Team's recommendations, and find community based solutions to health care needs.

Green Community

Rafael Espinal is committed to spearheading the fight for groundbreaking programs that would reduce energy bills for homeowners, reduce our carbon footprints and create green jobs for families in our community, he will accomplish this by:

Identifying incentives for businesses and homeowners that invest in green retrofitting.

Upgrading publish school buildings to maximize their energy efficiency.

Creating accessible green markets in our community.

Fiscal Responsibility

Wasteful spending on useless projects that serve the interests of lobbyists and self-serving politicians should be eliminated. This will ensure adequate funding for our primary necessities such as education, transportation, health care and cultural institutions.