Rick Echevarria runs on housing issues for 37th CD
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn-born, Puerto
Rican-roots Rick Echevarria
has announced his candidacy
for the 37th City Council District
seat in Brooklyn in June’s
Democratic Party Primary,
running on housing issues.
The 37th City Council District
comprises the Brooklyn
neighborhoods of Bushwick,
Cypress Hills, East New York,
Ocean Hill-Brownsville and
City Line.
“I’m running because I am
fed-up with housing injustice
and administrative housing
corruption,” Echevarria told
Caribbean Life on Monday. “Our
city’s housing agencies, the
Department of Homeless Services,
the Department of Housing
Preservation and Development
(HPD), and NYCHA (New
York City Housing Authority)
are all plagued by deep levels
of administrative failure, mismanagement
and corruption.
“These failures have a direct
impact on the lives of people
throughout NYC, and they lead
to massive inequality, gentrification
and displacement,” he
added.
“Our housing problems are
not just about affordability or
insufficient supply, we have a
real crisis of management of
affordable housing programs
and enforcement of existing
housing laws, and prosecution
of housing corruption,” Echevarria
Caribbean L 6 ife, January 15-21, 2021
continued. “I am running
to bring an end to the
decades-long era of administrative
housing mismanagement
and corruption.”
He said he wants “complete
reorganization of the NYC
Department of Housing Preservation
Development and an end
to the use of hotels to house
homeless families and individuals
at a cost of $3200 per person
per month, and $6200 per
month for a family of two.
“We are not solving the
housing crisis by continuing
to rely on broken management
systems and on wasting
obscene amounts of money to
house the homeless in hotels,”
he declared, stating that his
central goal is “to create housing
stability for both tenants
and homeowners in the 37th
Council District and across the
city.”
Echevarria said this can
be accomplished by using the
oversight power of the City
Council to “rid our housing
agencies of deeply entrenched
managerial negligence and by
building programs that protect
homeowners of color, so that
they are not constantly targeted
by speculators who harass
them in efforts to get them
to sell their homes when they
don’t want to sell.”
He said he is a “lifelong resident”
of the district, having
worked in community-based
organizations in the district
and in city government.
Echevarria said his message
about ending alleged housing
corruption is resonating
with tenants, homeowners and
NYCHA residents, “because
housing corruption is something
they have lived and experienced
for decades.
“They understand when I tell
them that HPD and NYCHA are
plagued by negligence and corruption,”
he said. “And they are
ready to take action to end the
corruption.”
He boasts of over 10 years of
experience working as a community
development professional
in New York City on
social, economic and public
health issues impacting low-
and moderate-income (LMI)
communities and immigrant
populations.
In addition, Echevarria said
he has “demonstrated community
relations and engagement
skills,” with extensive experience
recruiting and training
staff and volunteers; working
with diverse stakeholders, such
as elected officials, community
leaders and government
personnel; and developing and
coordinating public education
campaigns that include
workshops, lectures and social
media components.
The City Council candidate
said he also has experience
conducting community needs
assessments/field research,
conducting inquiries, collecting
data, and producing quantitative
and qualitative research
analysis.
He said he offers policy analysis
expertise, “with excellent
research and writing ability
and a comprehensive understanding
of legislative processes
in New York City and New
York State.”
Echevarria said he has “proven
experience” in program
development, management,
and implementing non-profit
and/or public sector community
development projects.
With fluency in Spanish in a
district in which almost 50 percent
of district residents only
speak Spanish, having longstanding
district relationships,
a long track record as a housing
activist in the district and
by being able to communicate
issues in a language that voters
understand, Echevarria said he
has “strong paths to victory.”
Rick Echevarria. Annie Wu
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