Voters Guide: NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY, District 11: Kimberly Jean-Pierre

KIMBERLY JEAN-PIERRE

DEMOCRAT

BACKGROUND:

• Jean-Pierre, 38, of Wheatley Heights, is seeking a fourth term in the Assembly.
• She previously worked as director of Babylon Town's Wyandanch Resource Center and as vice president of properties for the town's IDA.
• She has a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and a master's degree in public policy from Stony Brook University.

ISSUES:

• Jean-Pierre said she will focus on inequities in funding public education. School safety is a key issue, but some districts don't have security line items, so funds come from the operating budget. She will work to address funding issues via a residential property tax relief act for public education.
• In housing issues, Jean-Pierre said she will offer human rights legislation that requires appraisers to make fair appraisals regardless of demographics or their licenses would be in jeopardy.
• She also will work on ways to fund more universal pre-K programs, taking advantage of a competitive grant process. "It's a program that should be in all districts," she said.