Blake's Economic Justice Plan

Michael Blake is dedicated to New Yorkers making and keeping more money, lowering the cost of living and providing short and long term stability and relief to businesses and residents. 

Within the First 100 Days: Blake will ensure that all open city contracts — especially with nonprofits — are paid and reimbursed without delay. These organizations are on the front lines of childcare, housing support, and job placement. They deserve timely compensation. In addition, Blake will declare a Cost of Living Emergency, unlocking city reserves to provide urgent relief to families struggling with rent, groceries, childcare, and transportation.

Stability and Opportunity for Every Neighborhood: His administration will launch a municipal hiring surge, focusing on job creation in neighborhoods historically left behind. Blake will replace the outdated Area Median Income (AMI) formula with a Local Median Income (LMI) standard to ensure housing affordability is tied to the actual wages of New Yorkers — not inflated regional averages.

To uplift our most vulnerable neighbors, he will launch a Guaranteed Income pilot for individuals living below the poverty line and implement universal childcare to help working parents thrive.

Technology for Good: A new public service platform — a mobile and desktop app — will connect New Yorkers to city resources. Residents will be able to apply for benefits, track housing and repair statuses, check payment timelines, and request constituent services with greater transparency and ease.

Equity with Teeth: Michael Blake will rescind public contracts and funding from companies and individuals who demonstrate anti-Blackness. MWBE protections will be expanded, tracked, and enforced — because equity isn’t just a value, it’s a measurable commitment. As DEI programs come under attack from extremists, Blake will make New York City a national model of what it means to lead with justice.

HOW WE PAY FOR IT: Raise Revenue the Right Way

New Yorkers are constantly told we don’t have the money. But the truth is, we’ve just stopped collecting it — or we’ve let it sit in the wrong hands.

Michael Blake’s administration will raise billions in new revenue without raising taxes on working families by closing loopholes, reclaiming what’s owed, and making the wealthy finally pay their fair share.

Key Funding Sources:

Collecting Unpaid Fines and Fees
In 2023, over $2 billion in unpaid city fines and fees went uncollected. Blake will work with civic tech partners like Promise Pay to recover these funds while protecting residents from criminalization or financial hardship. [1]

Vacant Apartment Tax
Thousands of units sit empty while people sleep on the street. A vacant apartment tax will push landlords to rent these homes or contribute directly to the city’s affordable housing fund. [2]

Ending the MSG Property Tax Exemption
Madison Square Garden has avoided property taxes for nearly 40 years due to a special exemption. That long-standing free ride will end under Blake’s leadership. [3]

Fairer Taxes on the 1%
We need to have equitable tax brackets so for the top 1% of New Yorkers we will look to them to pay their fair share. These reforms would generate more than $3 billion in revenue [5] 

Blake will:

• Create new tax brackets for incomes over $1 million
• Close loopholes for top earners
• Repeal tax abatements for luxury co-ops and condos assessed at more than $300,000, with median annual tax increases of $8,192 for condos and $141,570 for co-op buildings. [6]

These reforms could generate more than $3.3 billion annually:

• $2 billion from fines and fees collection [1]
• $900 million from higher-income earners [5]
• $400 million from targeted property tax reforms [6]

If federal funding is ever withheld due to political retaliation, Blake will pursue bold legal strategies — including directing city-contracted employers to pause federal tax remittances and trigger constitutional review. This city will not be bullied out of serving its people.