Candidate Profile-William Bryk
Birth date: March 12, 1955
Profession: Attorney-at-Law
Educational Background: Manhattan College, B.Sc. (Economics), 1977; Fordham University, J.D., 1989.
Public service: Assistant to the President, Borough of Manhattan, 1982-85; Executive Assistant to City Councilman W. L. McCaffrey, 1985-86; Special Assistant and Assistant Counsel, President of the New York City Council, 1986-89 and 1991-93; Court Attorney to Civil Court Judge Dorothy Chin-Brandt, 1990-91; Special Assistant to Board of Education Member Ninfa Segarra, 1994-95; Administrative Law Judge, New York City Department of Finance, 2000-01.
Community service: Manhattan Community Board #6, 1981-82 and 1990-91; Parish Councillor, Parish Trustee, and Lector, St. John the Evangelist Church, 1985-1996; Board of Directors, Coalition for Free and Open Elections (COFOE), 1992-1998; Small Claims Arbitrator, Civil Court of the City of New York, 1993-2005; Panel Arbitrator, Joint Committee on Fee Disputes and Conciliation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York County Lawyers’ Association, 2008-present; appointed to local Draft Board by Governor David Patterson, 2010.
How many years a resident of your city: 35 years
Marital status: Happily married to Mimi Kramer-Bryk, cultural critic and educator, since 2003.
Family: No children: many nieces and nephews.
Hobbies: Reading (history, politics, biography), writing, exercise, model railroading, conversation; interested in architecture, government, politics, railroads, transportation
Why are you running for office?
In 2004, the incumbent was unopposed for re-election. Democracy involves the free expression of the consent – and dissent – of the governed. As this year’s election approached, I had no sense that the Idaho Democratic Party wanted to field a candidate. Accordingly, I chose to enter the race so the voters would have a choice.
What do you see as the three biggest issues you’ll face?
Government deficit spending; the national trade deficit; continuing unemployment.
If elected, what steps will you take to resolve these issues?
Reduce military spending, ending American involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and reducing our garrisons in Europe and the Far East to encourage our allies to bear their share of the cost of defending the West. Increase taxes on the wealthy, who have similarly shirked their fair share of the cost of preserving our system of ordered liberty.
Support fair trade to protect American jobs and middle-class incomes, including defensive tariffs on goods imported from countries whose laws effectively bar American goods from their markets and social tariffs on goods imported from countries without just labor laws setting appropriate wages, benefits, and working conditions. Otherwise, the American labor market will continue to be a race to the bottom.
Shift part of the military spending reductions to put people to work reconstructing the national infrastructure, particularly our transportation systems, after decades of deferred maintenance and developing alternative domestic sources of renewable energy until the private sector can resume its proper role in driving the American economy.
What specific skills or experience qualify you for this job?
I’ve been in public service for most of my life, dealing with a diversity of people in stressful situations. It follows that I’m patient and don’t take disagreements personally. I work hard and take pride in what I do. My most satisfying professional work involved solving the problems of average people in dealing with complicated bureaucracies, both private and public.
Why should the voters elect you, rather than an opponent?
Because the qualities of industry and temperament that I would bring to the office would make me a good United States Senator.