On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released a test for New York City Council candidates seeking her endorsement in this year’s elections. She calls the project, run through her political action committee, a “certification of sorts” a checklist of progressive bona fides that multiple candidates in a given race could fulfill.
One question asks about the longstanding New York City custom known as “member deference,” in which the city council votes on the approval of, say, a big new affordable housing project according to the wishes of the council member in whose district it sits. “Will you vote in favor of zoning changes to include mixed-income housing developments in an affluent neighborhood if the local council member was opposed?” the questionnaire asks. In other words: Are you for member deference, or for doing something about New York’s housing crunch?