East Harlem 68th Assembly District Race 2022: Tamika Mapp Profile

HARLEM, NY — Voters in New York City's 68th Assembly district, which includes East Harlem and parts of Central Harlem and the Upper East Side, will see four names on their ballots when they vote in the June 28 primary election.

One of those names will be Tamika Mapp, a state committeewoman who is among those challenging incumbent member Edward Gibbs.

Early voting runs from June 18-26. (Find your polling sites here.)

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles, asking for their positions on issues like affordable housing and public safety, and giving them the chance to describe their records in detail. Mapp's responses are below.

Name

Tamika Mapp

Campaign website

https://www.mapp.nyc

NYC neighborhood of residence

East Harlem

Office sought

State Assembly

District, if applicable

68th Assembly District

Party affiliation

Democrat

Education

B.S. Paralegal Studies, A.S. Medical Billing and Coding.

Occupation

Self-employed

Family

I am a wife and mother.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one in my family works in politics or for the government.

Age

46 years old

Previous public office, appointive or elective

State Committeewoman for the 68th AD, County Committee member

Why are you seeking this office?

I'm running because we need an experienced and decisive leader with the political courage to stand up against the oversaturation of drug treatment centers in our neighborhood and work with everyone in the community. A leader that understands how to protect our affordable homeownership and repeal the Trust program. Ensure our seniors have housing they can afford and can age in place safely. We can get illegal guns from our streets by tracking ammunition purchases in real-time in the State of New York. Back our veterans because they put their lives on the line for us. It's time for New York to have their back! I will utilize my 20 years of experience in community advocacy to help our community recover from COVID-19 and beyond.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The two most pressing issues facing my constituents is the oversaturation of drug treatment centers—a possible solution is the Moratorium of any new drug treatment centers, a law that prohibits drug treatment centers from being on the same street and within 250 feet of a building that is used exclusively as a school, church, synagogue or other places of worship and add an accountability factor that they must have a 50% record of people regaining their lives back.
Housing:
Solutions: Repealing The Trust to restore Section 9 in Public Housing, tax abatement for our co-ops, condo, and homeowners, and create an affordable housing fund, to help create, rehab, and support affordable housing in New York. Rent equity: allow our renters to buy a place of their own. Redesign affordable housing income guidelines that will consider the net income, not the gross and the neighborhood area.

How would you address ongoing concerns about public safety in New York City?

We can address the ongoing public safety concerns by fully funding mental health and behavioral health response programs, our education system, ending homelessness, and shifting to care instead of a cage system. Congress mandated the launch of the 988 emergency number but left the financial support up to the states, and this will be a priority that we have peer-to-peer counselors handling these calls.

Do you think the NYPD's response to the recent surge in crime will affect efforts at police reform and, if so, how?

Yes, because everyone wants to feel safe.

What is one policy you would support to make housing more affordable in New York City?

Removing other counties out of our AMI, and when we calculate affordably, it should be at the net income instead of gross income because we live off the net income!

Should officials do more to encourage New Yorkers to return to work in person? If so, how? If not, why not?

I think we should embrace a flexible workforce. I think we should be moving to a flexible workforce that allows people to work from home because it will help create a work-life balance for everyone.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The significant difference between the other candidates is that I want accountability. I want voters to hold me accountable for every solution I bring to the community. I'm the only candidate for the last two years trying to keep our public housing stock going private and our affordable co-ops and condos from losing their tax abatements. I am the only candidate who believes we need to have a living wage of $24 per hour and housing that is 30% of everyone's income regardless of what you make. I am the only one not tied to the Harlem machine or lobbyist, and I can be a voice for the community, not the machine or lobbyists. It will be my honor to have your vote.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Not having the political courage to remove the oversaturation of drug treatment programs from our community, and not standing up for our public housing tenants and our homeowners in co-ops and condos to ensure they can keep their homes.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

New York Health Act, Improve care transitions and get better screening for suicide risks for our Veterans, EBT/SNAP Food Insecurity, Student Suicide Prevention Act, Tuition-FREE at SUNY, CUNY, and Community Colleges, Language access in schools, Using Cannabis revenue to fund our public housing and education, Establishes a task force to study the impact of state-issued cryptocurrency on the state of New York. Teach entrepreneurship in all schools, Increase homeownership education and increase first homeownership grants, and fund community land trust programs, Given the number of domestic violence cases in Harlem, we need to establish additional Family Justice Centers throughout the borough and the state, with extended daily and weekend hours. Domestic Violence resources must be distributed and posted in community spaces.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Helped pass the minimum wage to $15 per hour;

Helped pass the Raise the Wage;

Lend my voice online and offline for housing, family law, and criminal justice issues.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – President Barack Obama

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have five Girl Scout Troops. I love to go camping in the woods, garden, read and play Sims 4 when I have the time. I love my community and will always be here to ensure you have someone fighting for you!