PLATFORM

The Right Experience for a
Different Kind of District Attorney

Throughout her career in service to the people of Queens, from being a member of the New York State Assembly, to the New York City Council, to Queens Borough President, Melinda Katz has brought a different, community-centered approach to government. Whether it was passing laws to protect child victims of sexual abuse, creating jobs and affordable housing, reducing domestic violence, “revamping” not-for-profit Boards responsible for utilizing government money or protecting immigrants, Melinda knows that when elected officials listen and work with the community, real progress is made.

As a lifelong resident of our Borough, Melinda has seen the many changes that have taken place here as we’ve become more cosmopolitan and more diverse, while still retaining the family-oriented neighborhoods that have always defined us. Working with our communities to manage the challenges these changes bring, she’s found that real community engagement brings innovative ideas and creates a real partnership that produces the results we need.

Melinda’s belief in partnering with communities to solve complex social problems is the exact approach we need in our next District Attorney.

When you’ve met with victims of child sex abuse and domestic violence and heard their stories, as Melinda did in the Assembly, you’re going to draft better legislation to aid victims and prevent future acts of abuse.

• When you talk to community residents about the sometimes conflicting need for affordable housing against legitimate fears of overdevelopment, as she did on the City Council, you can bring people together and craft the right kind of zoning laws and development decisions, while creating much needed jobs in our Borough.

• When you sit with immigrant families and hear the desperation of living here under Trump’s rule; go to communities where gun violence spreads like a disease that needs to be cured; or spend time with parents in schools that need more resources to educate our kids, as she does as Borough President, you hear the real concerns and get first-hand knowledge of what’s working and what’s not.

Melinda has succeeded in her career because she’s always been willing to listen, to break from the practices and limitations of the past, and to work hand-in-hand with community leaders on the challenges they face and then create effective change.

And that’s why her experience makes her uniquely qualified to be our next District Attorney.

Melinda would also bring a unique personal understanding of the impact of crime on families and communities. Having gone through the trauma of losing her mother to a drunk driver, Melinda knows the impact to a family when crimes are committed, and she understands that regardless of whatever penalties are assigned, the damage cannot be undone. Preventing crime and stopping people from becoming victims in the first place will always be the better solution.