By Gus Saltonstall

Carmen Quinones has served as the President of the Frederick Douglass Houses tenants’ group for a number of years. She is one of the five candidates running for the open 69th Assembly District seat.

Quinones, who has worked in multiple Assemblymember’s offices during her career, also ran for City Council in 2021.

The longtime Upper West Sider is now seeking to represent the district that stretches from West 80th to 125th streets, and includes large sections of Riverside Park and Central Park. The race comes after longtime incumbent Daniel O’Donnell announced in November that he would not be seeking reelection.

Election Day for the primary is June 25, with early voting starting in the 10 days prior.

Members of the Assembly create legislation on the state level, which includes elements that affect daily life, such as Good Cause Eviction, bail reform, and, in general, helping to craft the budget for New York state each year.

West Side Rag continues its coverage of the upcoming election in the following conversation with Quinones. It has been condensed and edited for clarity.

We also spoke and published interviews last week with candidates Eli Northrup, Micah Lasher, and Melissa Rosenberg. More recently, we published our interview with Jack Kellner.

We asked all the candidates versions of the same questions, in hopes of giving prospective voters a heightened understanding of where the different candidates stand on important local issues.

The Interview

West Side Rag: What would be your first piece of legislation, if elected?

Quinones: For me, it would be getting these electric bikes under better control. We have to do much better with these e-bikes and scooters. The vehicles have become integral to our city’s fabric, especially post-pandemic, however, the safety concerns they present cannot be overlooked.

I propose a more rigorous set of safety regulations and designated lanes for e-bikes and scooters, to protect both the pedestrians and the riders. We’re seeing a lot of accidents.

Furthermore, our district needs enhanced community policing efforts that can build trust and ensure safety throughout.

West Side Rag: What are the other subjects at the center of your platform?

Quinones: Housing is my first love. I’ve seen firsthand the successes and failures of our recent housing budget. What encouraged me was the commitment to preserving existing affordable housing, which is critical for our community.

However, the budget falls short in the issue of warehoused rent-stabilized apartments, such as those in Park West Village. I would push for legislation that would penalize warehousing and ensure that these apartments are available to those who need them most.

West Side Rag: Any thoughts on the passage of a form of Good Cause Eviction this year?

Quinones: I applaud Good Cause Eviction because it protects the most vulnerable tenants from unfair displacement. However, I am deeply concerned about the increased thresholds for individual apartments, which can be exploited to hike rents unjustifiably. As far as the housing vouchers and the social housing programs, I do propose to expand these initiatives to ensure more inclusive supportive frameworks for our community.

Looking forward I am committed to fighting for a version of social housing that does not mimic past successes, but innovates new solutions that address our current crisis.

West Side Rag: Does Columbia University play enough of a role in supporting Morningside Heights?

Quinones: Columbia University. We need to put their feet to the fire. We really do. I believe even all the storefronts, vacant or not, that are up in Morningside Heights need to be helped out more by the school. The school has not been very nice to our district.

West Side Rag: The amount of illegal smoke shops, along with storefront vacancies in the district, has been a leading complaint from constituents. What do you think about the issue?

Quinones: The smoke shops took over. We’re replacing all these storefront vacancies with smoke shops and we need to do better. Had they had legal marijuana in place before rolling it out, we would not have had so many illegal smoke shops. It is our elected officials who have to get this together. We have to get the legal marijuana in place.

West Side Rag: You’ve been a tenant leader within the Frederick Douglass Houses for a number of years. How would you use your experience in that role to help you in the Assembly?

Quinones: I breathe the realities of NYCHA housing every day. Not just as a resident, but also as a council president who has fought for better living conditions. I’ve seen firsthand the success and failures of our recent budget. What they’re doing is privatizing a lot of our housing. People think it is only about NYCHA, but what happens to NYCHA can reflect what’s going on with all housing.

I would use everything that I have, including my experience in resident management. I’m doing work contracts every day at the Douglass Houses, this is nothing new to me, and I know that I can accomplish things in the Assembly. The biggest thing for me is to get into the Assembly and make sure these changes are done, especially with the privatization of NYCHA.

West Side Rag: You’ve run for office before. Why was this the right time and right district to throw your hat back in the ring?

Quinones: Daniel O’Donnell was very good to the Frederick Douglass Houses. I believe somebody needs to compliment him in the succession. We have elected officials now that don’t step foot in Douglass Houses and public housing, in general.

That’s my problem. Leaders don’t know this community. I’ve not only served as president, but also district leader, on the state committee, and worked as chief of staff to an Assemblyman. I know what the Assembly is. I’ve worked for two Assemblymen. I’ve been up to Albany more times than you can count. The honest truth is that I believe that anybody who takes office should always be around for the constituents. I will always be available because I am not going anywhere. We need transparency in all aspects. In the schools, in housing, in utilities. These are issues that are dear to me. I’ve got 19 grandkids. I’ve got 13 great grandkids. What are we leaving for our children?

West Side Rag: And to end with, any favorite places in and around District 69?

Quinones: Central Park is my favorite. My kids grew up there. I love my Central Park. Morningisde Park, my grandkids go there a lot. I love Lincoln Center. I’m constantly up around 125th street, but I’m all over the place. I’m all over my district. Everybody knows who Carmen is.

You can find Quinones’ campaign website — HERE.

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