NYC mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan promises broadband internet for all, data-driven approach to government
Shant Shahrigian
It’s the data, stupid.
The city would pave the way for broadband internet in every household and revamp its approach to the use of data, under a new proposal from mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan.
Pointing to lack of competition as a key reason why nearly one in three city households lack internet access, Donovan said he’d work to increase choices for consumers.
On the regulatory front, he’d work to get the state to pass “Universal Broadband for All” legislation.
The city also would provide grants to small, community-level organizations to provide broadband to areas ignored by telecom monopolies — most of the city currently gets the internet from Spectrum or Verizon, though they’re perennially criticized for prohibitively high costs. Donovan didn’t put a price tag on his idea about grants.
Shaun Donovan
Shaun Donovan (Barry Williams/)
With virtual learning here to stay, according to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza and other experts, Donovan also said he’d support education about the internet at sites like libraries.
Since he took office, Mayor de Blasio has made big promises about expanding internet access, though the number of New Yorkers cut off from the web remains high — 29% of households lacked internet access as of 2017, according to city Comptroller Scott Stringer.
Along with expanding internet access, Donovan suggested he’d emulate his former boss Michael Bloomberg’s approach to data, albeit the candidate did not mention the unpopular former mayor by name.
“Innovative and data-driven approaches must be encouraged and rewarded,” states the memo from Donovan, who oversaw housing under Bloomberg. “Data must be seen as an essential tool of governance.”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams officially announced his bid for mayor via Zoom on November 18, 2020. The former cop and state senator hopes to use both his legislative and law enforcement experience to help reform the NYPD. As a state senator, Adams was a vocal opponent of police brutality and NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policy. In a recent candidate forum, Adams said he would not keep Dermot Shea as Police Commissioner. The politician is also known for becoming an advocate of public health programs and education after reversing his Type 2 Diabetes with a vegan diet and exercise.
Comptroller Scott Stringer officially announced his mayoral bid on September 8th, 2020. Throughout his seven-year tenure, the city’s chief financial officer has challenged Mayor de Blasio’s administration with probes into public housing, homeless shelters, and children’s services. Stringer has already been endorsed by several progressives, such as state Sens. Alessandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar and Democratic nominee for Congress Jamaal Bowman.
Maya Wiley, a civil rights lawyer and New School professor who once served as counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, is seeking to distance herself from her former boss. Wiley has criticized de Blasio’s handling of NYPD misconduct and promises to champion racial justice. She served as the board chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent police oversight agency, from 2016 to 2017. Since then, Wiley worked for MSNBC as a legal analyst and professor at the New School.
Although Dianne Morales has no prior government experience, the Bed-Stuy native brings her advocacy and leadership skills as a former non-profit CEO to the table. Morales’ experience serving struggling communities underlies her promise to prioritize vulnerable New Yorkers if she makes it to Gracie Mansion.
Kathryn Garcia is the city’s premier crisis manager. In 2018, Bill de Blasio turned to the former sanitation commissioner to handle the public housing lead-paint scandal as New York City Housing Authority’s interim chair. More recently, Garcia led the emergency food effort that fed one million New Yorkers a day during the height of the pandemic. Garcia continued overseeing the Department of Sanitation until resigning in September out of frustration with de Blasio’s budget cuts. Since then, the native Brooklynite has focused her efforts on a City Hall run. .
Council Member Carlos Menchaca represents the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Red Hook, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, and portions of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park. The Mexican-American politician is openly gay and champions progressive legislation, spearheading the IDNYC program that grants identification cards to all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status.
Before her appointment as Veterans’ Services Commissioner, Loree Sutton served as the Army’s highest-ranking psychiatrist. Unlike the rest of the Democratic field, the distinguished military veteran has been a vocal opponent of calls to defund the NYPD and wants to require permits to protest. If Sutton wants to win, she might need to temper her conservative tendencies with the progressive ambitions of her peers.
Shaun Donovan has both city and federal experience under his belt. He first served as Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration before being appointed by President Barack Obama as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. As federal housing secretary, Donovan oversaw the recoveries of Hurricane Sandy and the 2008 housing crisis. From 2014 to 2017 he served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Raymond J. McGuire is a powerful Wall Street executive who made a splash on the mayoral field after announcing his candidacy with a video narrated by director Spike Lee. The Harvard-educated Citigroup exec has so far raised more money for his campaign than any other candidate.
Andrew Yang may soon trade in his White House ambitions for a mayoral run. The former Democratic presidential candidate is known for proposing a universal basic income for all Americans, elevating the conversation around future automation and employment. The tech entrepreneur will certainly have the advantage of name recognition if he enters the race.
He promised to focus on “investing in updating legacy operating models and improving innovation and data infrastructure.”
That means more data sharing between agencies, to be overseen by Donovan’s “chief equity officer,” among other steps.
“We must reclaim the spirit of innovation that made New York City the capital of the world, and this requires a mayor who views innovation across all sectors of government as a necessary part of meeting the needs of the city’s residents,” Donovan’s proposal stated.
