John Doyle may be new to the role of District Leader but he brings with him a decade of experience advocating for our community and a lifelong commitment to the Bronx.

“John believes universal access to high-quality public education is essential to producing both an engaged citizenry and a skilled workforce. As a product of K-8 public education, he recognizes the role of the neighborhood school as the center of the community. John’s guiding principles on education include the following:

Focusing on more learning and less testing in the classroom. John believes Common Core’s emphasis on standardized testing is misguided.
Reducing class size. John agrees with research that asserts smaller classes of students leads to improved academic outcomes.

Building new schools to accommodate the Bronx’s growing population. John knows breaking up existing large institutions does not address the simple fact that many school buildings are dangerously overcrowded, particularly in School District 11.

Supporting wraparound services. John recognizes that if schools are to be centers of the community, they need to address the needs of the whole child, including primary health, mental health, dental care, family engagement, and expanded enrichment programming.

Promoting equity between charter schools and traditional public schools. John believes charter schools must admit the same ratio of English Language Learners and students with special needs as traditional public schools. He supports charters being open to auditing like any other publicly funded institution.

Harnessing the wealth of educational knowledge and expertise right here in the Bronx. John will prioritize assembling an educational advisory committee constituted of experts, educators, parents, and other stakeholders to identify best practices in successful schools

We live in communities blessed with potential, where several generations over have raised their families. Many of our neighborhoods are connected directly to the waterfront and other natural assets. But government at all levels has neglected opportunities to take advantage of the full possibilities of our local environment.

John Doyle has been working his whole life to strengthen our neighborhoods—and has a specific set of plans to make our communities more sustainable.

A RECORD OF RESULTS
John Doyle has put environmental justice front and center in his service to our community.

While working in the State Senate, John successfully pushed the State Department of Environmental Conservation to measure emissions near the Throggs Neck and Whitestone Bridges and oversaw health testing of tenants in lead positive buildings.

He also brought together the NYS Department of Transportation, the NY Restoration Project and Edgewater Park residents to get trees planted as a barrier between the roadway and the highway.

As a member of Governor Cuomo’s NY Rising Committee for the East Bronx, John championed resiliency improvements for every community and geared the $4.5 million budget towards brick and mortar construction—not another wasted study that will sit on a shelf for eternity.

He fought the city tooth and nail to get them to keep their word on finally constructing Belden Point Park, and continues to be a leader in the fight to transfer Hart Island over to the Parks Department.

SPECIFIC PLANS TO STRENGTHEN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

John has a detailed plan to preserve our environment, protect our access to natural resources and support sustainable economic development. As your District Leader, he’ll prioritize :

Preserving our natural areas by fighting Climate Change. John will support any and all efforts to divest NYC funds from fossil fuel companies and instead invest in renewable clean energy sources that do not add to our city’s carbon footprint.

Working with our community residents to have open, accessible waterfront areas in every neighborhood. While not every opportunity will be appropriate, we can provide secure and safe areas that benefit everyone in our community.

Funding programming that connects our youth to the waterways around them. John will work with our Nautical Communities (including SUNY Maritime and the Yacht Clubs throughout Eastchester Bay) to develop programing that educates our children on the importance of our unique natural resources.

Being a watchdog for Public Access. When developers come into our area and make promises about public access to our waterways. John will make sure those promises are documented and enforced.

Addressing the derelict vessels within Eastchester Bay. Dozens of boats float up on the shores of Throggs Neck, Country Club, Edgewater and City Island each year. In some cases, the fuel tanks rupture polluting our waterways. John will work with our state and city agencies as well as our elected officials to develop protections for boaters and more stringent penalties for those who treat our natural environment as their pigsty.

Providing a budget to match our commitment. John will allocate a substantial portion of the District’s capital budget towards a green energy/sustainability project each year. Through Participatory Budgeting, voters will help choose an appropriate project.

Transforming Public Land into Beacons of Renewable Energy. The former Pelham Bay Landfill has long been a blight on our community. The uses for this site are limited because waste stored within the site is capped by a permeable membrane,. John will push the Parks Department to create a solar site on the landfill itself. Any funds generated by excess energy could be directed towards the ‘Friends of Pelham Bay Park’ to fund their programing or additional Parks amenities and priorities (such as Parks Enforcement Patrol agents).

Renovating Throggs Neck’s Derosa O’Boyle Triangle into a renovated park so it can be a source of pride within the community. With the exception of Veterans Memorial Park, which one would need to cross a highway to reach, there is no accessible parkland for Throggs Neck residents within their own community. That’s wrong. John will work to develop the Triangle—which is surrounded by a public school, library, senior housing, and a firehouse—into an amenity as great as Throggs Neck itself. He will also advocate on all levels of government to consider decking over part of the interstate to expand on this endeavor.

