Shaun Donovan, one of the many candidates running for New York City mayor, says his experience serving eight years as housing secretary for former President Barack Obama is what the city needs to move forward.

"New York is in crisis and we need a mayor who understands how to lead and rebuild the city from crisis,” he told News 12.

Donovan is a lifelong New Yorker with close ties to the Biden administration. He says he’s laser-focused on making sure a person’s ZIP code doesn’t determine quality of life in the city.

“I was housing commissioner in the city in the week of 9/11. President Obama asked me to be his housing secretary in the midst of the worst housing crisis in our lifetimes. When Sandy hit our shores, he asked me to lead the entire federal recovery – and then he asked me to lead the $4 trillion federal budget and work with Dr. Fauci and so many other leaders to get Ebola and Zika under control,” he says.

Donovan told News 12 that the city needs $40 billion to “rebuild our public housing” and plans to use his contacts in Washington to push that through.

“I know how to unlock what could be billions of dollars to get our restaurants cooking in their time of need and to feed those were going hungry,” he added. “Our restaurants can cook emergency meals, paid for by FEMA.”

Donovan listed three things that need to be done for housing: Make it affordable, reimagine right to shelter as right to housing and end homelessness.

Extended interviews with Shaun Donovan and the rest of the candidates can be found here.

May 28 is the last day to register to vote in person or have mail-in applications postmarked by. Anyone that needs to change their address needs to do so by June 2. Primary Election Day is June 22.