Subways, schools, property taxes on Gounardes’ agenda

Bay Ridge State Senate candidate talks about the issues

November 30, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Democrat Andrew Gounardes says his campaign for the State Senate will include his proposals to fix the subway system and build new schools. Photo courtesy of Gounardes campaign

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As he gears up for his second run against popular incumbent state Sen. Marty Golden, Andrew Gounardes said he’s ready, willing and able to talk issues with voters.

“There are a lot of different things I’m hearing from voters,” Gounardes, a lawyer, told the Brooklyn Eagle in a phone interview this week. He plans to challenge Golden in November of 2018.

“Our transit system is falling apart. Not a single station in the district is [handicap] accessible. And it’s not just the subway. Southwest Brooklyn does not have the bus service it needs. You wait forever for a bus to show up. Our neighborhood is really starved for bus service,” he said.

Another issue Gounardes, a Bay Ridge resident, said he plans to focus on during the campaign is education. “We have serious overcrowding issues in our schools. We need to be more aggressive about building schools,” he said.

Gounardes suggested that the city’s Department of Education and the School Construction Authority should employ outside-the-box thinking when it comes to establishing new schools. “What constitutes a school site?” he asked.

Leasing space in existing buildings is one possibility. Another idea: Build new schools in conjunction with libraries. “Libraries are not just portals of information,” he said.

Gounardes also railed against property taxes. “That’s a huge issue for a lot of people. We have high property tax rates,” he said. “The system is incredibly unfair.”

Gounardes, who goes running on Shore Road every morning, said he sometimes comes across people sleeping in their cars because they have trouble making ends meet.

“People are suffering. And the rich are getting richer,” he said. “It’s time for fresh leadership in our neighborhood.”

Gounardes has served as chief counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for four years. Working for Adams has given him the opportunity to see what is going on around Brooklyn, Gounardes said. He has seen neighborhoods all over the borough grow and prosper, he said.

“South Brooklyn is primed for a great renaissance. It has great potential. We need new leadership to take us over that line,” Gounardes said.

The 22nd State Senate District, which Golden has represented since 2002, includes parts of several Southwest Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Marine Park and Gerritsen Beach.

Gounardes ran against Golden in 2012 and shocked the political establishment by garnering more votes than Golden in the incumbent’s Bay Ridge backyard. Golden managed to win a big victory in the election on the strength of support in other areas of the district, particularly in Marine Park and Gerritsen Beach.

The 22nd District is different than it was five years ago, according to Gounardes. “Now, the Democrats outnumber Republicans by 2-1. Across the country, an anti-Republican wave is building for sure,” he said.

Gounardes is the second Democrat to announce a run against Golden. Ross Barkan, a freelance journalist, announced his run last month.

Barkan and Gounardes could wind up facing each other in a Democratic Primary next year. “It’s great that Ross is running. It offers our neighborhood a choice,” Gounardes told the Eagle.

Thanks to his previous run against Golden, Gounardes said he has built solid relationships with people all across the Senate district.

He intends to knock on as many doors as he can and introduce himself to voters.

In his 2012 campaign, he personally knocked on thousands of doors. His campaign volunteers also made thousands of phone calls to voters on his behalf.