NYC Council District 26 Election: Jesse Laymon Seeks LIC 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 Jesse Laymon, former director of policy at NYC Employment and Training Coalition, and a full-time parent

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

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

39

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democratic

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

Dutch Kills

<b>Family</b>

I have a brilliant wife, Vicki, who works at an education nonprofit. We have a daughter, Roosevelt, who's 2 and a half and wonderfully precocious.

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

I'm the only one!

<b>Education</b>

Stuyvesant HS, University of Chicago

<b>Occupation</b>

Grassroots organizer, campaign manager, public policy director. Working in progressive movement politics since 2003.

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

Last year I ran against an incumbent Democratic District Leader as part of the New Reformers slate of candidates against Queens "machine" style politics, and I won with 60% of the vote.

<b>Campaign website</b>

www.laymonforqueens.com

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

I'm running to transform New York's economy and community into the most equitable and sustainable in America.
Last summer and fall I felt that the outgoing Mayor and City Council had failed in their duty and opportunity to rise up to the moment of upheaval and crisis our city was (and is) facing. We could have begun to transform our community into a more equitable one, but instead they chose to double down on status quo policies. I felt that as someone with a wealth of knowledge an deep experience in progressive policy alternatives, I had a responsibility to step up and offer my ideas for rebuilding our city post-COVID.

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

Rebuilding our City's physical environment and our economy post-COVID to create real sustainability, affordability, and equity. The truth is that the pandemic is effectively over, and our economy is starting to come back, but we've done far to little to address the underlying long-term structural problems that make the rich richer and harm low-income communities of color.
I've proposed a suite of transformative ideas, including a youth jobs guarantee, new bus rapid transit, shutting down urban fossil fuel power plants, and redirecting money away from state sanctioned violence and towards public goods like parks and sanitation.

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

I'm running in a crowded race with several other good people - I don't think any of my opponents are villains. I do think that I present two strong reasons for voters to choose to rank me #1 on their ballot:
1. I'm easily the most experienced candidate in the race with regard to progressive politics and issues. Many of my opponents have other valuable life experiences, but none have organized coalitions and campaigns for public causes as I have.
2. I think I've offered the clearest achievable proposals for what I'd do if elected - creating bus and bike lanes on specific streets in our neighborhood, ending the pollution from the local power plant, redirecting specific funds in the budget. I know many of us are broadly similar in terms of our overall progressive opinions, but I feel that voters can benefit from knowing exactly what I'd focus on in 2022 as their Councilmember.

<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>

I think they were unprepared and acted too slowly at every turn. Many of the things they chose to do were correct and appropriate - but were done weeks or months after they should've been. Everything from the shutdowns in the spring of 2020, to the opening of streets for businesses in the summer, to the reopening of schools in the fall were done later than they should've been. Even now, our leaders are missing the opportunity to get NYC's economy roaring this summer as vaccines have been victorious in ending the COVID epidemic in our area.

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

I've proposed ending corporate tax credits in NYC and using those resources to instead fund direct wage subsidies at small businesses - rewarding local businesses that hire young people from their communities citywide.
I've also proposed rezoning all of the city's fossil fuel infrastructure to decarbonize NYC while creating new space for housing and businesses that doesn't displace residents.

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

I ran the Voteblue campaign in Pennsylvania last fall that won that state's 20 Electoral Votes for Joe Biden and defeated Donald Trump; this was the most recent large-scale campaign I've run or been a part of, and I'm confident that that background in organizing will help me build effective coalitions to legislate in the Council.

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

Underpromise, overdeliver.

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

I pride myself on being a reasonable and rational thinker on all issues; I have deeply held values but I'm never wedded to particular approaches. If someone comes along with a new or better way to tackle a problem that I'm focused on, I'll never be closed-minded to their approach and I'll incorporate good new ideas into my vision consistently.