Kathryn Garcia Ranked #2

June 6, 2021 – New York, NY – Citing her transformational vision and substantive commitment to the myriad issues facing women, families, workers and people of color, NOW-NYC endorses Maya Wiley as their top choice for the next mayor of New York City.

Sonia Ossorio, Executive Director of NOW-NYC said, “Maya Wiley will put women front and center. She has the best plan for lifting women up and moving our city forward. Women are projected to be 61% of the Democratic primary voters. We get to decide. After 109 consecutive male mayors over 356 years, it’s time for a woman to lead.” 

Abby Dobson, President of NOW-NYC said, “Maya Wiley is, without question, the best person for the job of New York City’s next Mayor. Her life’s work advocating for equality and justice is strongly aligned with our mission at NOW-NYC. Above the rest, her comprehensive policy plans and vision, know-how and expertise will address the critical and complex needs we face due to the crises of affordability, education, safety, systemic racism, gender-based violence, and public health we confront in NYC. Maya Wiley’s intersectional leadership is unapologetic in its aim to inspire and enact transformative change to fix what is broken in NYC. For everyday New Yorkers, particularly women and girls and people of color, this bold, balanced, and sensible approach is both compelling and refreshing.

The time is NOW for New York City to be led by a woman and that woman is Maya Wiley. The depth and breadth of Maya Wiley’s venerated experience in public service, in and out of city government, is singular and necessary in this important moment in our city’s history. Maya has been on the front lines fighting for a more equitable and just New York City and she hasn’t just talked about it. She’s been about it.  At NOW-NYC, we believe Maya Wiley will put the livelihood, humanity and dignity of all of NYC’s people front and center. She is exceptionally qualified to do the job that New York City requires and demands.”

NOW-NYC ignites change for the women and girls of New York. We advance laws, promote women in politics, fight for reproductive justice, challenge discrimination and violence against women, and act NOW.

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Maya Wiley is a civil rights attorney, advocate and nonprofit leader who has advocated for justice and equality from both inside and outside City Hall. She brings a racial and gender equity lens to her leadership, proposing bold ideas that will transform women’s lives and uplift New Yorkers. These include her Universal Community Care plan that recognizes child and senior care as vital infrastructure and will elevate the majority of women who provide or rely on this care; her New Deal New York plan that will make vital investments to improve living conditions at NYCHA and help to build permanent and deeply affordable housing across our city; and her commitment to equitably improving and enriching our public schools so that all students can thrive. She is a leader who listens, and her focus on bringing the communities most impacted to the table is a cornerstone of her approach to change.

“It is an incredible honor to receive this endorsement from the NYC chapter of the National Organization for Women,” Maya Wiley said. “To create a stronger, more equitable future where everyone can live and work in dignity, we must end discrimination and violence against women and girls, defend their reproductive rights, demand pay equity, and provide universal community care so that women can return to the workforce. As mayor, I will fight for the women of this city every single day and I’m proud to have NOW-NYC in my corner.”

Ossorio said, “Overwhelmingly, a recent poll of NOW-NYC members showed that affordability, public safety, and economic and social equality were the top three factors in making their choice for mayor.”

NOW-NYC’s ranked 2nd choice goes to Kathryn Garcia. The former Sanitation Commissioner served as the city’s Food Czar during the pandemic and has extensive government and crisis management experience. Her plans to provide free childcare for New Yorkers earning up to $70,000 per year; her Reopen to Stay Open plan to make it easier for small businesses to get started and succeed; and her plans to create deeply affordable housing and new pathways to employment for high school and CUNY students are aligned with NOW-NYC’s organizational priorities.

The organization evaluated candidates based on their plans to: 

• Rebuild New York City’s economy and bring back jobs post-pandemic.
• Make sure all families and individuals, across income levels, are able to afford a home.
• Root out discrimination and racism that denies fair housing, work, education and healthcare.
• Improve our public schools so that all students are able to excel academically and meet or surpass basic standards regardless of race, income, or zip code.
• Provide affordable, quality child care for all families who need it.
• Reduce and prevent gender-based violence at home, work, and on the streets.
• Ensure that essential workers, teachers, childcare and senior care workers have a living wage, healthcare coverage, and fair working conditions. 
• Prevent and end gun violence and make our communities safe.

Watch our conversation with Maya Wiley here.
View Maya’s candidate questionnaire.

Watch our conversation with Kathryn Garcia.
View Kathryn’s candidate questionnaire.

NOW-NYC ignites change for the women and girls of New York. We advance laws, promote women in politics, fight for reproductive justice, challenge discrimination and violence against women, and act NOW.

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