Helping to pioneer urban agriculture. Despite the sincere efforts of many, the Bronx remains the unhealthiest county in our State. John will work with his colleagues at all level of government to pioneer a local food coordinator program for our borough, to bring in nutritional educational classes and urban agriculture development in cooperation with our local schools and community outreach. As our borough continues to be inundated by fast food restaurants, we need a substantial investment by all levels of government to turn the tide.

Promoting Equity throughout the Parks System. Many of Bronx parks lack funding for basic services while certain parks in other boroughs have excess funds and security. John will champion Parks Equity so areas in need of renovation are addressed and parks that have been long neglected, like Ferry Point Park, finally get their fair share.

Given the Bronx’s high asthma rates and the fact that nearly 33% of all NYC waste is dumped in our borough, John supports efforts to require greater equity in where this material is stored. He remembers that our district was once a dumping ground for the City’s elite and he believes it’s simply unfair that the Bronx is shouldering other borough’s burdens. He will champion legislative efforts to change this paradigm.

John Doyle will fight fervently against systemic sexism. He will continue to stand unequivocally opposed to the unfair practices of wage inequality and workplace discrimination that disadvantages women. John will continue to emphasize the importance of women’s access to healthcare, and will pledge his vote to ensure that the funding of Planned Parenthood is protected in New York City. He will fight to preserve the precedent set in Roe v. Wade, and the continued accessibility of safe and affordable reproductive healthcare options.

John will strive to pass legislation to make wages transparent, forcing employers to be held accountable for hidden gender-based wage gaps. This is an attainable goal that will make it more difficult for employers to hide unfair pay discrimination practices. John also recognizes that childcare is a tremendous expense for families, and will work to make daycare and universal Pre-K accessible for all families. He will help identify and tear down the policies that make the persistent unequal treatment of women possible, with a goal of fundamental human rights for all.

For his commitment to making sure women’s healthcare is accessible and affordable to all, John Doyle has received a 100% from Planned Parenthood NYC
Transportation

“Quality transportation is one of the most imperative issues in a bustling urban environment. Our district contains a diverse mixture of neighborhood travel options but faces many challenges, including the existence of public transportation deserts and the bustling roads that often remain overcrowded and underpaved. People, especially the young, are leaving this district because of the unbearable transit times to their places of work (commutes from our district to Manhattan are among the longest in the city, sometimes reaching 90 minutes or more). Improving our infrastructure while helping our transportation deserts get the support they need are key priorities that deserve a committed advocate for the community. We need to cut commute times, not obfuscate and just shift the burdens of travelling without addressing the commute time itself.

John’s guiding principles on transportation include the following:

John will work with city and state officials to resolve the impasse around Co-op City on I-95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway. This impasse is one of the most significant drivers of traffic congestion in the East Bronx. John worked on the East Bronx Traffic Coalition and is committed towards directing city funding to resolve this problem.

With proposed Metro North stops at both Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest, John will advocate for Bronx residents to have the same Park for Ride access that Westchester and Staten Island residents currently enjoy.

John vigorously supports the expansion of the new Citywide Ferry Service to include coastal communities within the district. Currently, the city’s plan only includes Soundview, but John will demand an examination of all options, including the potential expansion of services to include Throggs Neck and City Island/Orchard Beach.

John will provide continuous oversight to maintain bus reliability for all residents, including intra and inter borough bus routes

John understands that Pelham Bay Station serves as the gateway to our community. He’s alarmed by its current condition and his hopes to allocate funds to modernize
the station and improve its appearance. Furthermore he wants to improve the traffic pattern within the station by making the overpasses at Westchester and Wikinson Avenues two way streets thus alleviating some of the traffic buildup within the station itself.

Making sure the Bronx isn’t left out of new transportation projects- While the Governor pushed the first phase of the Second Avenue subway and the Mayor has proposed a $2.5 Billion Brooklyn-Queens trolley that will largely commute through gentrified neighborhoods, John recognizes the growth of our borough requires that we have a seat at the table. Instead John will push for the City to adopt the Triboro Plan. The plan would provide direct access for Bronx residents to Queens and Brooklyn and dramatically cut commute times by 20-30 minutes for Morris Park, Pelham Bay and City Island residents. This line is estimated at between $1 to 2 billion.
Improve Traffic Congestion On Pelham Parkway- John recognizes that traffic along Pelham Parkway, particularly on Eastchester Road, is a nightmare during rush hour.

He’ll fight to finally extend Bassett Avenue to Pelham Parkway, alleviating traffic congestion.”

