Election Q&A: Meet Upper East Side Candidate Caroline Shinkle

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Republican nominee Caroline Shinkle is running for Congress in District 12, which includes the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island, Hell's Kitchen, Midtown, Chelsea, NoMad, Flatiron and Union Square, in New York City's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

In November, Shinkle will face off against Micah Lasher, the Democratic nominee, as well as two independent candidates, Wilneida Negron and Karen Ortiz.

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Early voting runs Oct. 24–Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Shinkle 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 Shinkle said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

SHINKLE: Midtown Manhattan.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

SHINKLE: English and French, and fluent in Economics and American taxpayer.

PATCH: What's your professional and educational background?

SHINKLE: I earned my undergraduate degree from MIT (Bachelor of Science in Economics & Minors in Management and French) and my law degree from Harvard Law School (JD).

I've worked in central banking around the world and here at home—my professional experience spans the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, and the Bank of Israel in Jerusalem, Israel. Post-law school, I've practiced corporate law at a leading international law firm in Manhattan.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

SHINKLE: I rent in the city.

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

SHINKLE: I will improve the affordability of New York City by addressing the root cause of the problem: by offering legislation tuned to reducing tax on work, driving down the cost of money, incentivizing productivity, curing inflation, and balancing the federal budget. Each of these policies is essential to not further debasing the value of the U.S. dollar, which in itself is a key driver of affordability. I will also strategically cut the overburdensome regulatory framework that is driving up the cost of energy and adversely impacting the supply of housing. The cost of electricity in New York should be well below the national average.

There is no reason why New York City cannot benefit from the economies of scale inherent in its large population. The cost of living should be lower here because we have a larger population base through which to defray costs. Many years of failed bureaucratic thinking have poisoned the efficiency of the New York City economic model. For far too long, we've all been conditioned to tolerate the "New York price" and expect high crime, waste, and corruption. I will incentivize work by rewarding work and reducing cost transfers from earned income. Poor public policy, resulting in cost transfers from the pockets of the American worker, are squeezing the people who have built and maintain this city. This failure ends now.

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

SHINKLE: 1) Support our men and women in blue while developing a rapid removal process for failed prosecutors who have a record of politicizing their job as prosecutors; 2) Support federal law enforcement and their mission of enforcing our federal immigration laws to remove the worst of the worst criminals from our streets and communities.

PATCH: What changes would you support to ICE's authority and funding, and how would those priorities guide your votes in Congress?

SHINKLE: My priority is how best to achieve optimum public safety and to not politicize law enforcement.

Local and federal law enforcement should work together and coordinate their actions to support strong public safety, in the interest of protecting our communities. This is common sense, as any objective observer without a political agenda to promote, will tell you. We cannot play politics with our safety and our city.

We should support federal law enforcement's focusing on its mission of removing from our streets the worst of the worst dangerous criminals who are in our country illegally. Again, this is common sense. What we can never do is put the interests of illegal criminals above the interests of the hardworking American taxpayers. It is the latter to whom we as elected officials, and aspiring elected officials, owe our allegiance and must support and prioritize.

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

SHINKLE: I will seek to have a positive working relationship with the Trump Administration, as I will with any administration and any lawmaker and leader who is willing to come to the table to advance the interests of New York City. I will seek to leverage this working relationship to deliver critical federal funding for my district and deliver positive performance for my constituents, rather than being singularly focused on impeachment and obstruction from day 1 and accomplishing nothing productive.

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

SHINKLE: Primarily, exemplary experience and achievement in the areas most needed to address the most salient issues facing our district and the country. I bring to the table MIT problem-solving skills, an understanding of economics, and how to resolve the cost of living crisis. I will put my record of experience and achievement up against any national candidate running for office today, not to mention my utterly weak opponent, Mamdani Supporter Micah Lasher, who refuses to debate me. That alone should disqualify him, not to mention he is bought and paid for by special interests.

My opponent, Micah Lasher, endorsed Mamdani immediately, continues to support Mamdani and the DSA agenda, and has been in hiding since June. He does not campaign in the district. Therefore, he is not a serious candidate. He is weak, and he will be a rubber stamp for Mamdani and the DSA.

However, I represent enterprise, common sense, and demonstrated excellence. The choice could not be more night and day.

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