Samira Nasr and Mayoral Candidate Ray McGuire Discuss Pressing Issues for NYC Women
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This morning, Harper's BAZAAR's editor in chief, Samira Nasr, moderated a women-led panel for New York City mayoral candidate Ray McGuire. Joined by Jenny Galluzzo, cofounder of The Second Shift; Bess Freedman, CEO of real estate company Brown Harris Stevens; and Jeanine Liburd, chief social impact and communications officer for BET, the group spoke with McGuire about his plans for NYC women regarding the wage gap, small businesses, childcare, education, community safety, and more.
Author, lawyer, and filmmaker Crystal McCrary McGuire kicked off the conversation with an enthusiastic introduction for her husband, whom she described as a "cheerleader not just for me, but for all women." Ray McGuire, who announced his run for mayor on December 1, 2020, was recently an executive at Citigroup and has more than 30 years of business and finance experience rather than public service. But, as his wife pointed out during the Zoom event, the mayoral hopeful has been involved in the community behind the scenes, whether through creating equity and capital for small business and start-ups, helping to open schools, or supporting arts and culture. With only weeks to go before the primary election on June 22, the candidate outlined his plans to support women in their careers and family lives.
"This pandemic has seen a record number of women in particular have to leave the workforce so that they could care for their families," Nasr said. "And I'm just wondering how you plan to address this and support families so that women can rejoin the workforce in the coming years."
Reflecting on his own mother, who worked multiple jobs, McGuire emphasized the importance of affordable childcare. "I want to make sure that we have care for those who are caregivers, make sure that they are experts at what they do," he said. "And I want to make it easy by giving a nod to making sure that women get the full and fair consideration as they consider reentering the workforce." Elder care is "critical," too, he added. McGuire plans to provide affordable housing for the elderly and protections against fraud.
Nasr also addressed the gender pay gap, which, in NYC, leaves women earning 89 cents to every dollar a man makes. The disparity is lower for Black women, who make 66 cents to the dollar, and even lower for Latinx women, who make 56 cents.
McGuire confidently pointed to his past experience seeking out pay equity at Citi, where he managed a billion-dollar payroll. "I always made sure that I pulled the segment of the population that was female. And I compared that segment to the population that was male," he said. "I asked the leaders whether or not they were paying the same compensation. We made sure that when it came to the actual salary, that [not only] the salary was commensurate, but [also] bonus compensation. And when we hadn't reached that kind of equity, they had to go back."
McGuire said he'd "follow the same practice" as mayor. "I will use the negotiating power of the city to our advantage and closing the wage gap," he added. "And as I look across each administration, each agency, I'm going to level set where we are. And if women aren't where they should be in terms of equity, we'll just change the whole thing." This applies to pay increases, too, not just one-time salary adjustments. "I got to do this systemically, because the pay equity is a systemic inequity," he said. McGuire also had a message for leaders who might disagree with his vision: "Not on my watch."
While addressing a question about safety and lack of security in New York's transit system, McGuire brought up his plan to establish 24/7 emergency social services, which would have mental health professionals stationed at subways and precincts to help intervene when someone is in crisis. About half of 911 calls are mental-health related, he later added. He also intends to set up a stronger police presence.
Author and social justice advocate Dr. Janet Dewart Bell asked how the candidate plans to balance the increase in policing with accountability, given the ongoing protests against police brutality. "Frankly, police accountability is a woman's issue," she said.
McGuire, who attended the trial of Derek Chauvin over George Floyd's death, explained, "As a six-foot-four, 200-pound Black man, I want the police to protect me and not profile me." He intends to set up reforms like appointing a deputy mayor for public safety, who'll be overseeing "day-to-day management of the NYPD and making sure that she or he is involved directly in the community," and holding the whole chain of command accountable if ever an officer "creates an overly aggressive act."
"I'm not for defund, I'm for better policing, reallocating some of those dollars into the programs that I've identified, so I can prevent the crime from the offset," McGuire said.
If you are based in New York City, the deadline to register to vote is May 28. Early voting begins Saturday, June 12, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is June 15. The general election takes place on November 2.
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