“In recent years in New York City, approximately 1,300 people have died of drug overdoses. That’s more than the total number of people who died of murders and car crashes twice over. Even worse, just this last year our neighborhood was classified as one of the highest neighborhoods in the city for unintentional drug poisoning. More needs to be done to treat those who are suffering.

John knows firsthand how many within our communities suffer from addiction. He understands that we need a multifaceted approach to help those in need find the help they deserve:

Require all pharmacies to post signage on their registers informing their patrons naloxone, which treats acute opioid overdoses, is available at that location and specifying the cost (if any). As addiction knows no boundary, every community district should have one pharmacy that provides this life-saving drug free of charge. This would allow those who suffer from addiction, as well as their friends and family members, to obtain this life saving treatment with minimal barriers.

Proactive outreach to make sure all bars and nightlife locations have naloxone on site. They should be asked to keep this drug where they keep their first aid and CPR kits.

Attacking drug addiction as we did gun violence. John helped start Jacob’s ‘Stand Up to Violence’ program, which uses credible messengers to reach young men at high risk of committing violence. The program has been shown to reduce gun violence over 50% within its zone of operations in the 49th Precinct. John would like to undertake a similar approach to drug addiction, taking the top ten neighborhoods that are grappling with drug addiction and hire recovered addicts to mentor this population and show them there’s hope to turn their lives around.

John supports limiting supplies of addictive painkillers like OxyContin. If stores are not willing to limit their supply to seven days, John will introduce legislation to limit pharmacies in their ability to sell cigarettes and would work with the state to limit operators’ ability to obtain alcohol, lotto and other licenses. People should come before profits.

Extending Detox for those trying to get better. For those trying to get clean, sometimes their stay in a hospital can be a significant obstacle. In fact in many locations, hospitals only house those recovering to 72 hours emergency care. John believes that’s wrong and would work with NYC Health + Hospitals to extend that stay by at least another 72 hours so private hospitals can transfer their patients over to the City system if they’re unable to house them.

Work with NYPD to expand the use of overdose response squads, so we can quickly find those who cut their drugs with dangerous substances like fentanyl and needlessly jeopardize the lives of the most vulnerable. There should be teams on site in all of the top ten communities grappling with drug overdoses.

Requiring every junior high school class to host a licensed drug treatment specialist for each student before they graduate. This outreach should also occur with parents through PTA meetings and Parent-Teacher Conferences. We need to end denial surrounding the seriousness of the opioid epidemic in our communities through an awareness campaign reducing the stigma for those seeking care and treatment.

Integrate behavior health services with drug treatment prevention. Too often, those who suffer from both diseases fall between the gaps of care because many providers do not treat both ailments together. John will push for holistic care from our hospitals and medical institutions so patients can go to one place for all of their substance and behavioral issues and so people do not fall between the cracks.

John knows we need to stop every drug dealer, but we also can’t jail our way out of an addiction epidemic. We need to cut off the supply, and help those who are addicted find a new path, otherwise if a demand continues to exist, a new dealer will simply move in to supply that demand.”[17]

Preserving and Expanding Healthcare
“As a longtime employee of NYC Health + Hospital system, John knows the value and necessity of a good public healthcare system. As District Leader, he will continue the fight to improve and expand our access and care so that all New Yorkers have the ability to excellent and affordable care.

For the last five years, John Doyle has been a Director of Public Affairs at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. In this position he has directed the production of dozens of news articles highlighting the incredible work of our public hospital system.

John helped secure over $1 million to start a hospital-based CureViolence program at Jacobi. The program (the first of its kind in the United States) has been an enormous success and helped reduce violent crime by over 50% in the areas it operates out of.

He spearheaded the effort to make Jacobi a more pedestrian-friendly campus, installing signage, road markings, eight speed humps and other narrowing measures to protect the lives of patients, visitors, and staff.

John has strong roots in the NYC Health + Hospitals system: his mother was a Respiratory Therapist (and DC37 member) at Jacobi and his sister is a nurse there now ( and a member of NYSNA). John will stand up and fight any attempts by Mayor de Blasio and his administration make cuts to our healthcare system.

John is a strong supporter of nursing-to-patient ratio staffing requirements. With two sisters in the profession, he thinks it’s outrageous that they are expected to care for 10 patients at a time. We should have legislation in place to create mandatory minimum staffing ratios to protect not only the well-being and quality of our nursing staff, but such legislation would also improve the quality of care and treatment patients will receive.

John believes we need to put patients at the center all of our healthcare efforts, not profits. Nobody should be profiteering at the expense of quality healthcare, and reducing patients and treatments to tallies in a ledger removes hospitals from the core mission of protecting the public and improving people’s wellbeing. People are more than statistics, and our doctors, nurses, and care providers ensure they get the individual care they need.

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