I’ll lay out a clear argument for safer streets, lower costs, and honest city government, explain my background and why experience outside politics matters, describe specific public safety and fiscal commitments, outline plans for schools and neighborhoods, and call voters to choose a practical alternative to costly, ideological leadership.
Decades of policy decisions piled up costs and risks for New Yorkers, from rent law changes that squeezed small property owners to energy choices that raised utility bills. Closing Indian Point sent energy prices higher and congestion pricing is now another tax on commuters. These are the kinds of tradeoffs families feel at the kitchen table every day.
Too often we see the same outcome from different faces — higher bills, weaker safety, and ideology trumping common sense. That’s the practical reality many city residents already sense when they compare the record of past leaders and the promises of those who want to remake our city on paper. Voters deserve policies that actually make life easier, not just slogans that sound good in a speech.
I’m Curtis Sliwa, not a career politician, but someone who has walked this city for more than 45 years, on subways, in parks, and on neighborhood streets. I founded the Guardian Angels wearing a red beret and a stubborn belief that citizens have to stand up for their communities. “If you do nothing, that just empowers the gangsters.”
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I’ve visited every one of the city’s roughly 350 neighborhoods, including places where opponents think they have momentum, because leadership means showing up and listening. Those visits taught me that real problems are local and solvable when leaders stop talking past communities and start solving problems. That boots-on-the-ground perspective shapes the plans I’m sharing now.
Public safety is the first obligation of city government, and I will restore it without theatrical gestures or empty promises. I will hire 7,000 police officers to bring patrols back to neighborhoods, funded by cutting wasteful contracts, rooting out corruption, and redirecting money away from political cronies. People should be able to walk to work and ride trains without fear, and that starts with a fully staffed, accountable police force.
Inside the NYPD, promotions will be based on merit and leadership rather than political favor or connections. Ending cronyism means careers built on performance and real results, not who you know. That kind of cultural shift will keep streets safer and restore public trust.
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Affordability has to be center stage because families are getting squeezed by taxes, fees, and city-driven cost hikes. I will lower taxes where possible by cutting waste and returning savings to taxpayers while simplifying permits and untangling the mess that makes property taxes unpredictable. Protecting seniors and capping runaway water and municipal fees will be priorities so people can stay in their homes and keep more of what they earn.
Our schools spend a staggering amount per pupil while too many students lag behind, and that disconnect is unacceptable. I will shrink the Department of Education’s sprawling bureaucracy and put those dollars back in classrooms where teachers and students need them most. Restoring standards, rewarding excellence, and creating parent-controlled education accounts will give families real choices and let money follow the student to better outcomes.
Development should be smart and fair, not a free-for-all for insiders who profit from giveaways while neighborhoods bear the strain. We’ll protect one- and two-family areas that are already at capacity and focus new building where infrastructure can handle it. Cutting unnecessary red tape for responsible projects and stopping sweetheart deals will level the playing field for honest builders and homeowners.
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Quality of life matters down to the small stuff: clean streets, clear sidewalks, and safe public transit make a city livable again. We will remove illegal vending that blocks walkways, crack down on illegal smoke shops, and reclaim the subways for paying riders. People who harm animals or prey on neighborhoods will face real consequences, not a shrug from City Hall.
City government must live within its means and deliver the services taxpayers pay for, or it must be fixed. I will open the books, publish a citywide performance dashboard, ban pay-to-play, and audit agencies for results so New Yorkers see what works and what doesn’t. Accountability brings better outcomes and keeps city hall honest.
I will keep showing up in every community, not just when a camera is present, and I will be present for the follow-through that so often gets ignored. This election is about competence and character, not slogans or labels, and New Yorkers should demand leaders who actually deliver. You’ve seen what I’ve done for decades without a title. Imagine what I’ll do with one.
