NYC Council District 26 Election: Denise Keehan-Smith Seeks Seat

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Democratic voters in New York City's 26th Council district, which includes Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Dutch Kills, and parts of Astoria, will see 15 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election — making it one of the most crowded primary races in the city.

One of those names will be Denise Keehan-Smith, a former Community Board 2 Chairwoman

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Keehan-Smith's responses are below.

<b>Age (as of Election Day)</b>

54

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council District 26

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democrat

<b>Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)</b>

Woodside

<b>Family</b>

Casey Smith, Husband
Doris Keehan, Mother

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

No

<b>Education</b>

P.S. 11
St. Sebastian’s Catholic Academy
Bryant High School
BA from City College, CUNY
Master's Degree in the Management of Technology from NYU Tandon School of Engineering

<b>Occupation</b>

Former Global Account Director at Sabre, 30 years of experience.

<b>Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office</b>

Former Community Board 2 Chairwoman (2016-2020)
Former Community Board 2 Member (2012-2020)

<b>Campaign website</b>

https://denisekeehansmith.com/

<b>Why are you seeking elective office?</b>

I am seeking elective office because I believe we need someone to steer our Western Queens neighborhoods back in the right direction. Now more than ever, our community needs a trusted leader to move us into the future. We are at a pivotal time in our city's history in which decisions made today will impact us for decades. I believe that through my experience as Community Board 2 Chairwoman and Big Six Towers President, I am ready to hit the ground running on day one in office to get the job done for our community's workers and families.

<b>The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

The single most pressing issue facing our district is public safety. Our streets and our subways are not safe right now, and there has been a rise in hate crime, particularly towards our Asian-American population. To combat crime and help our individuals and families feel safe in our neighborhoods, I will review the current crime statistics and determine where we could increase or decrease the number of officers within a specific neighborhood, and develop a targeted action plan to assign multilingual officers to neighborhoods where there are fewer English-speaking residents to help facilitate a stronger relationship between law enforcement and community members. I will also work with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to take preventative action when working with those suffering from mental illness.

<b>What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?</b>

There are several critical differences between my opponents and me. I am the only candidate in this field who was born and raised in the district. Growing up in Woodside taught me what truly matters to our community, and I believe that it provides me with the unique local perspective to move our neighborhoods into the future. For thirty years, I worked at a global travel technology company, and I have the most relevant community leadership experience of anyone in the field given my time serving as Community Board 2 Chairwoman and Big Six Towers President.

<b>If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)</b>

N/A

<b>How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?</b>

While I believe the most critical response to the coronavirus was at the state and federal level, I think that our current City Councilman could have done a better job acting as a resource to our local community members during the worst of the crisis in 2020. Unlike our current councilman, I stayed in the district from March through December of 2020 when COVID-19 was raging through our neighborhoods. I served as Community Board 2 Chairwoman until June, and I felt that it was critical that I stay at home and serve as a resource to individuals who needed help the most.

<b>Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.</b>

Aside from improving public safety and delivering on a comprehensive COVID-19 recovery, my campaign's top issues are creating more affordable housing, revitalizing small businesses, helping our homeless population, protecting our seniors, and advocating for a more resilient transit system.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

In every position that I've held, I've never been afraid to take an unpopular position to do something that I felt was right for the neighborhoods. While serving as Community Board 2 Chairwoman, I challenged the bike lane designs of Skillman and 43rd Avenues that I felt created safety hazards or impeded on business owners accessing their loading zones. I also accepted an appointment to the Amazon Community Advisory Council because I knew it was vital that I had a voice in the process to ensure Amazon would act with our local residents and neighborhoods' interests first. Not everyone agreed. Some thought I should not be part of the process and pressured me to step down from the Amazon Council. I believed it would have been irresponsible for me to do so. I remained until Amazon decided to move their HDQ elsewhere. In the City Council, we need less groupthink and more individual voices that reflect real communities. I've demonstrated that I have the independent voice and courage to get things done for the people of the 26th District.

<b>The best advice ever shared with me was:</b>

Always do your best.
Don't take anything personally.
If you're going through hell, keep going.

<b>What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

Life experiences are much more important to me than anything material. I love all animals, but dogs are my favorite people. I am an avid walker and dancer, and try to practice yoga daily. If I had to choose between a nap or a snack, I would almost always choose a nap. I try to find humor in stressful situations. I'm always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. I fight like hell for the underdog and injustice. I've always done what I believe to be the right thing for the neighborhood. I've learned to forgive myself for past mistakes and remind myself regularly that everything, is going to be ok.