Co-written by Theodora Moldovan and Ellen Nordlund
Robert Gangi, 73, recently stepped down as director of the Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP) so he could run for mayor of New York City. He founded PROP after a 29-year career with the prison reform organization Correctional Association, which he led. He is now running as a Democrat against current Mayor Bill de Blasio, who Mr. Gangi claims is “no longer a credible progressive.” Other challengers of de Blasio are Queens State Senator Tony Avella and former Brooklyn City Councilman Sal Albanese, who previously ran in 1997 and 2013.
The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Affinity: First of all, we want to thank you for doing this interview with us and uncovering the mystery of what it is like to run for Mayor of New York City. Why did you decide to run? More importantly, why now?
Robert Gangi: It was important for me to run because I, along with many other New Yorkers, are deeply disappointed with Mayor de Blasio’s false progressivism. I voted for him thinking he was going to be a progressive mayor, but he has continued to openly support racist “broken windows” policing, continued to be in line with rich real estate developers at the expense of low-income and homeless New Yorkers, has done nothing to stop the spread of gentrification (rather he has exacerbated it) and displacement of low-income communities and the list goes on. I’ve been a life-long community activist and social justice advocate. I know that we must organize on a grassroots level and bring together community groups throughout New York City who have the true best interests of their community at heart, rather than giving tax breaks to real estate developers as an incentive to build housing that’s not truly affordable.
Affinity: The way you are running this campaign definitely is not something we have seen before. Right at the start, the sole two members on your staff were Hunter College political science students and you were acting as your own campaign manager. The campaign’s website was designed by your adult son. Although the number of people on your staff has grown since, it is still small. Is this the progressive way of running a modern-day mayoral campaign?
Mr. Gangi: This is certainly the way for an everyday person who does not come from wealth and runs their campaign. Unlike Bill de Blasio, I don’t have rich donor friends or real estate developers donating to my campaign. Our grassroots-oriented campaign works hard on spreading awareness on our key policy platforms and does it all with modest funds. I am proud of how the campaign is being run and of my well-qualified staff. We continue to seek out donations from all individuals and are happy to receive whatever they can give.
Affinity: Your staff is encouraging you to tweet every day. How are you finding the social media platform? Do you think it’s a useful means for promoting social justice?
Mr. Gangi: It is very useful. I feel that many people are on Twitter and watching for important news breaks. It has been a meaningful tool in bringing awareness on social justice issues.
Affinity: In your first 100 days, you want to implement small classes and integrated student bodies throughout public schools. You took your own children out of public schools a long time ago. Why did you make that decision? What do you think has changed in the public education system since then?
Mr. Gangi: My kids were in public schools for quite some time. However, these schools had large classes and other problems which affected my sons’ abilities to get a proper education and in the case of our younger son, to feel safe. My wife Barbara and I decided to place them in private schools. Although it was difficult for us financially, we felt it was very important to do. We were privileged and lucky enough to provide a better education for our sons. All New York City children who attend public schools should have the same opportunities that are afforded to children who attend private schools. The statistics show that 62% of New York City public schools are overcrowded at present. This is unacceptable and we must take the necessary steps to ensure our children receive the best education possible.
Affinity: You focus not just on policy, but also on “social, racial and economic justice.” What are some concrete ways that you are going to combat these injustices?
Mr. Gangi: We will end racist, quota-driven “broken windows” policing on day one. We will fire all of the officers involved in the killing of Eric Garner on day one. We will initiate the process of closing Rikers’ Island and release, either on parole or drop all charges, all pre-trial detainees detained for broken windows infractions and/or who cannot afford bail. We will immediately start the process of re-allocating the city’s budget that goes into law enforcement and put the funds saved into programs and services that provide substantive benefits to all New Yorkers, like small classes and truly affordable housing.
Affinity: As the liberal in the New York City Democratic primary, you remind people of Bernie Sanders. You’ve stated yourself that you are “obviously a long-shot.” Will you push Mayor de Blasio to adopt more progressive views as Senator Sanders did with Hillary Clinton in last year’s presidential election?
Mr. Gangi: We are running to win.
“Our goal is also to send a message, to shift the political landscape, as Sanders did nationally, so that that mainstream politicians feel the pressure to adopt more truly progressive policies.”
Affinity: You’re a long-time advocate of prisons and police reform. “Broken windows” policing targets low-income New Yorkers of color and puts immigrants at risk of deportation for minor infractions often ignored in well-off white areas and you’ve said you plan on ending such practices on your first day in City Hall. You have spent years doing court-monitoring projects through PROP to showcase how this policy affects minority communities. If you don’t win the primary or the election, how will you continue to fight for police reform? How will you encourage the other candidates to fight for change?
