Election Q&A: Meet Upper East Side Candidate Alina Bonsell

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Republican candidate Alina Bonsell is running for State Senate in District 28, which includes the Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island, and a central swath of Manhattan from Midtown down to Union Square, in New York City's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

In November, Bonsell will face off against Liz Krueger, the Democratic incumbent.

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Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Bonsell about her platform, priorities, experience, and district. See her replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Bonsell said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

BONSELL: I've lived in Yorkville since 2017, and I've lived in Manhattan starting in Murray Hill, the East Side has been my home for most of my adult life.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

BONSELL: English and Russian. Russian was my first language, as my family left Soviet Ukraine when I was six years old. I'm fluent, but I no longer read or write it.

PATCH: What's your professional and educational background?

BONSELL: I spent 15 years in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and business development, working with physicians, hospitals and healthcare systems, and later starting my own businesses. Most of my career has been in the private sector, where you're expected to solve problems, manage budgets and produce results. I earned my BBA in Computer Information Systems from Hofstra University's Zarb School of Business, graduating cum laude, and later completed executive education in entrepreneurship at the Wharton School.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

BONSELL: I rent my apartment in Yorkville and have mostly been a renter during my more than 20 years in Manhattan. I understand firsthand how difficult the housing situation has become. I've outgrown my apartment, but moving within my own neighborhood has become unaffordable. That is one reason housing policy is so personal to me.

PATCH: The cost of living in NYC is going up. What's your plan to make New York City more affordable?

BONSELL: It starts with housing because rent consumes such a large portion of New Yorkers' incomes. We don't have a supply problem. Albany needs to address the existing 60,000 apartments sitting vacant because current laws can make it economically irrational for owners to renovate and return them to the market. I want to change those policies and get usable apartments back into circulation. More supply gives renters more choices and puts downward pressure on rents.

Healthcare is another major expense. After years in the healthcare industry, I know New York imposes extensive coverage mandates that contribute to the cost of insurance, and we have the fifth-highest premiums in the nation. Having an affordable plan with essential coverage is better than being priced out of insurance altogether.

I also support eliminating New York State income tax for working adults under 30 and working parents with children under five. Young adults should have a chance to pay down student loans, move out of their parents' homes and build savings. Parents facing enormous childcare costs should be able to keep more of what they earn and decide for themselves how best to spend it. When we cut waste, fraud and unnecessary spending, we can return more money to New Yorkers. New York State's budget has grown by more than $100 billion since 2019, and it's not entirely clear to me what has improved, if anything. New Yorkers are paying more and should be asking what they're getting in return. Government has made living here more expensive through bad policy. With the wrong people out and the right people in government, we can change those policies.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York City safer.

BONSELL: First, I will fight to amend the part of the 2019 bail reform law that created a revolving door for repeat offenders. That needs to end. Judges need greater discretion when someone repeatedly commits crimes or poses a threat to public safety. Albany has forced judges to release criminals back onto our streets.

My opponent, Liz Krueger, voted for bail reform and opposed changes when Governor Hochul sought revisions in 2022. Meanwhile, New Yorkers see the consequences every day: repeat offenders cycling through the system, retail goods locked behind plexiglass, businesses struggling with theft and people feeling less safe on our streets and subways. Police can arrest someone, but if the system keeps putting repeat offenders right back on the street, we haven't solved the problem.

Second, we need to address severe untreated mental illness. I support expanding appropriate inpatient psychiatric capacity and treatment for individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. Leaving someone severely mentally ill on a subway platform or sidewalk is neither compassionate nor safe.

PATCH: New homeless shelters have divided Upper East Siders this past year. What role should a state senator play in shelter siting, and what specific actions would you take when a shelter is proposed in your district?

BONSELL: A state senator should absolutely have a role, which is why I wrote my Homeless Shelter Safety and Accountability Act, which I'll submit once Albany is back in session. We need shelters, but we also need safeguards for the people who live in them and for the communities surrounding them. Right now, there is not enough transparency, safety oversight or accountability.

My plan addresses four major problems. First, community notification. My legislation requires the community to be notified at the earliest stage of the process, before an operator moves forward with a shelter agreement. Our current senator has consistently supported bringing shelters and supportive housing into our communities and joined other elected officials in saying they would "welcome these new constituents." I believe we have an obligation to help people experiencing homelessness, but we also have an obligation to listen to the residents who already live here. That means involving the community before a deal is done, not after decisions have already been made.

Second, safety and identity verification. Shelter residents would go through an identity-verification process, while someone without identification could still receive emergency shelter as that process takes place. My legislation also requires screening for certain restricted offenders and establishes safeguards regarding their placement near schools, daycares and playgrounds.

Third, transparency. We need to know what is happening after a shelter opens. My legislation requires reporting on safety incidents, complaints, occupancy, public money received and spent, screening and verification, enforcement actions and overall compliance, with an aggregated overview available to the public while protecting personal information.

Fourth, enforcement. Accountability means consequences. Operators that violate the law can face civil penalties, and an operator that accumulates $50,000 or more in penalties can have its authorization suspended until it comes back into compliance.

My legislation also helps homeless New Yorkers obtain identification and vital documents they need to access housing, employment, healthcare and benefits. I want shelters that work if we have $4B budget, it should not be checks to poorly managed operators and asking neighborhoods to accept the consequences.

PATCH: What type of relationship will you have with the Trump administration?

BONSELL: I have no relationship with the Trump administration, nor any PAC has funded my campaign. My campaign is powered by individual donors and public matching funds. I'm a moderate Republican, but that doesn't mean I agree with every Republican policy. I don't support cutting healthcare for Americans while our government spends enormous sums overseas, and I believe our immigration system needs a much more practical and humane approach.

I support securing our borders, and I believe ICE should focus its resources on criminals and individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Law-abiding people who have lived here for years, work, pay taxes, raise families and contribute to our communities should not have to live in constant fear of being taken away by ICE. There needs to be a legal pathway for those individuals to remain here if they contribute We also need a real solution for migrants who are already here. I don't believe New York taxpayers should pay to house and support people who can support themselves. There should be a legal work-permit process that allows eligible migrants to work, earn a living and become self-sufficient rather than remaining dependent on taxpayer-funded assistance. I believe it's what they would live too.

My decisions will never be based on a party banner. If President Trump has a policy that's good for New Yorkers, I'll support it. If any Democrat has a good policy, I'll support that too. And when either party gets it wrong, I'll say so. For me, it's about doing what is just and fair by all.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidate(s)?

BONSELL: I came to this country as an immigrant, and my family was on public assistance when we first arrived. I grew up in New York City, went to public school, and now my children go to public school. I've been a renter and a homeowner. I've been married and divorced. I'm a mother. I've been employed and unemployed, worked in corporate America and built my own businesses. I've had health insurance and I've gone without it, and I also spent 15 years working intimately within the healthcare system. I've lived in almost every borough and spent more than 20 years in Manhattan. I've experienced our Family Court system firsthand and have had to navigate government systems that simply don't work.

At different points in my life, I've been many of the people our government is supposed to represent. I understand so many of the challenges New Yorkers face because I've lived many of them myself I never planned to run for office, and I'm not doing this to build a political career. I never planned to run for office, and I'm not doing this to build a political career. I want to live a life of purpose, and if I can change policies that make our streets safer, our city more affordable and life better for us and our children, then that's a purpose worth pursuing.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.