Russian-speaking politician Mikhail Novakhov elected to the New York State Assembly: how he intends to change life in the region
'14.11.2022'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
Mikhail Novakhov, a Russian-speaking candidate from Brooklyn, has been elected to the New York State Assembly. In an interview with a YouTube channel journalistThe Bureau” He told Denis Cheredov about the first steps he wants to take as an assemblyman, about the fight against crime in New York and about what changes can happen in the state in the near future.
Can you officially be called a member of the New York State Assembly?
- Considering that I have not yet taken the oath, there was no inauguration, it is still impossible to officially name it. But the fact that I have already been elected is absolutely obvious. And I will not disappoint my voters.
“Now I'm following the information that comes out of Queens. There was a shooting near the school, an 18-year-old teenager was killed, two more people were injured. In general, this situation happens quite often in New York. We are talking about the fact that they are calmly shooting at every corner. Both Republican candidate Lee Zeldin, running for governor, and Kathy Hokul, who remains in her seat, have talked about how they are going to fight crime. Well, the elections are over. Kathy Hokul eventually won, but they continue to shoot. Do you think that if the Republican won, he could somehow influence the rampant crime in the region?
“Without a doubt, of course. I'm very sorry that Lee Zeldin didn't win, but that's the choice of the New Yorkers, there's nothing to be done. It must be accepted. Lee Zeldin promised that he would declare a state of emergency in New York. In this scenario, firstly, the police themselves would feel more authoritative, more omnipotent, because the police in recent years have simply been humiliated by the democratic authorities. And secondly, the criminals would feel less impunity. But Zeldin was unable to defeat Katy Hokul, so the shooting continues. It is terrible to watch how people, children, teenagers die every single day in our city. It's kind of a throwback to a terrible past.
This is how New York used to be, and we really don't want it to be like this again. But let's see what happens. We (Republicans), for our part, will do what we can. But, of course, there are fewer of us in the Assembly. We will do everything in our power to make our neighborhoods safer.
- Tell us what problems you are going to solve, primarily in Russian-speaking areas. What can you influence?
The State Assembly is the legislative body. Yes, we will introduce new laws. Thank God, there are many of us now. This is me, and Alec Brook-Red, and others. I communicate with them now, those Republicans who won a year ago. On November 8, Alec Brook-Krasny and I were selected in neighboring districts (45th and 46th). Of course, such a collaboration and such a neighborhood of Republicans in one area in South Brooklyn will help us achieve results.
We understand the problems of the city, as well as any New Yorker. For example, the metro, which people are afraid to go into today. They are afraid that they will simply be pushed onto the rails for no reason at all. Yes, and it happens periodically. And this entails other problems, such as traffic jams. Because people are starting to buy more cars, they are afraid to take the subway. On top of that, I am vehemently opposed to the 25 mph speed limit. We will try to raise at least up to 30, in general we will offer 35 miles per hour. But if it doesn’t work out, we’ll bargain until 30.
We conducted a survey of what annoys New Yorkers the most. One of the first places is the smell of marijuana, which enveloped the whole city. Moreover, people are not against legalization, people are against the fact that marijuana is so quietly smoked on the street where children are walking.
Yes, I understand these people. I am also not against legalization. I believe that legalization is the right step. But you and I do not drink wine or vodka there, walking down the street. For this, there should be some specially designated places, some special cafes, like in Amsterdam. Well, or some special sites away from public places. Because the city really plunged into this marijuana dope. And it's impossible not to notice, it's everywhere. We will try to introduce a bill that will help solve this problem.
“People also worry a lot about garbage and the homeless. People are very tense.
Yes, there are homeless people on every corner. And they are not always healthy, they are sick people. I feel sorry for them. This is so that you do not think that I believe that they should be offended, exterminated. I feel very sorry for these people. But I also feel sorry for the people who pay taxes, who deserve to live in a clean normal civilized city. After all, we call it the capital of the world.
As I said, and I say that I am new to politics. So this is my first political activity. And I still do not know what power I will be endowed with, what my colleagues and I can specifically decide. So it's hard for me to answer all the questions about what exactly we can do. But I'm just talking about what we would like to do. Maybe we will meet already, say, somewhere in January and discuss more specific actions when I understand what is in my hands. Yes, I must understand what power is in my hands in order to improve the lives of the residents of the district who voted for me. Thank you so much for showing your trust in me! Of course, I can't undermine it.
– Let's talk about Katie Hokul's victory again. What is it for you? Bad or good? And what is the mood within the political republican elite?
Well, it's hard for me to say. I do not communicate with the political Republican elite, because my position is not so high. But I communicate, of course, with Republicans and local parties in Brooklyn.
Yes, there really was no red wave (sweeping away the victory of the Republicans). I think that the reason for this is the situation with abortion, the ban on abortion. If you watched American television during the last months before the elections, you probably saw commercials that were directed against the Republican candidates. In one video, a man said that he was against abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. The Democrats, in general, did not even try to say anything good about themselves. They were just criticizing the Republicans. Their main criticism was the ban on abortion. But it was deceit. There is no ban on abortion in New York. So not only did Lee Zeldin say he didn't want to do it, he didn't want to ban abortion in New York. Besides, he couldn't have done it. Because the bill has to go through several levels. And he would be stuck at the first level. He just said that funding is not needed. There shouldn't be so much funding for programs that allow women from other states to come here for abortions. But it scared people, I think the abortion ban played a fatal role in this election.
I always say and have said that the ban on abortion is the idea of the Republicans from the southern states. Yes, Republicans in New York and Republicans in the South are very different Republicans. You and I understand very well that very religious people live in the south. They regularly go to church every Sunday. For them, abortion is a really hot topic. We don't understand them because you and I don't go to church every Sunday here.
In general, I believe that abortion is a topic outside of politics. This is a personal matter for every woman. And here I do not agree with those Republican leaders who raise this topic.
