Craig Schley
Craig Schley (Schley for 70 Assembly) ran for election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 70. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020.
Schley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Schley was also a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives for New York's 13th Congressional District. He announced his candidacy in Harlem on January 10, 2012. Schley sought to represent the people of the 13th Congressional District, where he has resided and served in central Harlem for 22 years. Schley lost in the November general election.[1]
Biography
Craig Schley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from New York University in 2003 and a J.D. from the William Mitchell School of Law in 2018. His professional experience includes working in law and teaching. He was previously a firefighter, and SCUBA rescuer, an electrician (IBEW) Union Local 613, and as a Wilhelmina model. He is affiliated with the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, and The Foundation for Redress, Inc.[2]
Political career
Schley established a community-based organization in Harlem called Vote People for Change (VPC) in 2001, while simultaneously embarking on his political career as a canvasser for Freddy Ferrer, former Democratic Party nominee for mayor. In 2003 Schley served as an intern for U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel and later managed the housing and social security constituent queries. In 2005 Schley was hired as a political strategist for Felipe Luciano and worked as a political consultant and coordinator for field operations in Philadelphia for Councilwoman Verna Tyler. Schley was nominated by the Independence Party of America and simultaneously ran under the VPC in 2010 for New York's 15th District congressional seat. Schley received 7,803 votes.[3]
Schley interned with the New York Commission on Human Rights in 2000, where he assisted Deputy Chief of Law Bureau to interpret and investigate allegations of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. From 2003 to 2007 Schley worked as legal assistant for the New York State Supreme Court and aided in family, criminal and civil cases.[4]
Elections
2020
See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for New York State Assembly District 70
Incumbent Inez Dickens defeated Craig Schley in the general election for New York State Assembly District 70 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Inez Dickens (D) | 90.2 | 47,079 |
 | Craig Schley (Schley for 70 Assembly)  | 9.5 | 4,969 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 135 | ||
| Total votes: 52,183 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Inez Dickens advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 70.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Craig Schley (D)
2012
Schley ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent New York's 13th District. He sought the nomination on the Democratic and the Republican tickets.[5] He was unopposed on the Republican primary and was defeated by incumbent Charlie Rangel in the Democratic primary on June 26, 2012.[6] He faced Rangel in the general election on November 6, 2012. Schley lost to Rangel in the general election.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Charles Rangel Incumbent |
90.7% | 175,016 | |
| Republican | Craig Schley | 6.3% | 12,147 | |
| Independent | Deborah Liatos | 2.9% | 5,548 | |
| N/A | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 202 | |
| Total Votes | 192,913 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed September 1, 2021 | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Charles B. Rangel Incumbent |
43.9% | 16,916 |
| Adriano Espaillat | 41.3% | 15,884 |
| Clyde Williams | 10.3% | 3,974 |
| Joyce Johnson | 3.1% | 1,187 |
| Craig Schley | 1.4% | 545 |
| Total Votes | 38,506 | |
Debates
On June 14, 2012, all five Democratic candidates met for a debate. Rangel and Espaillat traded some intense words, with Rangel questioning a petition drive for Espaillat that the state senator said he's not involved with. Espaillat parried by bringing up Rangel's own ethics issues. Williams urged the candidates to avoid personal attacks and focus on the issues. Schley commented that Rangel was "antiquated" and was past his political prime.[7]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Schley lost New York's 15th District election to incumbent Charlie Rangel.[8]
| U.S. House, New York Congressional District 15 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Charles B. Rangel Incumbent |
72.4% | 91,225 | |
| Blank/Scattering | 10.8% | 13,617 | ||
| Republican | Michel J. Faulkner | 9.3% | 11,754 | |
| Independence, Vote People Change | Craig Schley | 6.2% | 7,803 | |
| Socialist Worker | Roger Calero | 1.3% | 1,647 | |
| Total Votes | 126,046 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Craig Schley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Schley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I am running to protect the residents of Harlem from being priced out of their homes and small businesses. The problem is not who is coming in; but who is being forced out. I'm a blue-collar man with a white-collar education who believes no one should be forced out of their community. My family's legacy for fighting for justice and fairness for people began at home, starting with my great-grand father, Luke Grady North Carolina's first African American State Legislator after slavery. My own story began as an electrician, then firefighter, who later graduated from New York University with a B.A. in political science and history. I went on to earn my J.D. and certificates in mediation and arbitration from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. After, I taught American Government at CUNY as an adjunct lecturer. My background, education, and experience brought me to one conclusion: people who live in Harlem should make a living wage enough to stay here and prosper here. I believe Harlem belongs to its residents. My solution to Harlem's problem is that we work together to create an industry that will improve the lives of all of us, and this defines my commitment to you.
