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Maya Wiley Wants to Rid the Big Apple of Its Bad Apples
The mayoral hopeful plans to become NYC’s first female Black mayor by making it more affordable and technologically competitive. But first she wants to defund the NYPD.
New York City has elected only one African-American mayor ever. As far as women, the city has anointed zero. This history faced Maya Wiley with a steep and Southern windy climb when she decided to run for NYC’s #1 seat. The former lead legal counsel for current mayor Bill de Blasio is well aware that history is against her. The solution, she says, is turning luxuries into necessities. For example: providing strong WIFI for every New Yorker regardless of economic status, or making the shiny Big Apple more affordable.
The platform most significant to the candidate’s campaign is the policing of the police department. Wiley, a career activist who worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, feels that the NYPD needs to be overseen by two governing bodies — both of which would be run by civilians. Defunding the five boroughs’ biggest gang will be her tallest task, but as the mayoral primaries approach (June 22), the 57-year-old Wiley is gaining new ground on frontrunners Eric Adams and Andrew Yang daily — endorsements have come from the likes…
