Falcone: Public Safety Number 1 Job for City

Iya Falcone is not easily hobbled. The former two-term city councilmember slipped on an area rug last month and broke her ankle, so she’s now struggling to get around her house with a giant canvas boot around her leg. But her ambition, self-confidence, and grasp of city challenges are in fine working order.

With her campaign for City Council gearing up, this tough, transplanted New Yorker, who once worked as a crisis counselor for troubled adolescent girls, is eager to weigh in on the issues. In an interview last week, Falcone discussed, among other things, the need for more police officers to patrol individual neighborhoods‹preferably on bikes — the mentally ill homeless and kids aging out of foster care system — all priority issues for her. She received backing from the Democratic Central Committee — along with Cathy Murillo and Deborah Schwartz — then quickly picked up endorsements from the Police Officers Association (POA) and District Attorney Joyce Dudley, among others. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.