In what may be a political first, Paul Newell, who is challenging Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the 64th District, mentions "livable streets" as one of his three major planks in this campaign clip. Newell and Luke Henry, another Silver challenger, have both voiced support for congestion pricing. The last time Silver faced a challenger in the Democratic primary was 1986.
Streetsblog spoke to Newell yesterday about what motivated him to run against Silver, his stance on transportation issues, and his advice for anyone pondering a run against an Albany incumbent this election cycle. Highlights from the interview are on the way soon.
In the meantime, we grabbed Newell's transportation bullet points from his website -- posted after the jump.
As your assemblyman I will fight for:
Sound Congestion reduction policies, including pricing.
Full funding for MTA capital improvements including the 2nd Avenue Subway
Put our transportation, quality of life and public health concerns at the top of New York's agenda.
state authorize the city to issue residential parking permits.
Institute Bus Rapid Transit lanes on major Manhattan bus routes
