Abundance New York 2026 State Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
Keith Powers
State Assembly, District 74
Background
Please briefly describe your background and why you are running for this office.
I am currently serving as the Assembly Member for New York’s 74th District on Manhattan’s East Side, after previously serving eight years in the New York City Council. My work has been focused on delivering concrete results on housing, transit, and affordability — not just talking about them.
That includes helping preserve and stabilize tens of thousands of units at Stuyvesant Town and Waterside Plaza, leading the implementation of the M14 busway — one of the most successful bus priority projects in the country — and advancing the M34 busway to improve crosstown service for thousands of daily riders.
I have also supported major pro-housing policies to increase supply, including City of Yes and the Midtown South rezoning, both of which are critical to unlocking new housing in high-opportunity areas and addressing New York’s housing shortage.
I’m running for re-election to continue building on that record — focusing on policies that actually get housing built, improve how people move around the city, and bring down the cost of living for New Yorkers.
How are you differentiated from your opponent(s)? What does your path to victory look like in your district?
At the moment, I only have a Republican opponent. I have a proven record of getting projects done and cutting through barriers that slow progress. From preserving and stabilizing housing in Stuyvesant Town and Waterside Plaza to supporting transit improvements like the M14 busway, I focus on outcomes — not ideology.
My path to victory is built on a broad coalition of renters, homeowners, and stakeholders who want solutions. We are running a strong field operation and communicating a clear message — we need to build more, move faster, and deliver real results for our district.
Government Delivery Reform
SEQRA reform: New York should reform the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to reduce the time and scope of environmental review for housing, transit, renewable energy, and resilience projects.
Agree
Civil Service Reform: New York should make it easier for the government to hire the staff they need by making exams more job-relevant, allowing work experience to count instead of degrees, and enabling temporary appointments.
Agree
Capital Project Procurement Reform: New York State should give NYC more procurement flexibility (such as expanded challenge-based procurement and "other transaction authority" style contracting) in order to speed up the delivery of capital projects.
Agree
Additional context
(No response)
Housing
Expanding Housing: Addressing the housing affordability crisis requires increasing production of all kinds of housing, including market-rate units.
Agree
Homelessness/Expedited permanent supportive housing: Addressing the homelessness crisis requires a housing-first solution such as expedited permanent supportive housing for those in need, because shelters are not a permanent solution.
Agree
Transit Oriented Development: New York should allow for more housing to be built near existing transit stations including near commuter rail stations, even if that requires changing zoning.
Agree
Build Code Reform: New York, at the city and state level, should embrace building code and licensing reforms (e.g., smaller elevator size requirements, modular construction, mass timber) that make it cheaper to build housing while maintaining safety.
Agree
Additional context
(No response)
Transit
Transit Cost Containment: New York should act in a coordinated fashion to reduce the cost of building new transit projects, including reducing the size of stations and allowing the temporary disruption of street traffic to more quickly complete projects.
Agree
Busway Expansion: New York City should: 1) expand the number of busways (routes where private cars are banned); and 2) eventually pursue bus rapid transit lines to increase bus speeds throughout the city.
Agree
Automated Camera Expansion: New York should allow New York City to expand automated camera enforcement, including red light cameras, bus lane cameras, and bike lane cameras, to make streets safer.
Agree
Parking: New York City should charge more for parking and reduce or eliminate free street parking.
Agree
Additional context
(No response)
Clean Energy
Solar Energy: New York State should preempt local regulations that effectively ban solar projects by establishing a ceiling on restrictions and should streamline solar permitting by adopting automated systems in order to enable more solar energy.
Agree
Nuclear Energy Development: New York should expand its nuclear energy capacity by building new reactors and extending the life of existing plants in order to hit the goal of 100% zero-emission electricity generation by 2040.
Agree
Additional context
(No response)
Candidate Statement
Abundance Examples from Your Work: Please describe a specific example from your record (legislative, professional, or community work) where you championed a project or policy that is aligned with our agenda. What obstacles did you overcome, and what was the outcome?
I have built a strong record of advancing policies that increase supply, reduce costs, and actually deliver projects — especially on housing and transit.
That includes helping preserve and stabilize tens of thousands of units at Stuyvesant Town and Waterside Plaza, supporting major pro-housing reforms like City of Yes, and backing the Midtown South rezoning to unlock new housing in high-opportunity areas.
I have also led on transit improvements that make the city more functional and accessible, including the M14 busway — now one of the fastest and most reliable bus routes in New York City — and the M34 busway, improving crosstown service for thousands of riders each day.
Across these efforts, my focus has been consistent: removing barriers that delay projects, supporting smart zoning changes, and advancing policies that allow New York to build more housing and infrastructure faster.
Legislative Priorities: If elected (or re-elected) to the State Assembly/Senate, what are your top three legislative priorities? Please be specific about the policies you would advance and what you hope to achieve.
Build More Housing, Faster – Reform SEQRA, expand transit-oriented development, and modernize building codes to increase housing production at scale.
Reduce the Cost of Delivery – Advance procurement and civil service reforms to speed up infrastructure and housing projects.
Invest in Transit & Mobility – Expand bus priority infrastructure and improve reliability to support a growing city.