It always takes a scandal to bring about reform.

Even the best parents have to spend so much time making ends meet that they cannot help their kids with homework or afford the extra tutoring that wealthier students enjoy. To address these unjust disparities, we need an early education revolution.

At the end of the day, New Yorkers need a mayor who understands the problems they face, brings a smart plan and good people to the table, and, more than anything, has the independence, courage and conviction to do the right thing.

During my eleven years as a New York City public school teacher, I saw firsthand the impact that poverty has on the classroom. In low-income neighborhoods like Sunset Park, where I taught, students as young as five years old enter school affected by the stresses often created by poverty: domestic violence, drug abuse, gang activity.

It always takes a scandal to bring about reform.

It's an intolerable abuse of power to have employees who are supposed to be advancing the public interest actually working on political campaigns.

By regulating marijuana, we can put black market drug dealers out of business and eliminate the rebellious allure that attracts young people.