- 1) Housing: With 14,000 evictions already in the pipeline and another 200,000 impending, the NYS legislature must provide emergency relief to tenants to avoid eviction and provide just compensation to landlords. Moreover, to address the already "too high rent," we must create permanent, income-targeted housing and push NYS to make city councils set rent guidelines (Home-Rule).
- 2) Jobs Creations: Bring federally funded Film/TV industry to Harlem, and mandate on-the-job training for Harlem residents on all public works projects.
- 3) Prison Reform: Restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated; end prison labor; repeal 50(a); work where you live policing; end 48-hours of police silence; and release aging prisoners.
(1) Housing, (2) police and prison reform, (3) and responsible economic development that the community asked for and needs.
I look up to my father and I follow his example of manhood, fatherhood, and his commitment to my mother. I think there is nothing more noble as a man than to provide a loving home for his family.
I would have them read their own book of life to someone else. Then read someone else's book of life to note that we are all not that different.
The most important characteristic(s)or principle(s) for an elected official to have is: (1) Listening, (2) Understanding from what perspective your constituents are speaking, (3) keeping one's promise, and (4) maintaining one's allegiance to their constituency and not to the highest bidder.
I listen very closely when people are talking to me. That I have worked closely with various types of people from various types of professions has helped me have empathy for others. Empath is the basis for understanding someone else's conditions and circumstances. Possessing such, is an invaluable quality that leads to a successful officeholder: One needs to be able to understand another's situation to resolve it.
The core responsibility is to (1) keep the promise you made to voters after you get elected, (2) to be ethical at all times, (3) listen, listen, and listen to one's constituency. Lastly, be there when your constituents need you.
I want my legacy to be that I protected the residents of Harlem from being further displaced by executing their wishes and by bringing into fruition a sustainable industry that created living wages for the residents of the 70th Assembly District of New York.
My first historical event in my life was when I heard my mother scream after learning Martin Luther King had been assassinated. I was nearly 5 years old.
My very first job was making car seat cushions at a factory 30 miles outside of Philadelphia, PA. I work their for 6 months.
Not a fair question, there are too many to list.
Any of those fictional characters that can fly.
Stevie Wonder: As.
I, like many others in my community, struggle for living wages, struggle to have equal justice under the law, struggle to have police protect me, not only policy me, and I struggle with how best serve my community while it faces homelessness and social unrest.
I do not have a basis to draw such a comparison.
It is beneficial, but it is not essential that a state legislator have prior experience in government. Why? There are times when inexperience serves the public better. Too often legislators have been in office so long they lose touch with their constituency. In this instance, experience works against them and the people they serve. However, when a legislator is inexperienced, they tend to focus more on listening to their constituents and that produces legislation that better meets the needs of the people. Therefore, prior experience in government may or may not be beneficial to its constituents.
Our state's greatest challenge is to create sustainable jobs that produces living wages. Additionally, me must take the lead in resolving the problem of brutality at the hands of our law enforcement as well as racial injustice within our judicial system. Also, the system for voting in federal elections should become unified throughout the United States.
I believe the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature should be one of checks and balances.
Yes. I believe it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators, because it would help to build respect and harmony between would be objectors. Friendships are more likely to negotiate than not. Without negotiations the whole legislative process falls apart.
I believe the process for redistricting should begin with having an accurate number of the actual population and its location.
Housing and business development.
Adam Clayton Powell and Barbra Jordan.
No. My focus is on making my platform policies a reality for the 70th Assembly District of New York State.
Yes. It was when I found out that a 12-year-old boy who was helping me could not read. It touched me and compelled me to run for office.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2012
According to his campaign website, Schley's platform included the following tenets:[9]
- Sustainable Job Creation
- Support Low-Income Housing
- Stabilize Neighborhood Businesses
- Educate All Children
- Reform Criminal & Family Courts
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CNN "New York Districts Race - 2012 Election Center"
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 19, 2020
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Federal Election 2010," accessed February 19, 2012
- ↑ Craig Schley campaign website, "Bio," accessed June 18, 2012
- ↑ Politicker, "Rangel Rivals Survive Ballot Challenges; Mixed Bag for NY-6 Also-Rans," May 1, 2012
- ↑ [hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2012/by_state/NY_US_House_0626.html?SITE=CSPANELN&SECTION=POLITICS AP "2012 primary results"]
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedny1 - ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ Craig Schley campaign website, "Platform 2012," accessed February 19, 2012