Mr. Gangi: I will always work with local community groups and continue to support PROP in its advocacy to end abusive policing. Furthermore, I’ve forged relationships with more community groups through my campaign and plan to work collaboratively on street actions, outreach, rallies, etc., to promote social justice for all New Yorkers.
Affinity: If elected, you promise to work with community groups who have proven experience in developing and maintaining affordable housing as well as provide free subway and bus fares for the poor. How is your approach towards low-income New Yorkers different and how do you plan on making it work?
Mr. Gangi: Equal justice and opportunity must be the experience for all New Yorkers. Housing is a human right and city government must proactively work to end homelessness completely.
Affinity: A mere week before announcing your bid, as you and your staff were looking for a meeting space, you ended up sitting in the back of a coffee shop, next to the bathroom. How has the campaign headquarters situation changed since?
Mr. Gangi: We have decided to meet regularly in my apartment, as it is spacious and easy to reach via subway. The most important thing for our campaign is having sound policy stances and strong efforts to spread awareness on the issues which affect New Yorkers the most. Our staff and volunteers are talented, energetic and impassioned. I feel fortunate to work with and learn from them every day.
Affinity: Your cell phone interrupted a news conference introducing your mayoral bid. The Weeknd was playing. Are you afraid that incidents like that could make you look unprofessional or do you believe such occurrences could attract younger voters?
Mr. Gangi: Hard to know. That kind of accidental thing probably has both effects. I love and am a dedicated fan of popular music, so the Weekend incident mainly amused me and revealed part of who I am.
Affinity: You voted for Mr. de Blasio in 2013 but you recently said the mayor “has failed on progressive politics.” What made you vote for him back then?
Mr. Gangi: I believed in his stated progressive agenda and that it’d bring positive change for my city, especially for the more disadvantaged New Yorkers.
Affinity: On a less political note, what do you think of Mayor de Blasio eating pizza with a knife and fork?
Mr. Gangi: That he eats pizza that way and then defended it when teased about it reflects a cluelessness about the power, value of lifestyle and cultural symbols as a function of leadership. And let’s not forget that he, the mayor of NYC, is a publicly demonstrative Boston Red Sox fan. Incongruous and inappropriate for the leader of the Big Apple.
Affinity: What inspired your campaign slogan “Now We Will”?
Mr. Gangi: A quote from Chester Himes, an African-American novelist, who said upon learning that a southern jury acquitted the white men who mutilated & killed Emmett Till: “The real horror comes when your dead brain must face the fact that we as a nation don’t want it to stop. If we wanted to, we would.”
Affinity: Do you have a fundraising plan since you currently lack the sufficient funds to be allowed to participate in the debates? In order to participate in the debates, you’ll need to have raised and spent $174,225, of which you have less than $100,000.
Mr. Gangi: We recently hired, at a modest fee, a fundraising consultant to help us. We expect that with a more focused, aggressive effort, we’ll be more successful in raising money.
Affinity: Do you think the rules should be changed so that candidates don’t have to spend so much money or do you think raising a certain amount proves a candidate is serious and well-qualified?
Mr. Gangi: The city should definitely change the rules. The only criterion now for participating in the official debates is how much money your campaign raises. It is inherently unfair and undemocratic.
Affinity: What do you think of Albanese’s proposal to reform the city’s public campaign finance system by establishing “‘democracy vouchers’ that would be given to voters who can then use those vouchers to make campaign contributions to the candidate of their choice, fully eliminating private money from the process and giving each voter the same financial influence in campaigns.” Would you be in favor of a system like that?
Mr. Gangi: We fully support the goal of the proposal but don’t know enough about the specifics of how it would apply in the city to lend our support to the Albanese plan.
Affinity: If you were to win, how do you plan on transitioning into office with little government experience and a limited staff? The Trump transition was and still is slow, partly due to his campaign’s lack of experience. You have an ambitious agenda for you first 100 days that could be halted without a smooth transition.
Mr. Gangi: It’d be a challenging task in any circumstances, but it’s important to note two things: 1. I’ve had many years experience running advocacy organizations, managing staff and budgets, and 2. If elected, I’d have a large and well-paid staff to help with the process.
Affinity: Many of your proposals such as smaller classes, free fares for low-income New Yorkers and housing for homeless people would require increased government spending. Have you calculated how much your policy proposals would cost and exactly where that money should come from?
Mr. Gangi: We haven’t figured the exact amounts, but know that much of the needed funds would come from the billions that we’d save from reductions in spending on law enforcement like the NYPD, the city’s jails and in some of de Blasio’s discredited capital projects.
Affinity: You recently made it onto the official September 12 primary ballot. How does that feel?
Mr. Gangi: It feels very good and now it’s “Onward” for our campaign.
