10 JUNE 3, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
H H H H H H PRIMARY VOTERS’ GUIDE 2021 H H H H H H
Who’s running for City Council in the 30th District?
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Although some City Council races
in Queens are over-saturated
with candidates, in District 30
there are only two candidates running
to represent the central Queens district
in the June Democratic primaries.
District 30 encompasses Ridgewood,
Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village,
Woodhaven and Woodside. It is currently
represented by Robert Holden,
who fi rst took offi ce in 2018. It’s one of
the few City Council offi ces that isn’t
occupied by a term-limited offi cial.
Whoever is elected to represent
the district will have to address several
issues compounded by the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, including an
increasing need for aff ordable housing,
more education resources, access to
public transportation and an ongoing
battle over a homeless shelter.
QNS sent fi ve questions to Holden
and challenger Juan Ardila to get a
sense of their priorities.
See their responses, listed alphabetically,
below. Some answers have been
edited for length and clarity.
JUAN ARDILA
QNS: What, in your opinion, are
the top three most pressing issues in
your district?
Ardila: The top three issues in my
district are housing, education and
public transportation. Forty-four
percent of the aff ordable units are
projected to be lost by 2022, displacing
tenants, while small homeowners are
burdened with foreclosures and some
of the highest property taxes. In education,
our classrooms are overcrowded,
teaching at over 106 percent capacity.
We also lack any dual-language universal
pre-K or universal 3-K, despite
the district being nearly 50 percent
foreign-born. Lastly, our district severely
lacks transportation options.
There are entire sections of Middle
Village, Glendale and Maspeth without
access to bus routes that run through
the heart of those neighborhoods.
QNS: What aspect of your background
speaks best to your abilities
as a City Council member?
Ardila: I have been in public service
my entire life. I worked within the City
Council for two years. I’ve also supported
at-risk youth with mentoring at
the International Rescue Committee. I’ve
successfully worked to expand pre-K and
3-K for All programs in the city for our
youngest learners, and I currently work
at a legal service nonprofi t, where I help
New Yorkers with legal representation
and accessibility to benefi ts. During the
pandemic, I supported our community
with food distributions and legal services.
As your Council member, I will
ensure the residents of District 30 are
set up for success.
QNS: What do you love most about
your district?
Ardila: I love quite a few things
about the district, but the memories
going back to my childhood stand out.
I actually had my fi rst date at Atlas Park
in middle school! Also, the fond memories
of playing soccer at Juniper Valley
Park on the weekends and going to
Woodhaven House for Friendsgiving
during college. In addition, the diversity
of the district is incredible, which
also means great food! District 30 is
nearly 50 percent foreign-born, and
while many of those residents live in
the portions of the district that are underserved,
it is undeniably the strength
of our portion of central Queens.
QNS: Even though it won’t be applicable
in your race, are you in support
of ranked-choice voting? Why or why
not?
Ardila: Although ranked-choicevoting
(RCV) does not apply to my race,
I support it. RCV allows voters to rank
their top fi ve candidates, and creates
more pathways for people that come
from non-traditional backgrounds to
get involved. RCV also discourages
negative campaigning, and instead
creates space for constructive dialogue
with voters throughout the entire district.
RCV allows candidates to be more
transparent and forthright about the
issues they support, and it will allow
voters the choice to decide where on the
spectrum of ideology they most align.
And hopefully over time it will result
in less polarized candidates, elections
and results.
QNS: In District 30, homelessness
remains an important issue
— previously due to the opening of
the Glendale shelter and now because
of the pandemic’s exacerbation of
housing insecurity. What policy
measures would you introduce or
support in order to eff ectively address
homelessness?
Ardila: I believe in a housing fi rst
model, which moves away from the
shelter model and provides permanent
housing security for New Yorkers.
Other cities have shown us the power
of the housing fi rst model, most notably
when Salt Lake City reduced their homeless
population by 91 percent using this
approach. District 30 is largely one- and
two-family houses, so we need to be
creative to increase housing supply.
Thus, I support legalizing accessory
dwelling units — it will expand safe and
aff ordable homes for tenants, increase
revenue for homeowners and create
union construction jobs that won’t disrupt
the fabric of the neighborhood.
ROBERT HOLDEN
QNS: What, in your opinion, are
the top three most pressing issues in
your district?
Holden: I continue to maintain the
quality of life in our neighborhoods,
especially amid recent budget cuts
to Parks and Sanitation. If things like
litter and graffi ti are left unchecked,
it will lead to more serious problems.
Children are New York’s most precious
resource and they are entitled
to a strong education. Every child
should get the help they need and the
opportunities they earn, including
the Gift ed and Talented program. We
need more senior and aff ordable housing
— seniors are our most vulnerable
population and we need to take care
of them. Congregate shelters are not a
good solution to homelessness.
QNS: What aspect of your
background speaks best to your abilities
as a City Council member?
Holden: My more than 35 years of
experience as a civic leader and community
board member have given me
a unique perspective on serving in the
Council. I know exactly what matters
to my neighbors, because I’ve been
dealing with these issues for decades.
I don’t look at what’s good for my political
career, because I don’t need one. I’m
just here to look out for the community
and fi ght for our fair share from City
Hall and to keep our neighborhoods
safe and clean.
QNS: What do you love most about
your district?
Holden: There’s a very strong sense
of community in this district. People
from all over the city, the country and
the world come here to live and work
hard for a piece of the American Dream.
It’s remarkable to see neighbors from
diverse backgrounds come together to
do things like volunteer to clean up a
park together on a Saturday morning.
It’s a working-class and middle-class
district, which gives it a unique character
and a strong community spirit.
Unfortunately, districts like this are
oft en shortchanged by City Hall, so
I’m very proud that I brought home
record-breaking funding for our
neighborhoods.
QNS: Even though it won’t be applicable
in your race, are you in support
of ranked-choice voting? Why or why
not?
Holden: I think it’s an interesting
idea but I think that between the pandemic
and the way it was rolled out, a
lot more education is needed for people
to understand it.
QNS: In District 30, homelessness
remains an important issue — previously
due to the opening of the
Glendale shelter and now because
of the pandemic’s exacerbation of
housing insecurity. What policy
measures would you introduce or
support in order to eff ectively address
homelessness?
Holden: To reduce homelessness, this
city needs to address its mental health
crisis. Many homeless people suff er
from untreated mental illness, including
substance abuse. Sticking them in a
congregate shelter or hotel where they
don’t receive the treatment they need
is not good for them or for the city’s
neighborhoods. We need to make use
of things like Kendra’s Law and smaller
shelter facilities where homeless people
receive treatment and live with dignity.
I have allocated funds to programs like
the faith-based Hungry Monk Rescue
Truck and bed program, run by Father
Mike Lopez. Congregate “warehouse”
shelters are not a solution.
Incumbent Councilman Robert Holden and challenger Juan Ardila are
vying to represent City Council District 30.
Courtesy of Holden’s offi ce/Courtesy of Ardila’s campaign
Visit PoliticsNY.com to Watch Debates & Learn More About Each Candidate
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