NYC Council District 9 Election: Keith Taylor Seeks Harlem Seat

HARLEM, NY — Voters in New York City's 9th Council district, which includes all of Central Harlem and parts of East Harlem and Washington Heights, will see 13 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Keith Taylor, a longtime member of Community Board 10, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, former NYPD executive and assistant commissioner for the Department of Corrections.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

55

Position Sought

City Council District 9

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

Central Harlem

Family

Wife, Danielle, Daughter, Elaina, Son, Keith Jr.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

2004 Doctorate of Education, Columbia University; 2013 Master of Arts, Naval Postgraduate School; 1992 Master of Arts, City College of New York; 1988 Bachelor of Science, Howard University

Occupation

Adjunct Assistant Professor, John Jay College, 2018- Present; Assistant Commissioner, NYC Department of Correction- 2015-2017; Sergeant Special Assignment, NYPD- 1991-2015; Caseworker, Harlem Dowling Westside Childrens Services- 1988-1991

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.taylormadeforharlem.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running to utilize my knowledge, skills and abilities as a former New York City assistant commissioner, law enforcement professional, and emergency management professional to address systemic issues the Central Harlem community is facing, including lack of affordable housing, chronic underemployment, and continued educational challenges.

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

COVID-19 Crisis and its aftermath (looming individual and small business evictions; COVID-19 disparate treatment and access outcomes; education inequities and learning loss; greater unemployment impacts). I will create legislation to effectively mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the Harlem community and will work tireless to address not only the problems caused by COVID-19 but also address the systemic inequities that existed in Harlem before the COVID-19 crisis existed.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My thirty years of public service starting as caseworker and ending as commissioner; my academic preparation as an educator; my professional board certifications as an emergency manager and protection professional; my 15 years as local block association and community board leadership positions; and my three decades of volunteer service in many different types and kinds of organizations to better the Village of Harlem.

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

I am interested in providing my experience, dedication and leadership to address the current and systemic problems Harlem is facing in affordable housing, chronic underemployment; looming evictions, and educational challenges, to name a few.

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

From March 2020 to March 2021 I was deployed upstate with the New York Guard providing humanitarian support for Joint Task Force Operation COVID-19. My team helped distribute almost 400 tons of sanitizer to communities throughout NYC and NYS.

Many in Harlem are worried about gentrification and the displacement of longtime residents. What is one specific policy you would push for to slow gentrification?

Strengthen and expand protections for low- and middle-income affordable housing, and both prioritize and incentivize building new developments that are deeply affordable and accessible to the long-time residents of Harlem.

Some Harlem residents complain that the neighborhood is “over-saturated” with methadone clinics. Would you welcome more services for vulnerable people in the neighborhood, or push for a moratorium?

As a Harlem's City Council representative, I will fight for the reduction of substance use program capacities and other facilities related to addiction, mental health, and homelessness within East and Central Harlem. While government and private treatment providers have a responsibility to provide vulnerable New Yorkers with effective, small-scale, addiction rehabilitation, mental health, and homelessness services, they should be located in all New York neighborhoods to serve the local populations in need. Large-scale substance abuse programs operating in East and Central Harlem have long been detrimental to the safety and quality of life of Harlem residents. Specifically, the daily presence of illegal drug dealers on our streets is driven by the concentrated number of vulnerable patients who attend the disproportionately large outpatient substance use programs in East and Central Harlem. As a long-term resident and community activist, I am committed to the safety, health, and well-being of all Harlem residents, small business owners, guests, and visitors. Because of this, as Central Harlem’s City Council representative I will fight for an immediate moratorium on new or expanded chemical dependency treatment programs in our community, a 20% reduction in OASAS-certified opioid treatment capacities, and for a fair share of harm reduction facilities to be located in each district where there is a need. Every New York neighborhood must take on its fair share of these programs and Harlem needs relief from the disproportionate burden that it has struggled under.

Many Harlemites have complained of dirty streets during the pandemic. How would you help clean up the sidewalks?

As city councilmember I will hold the Sanitation Department accountable to keeping the streets of Harlem clean by monitoring dedicated litter basket service as well as utilizing community engagement programs such as Community Clean-Up vans and the Precision Cleaning Initiative.

Plans were recently unveiled for a large new development on 145th Street — it would include up to 282 affordable apartments, but some neighbors suggested that the buildings are too large for the neighborhood. As Council Member, would you support this project, oppose it, or push to change it?

Over the past decades, I have watched as developers have demolished historic building after building with no relief in sight and no way to realistically fight for a community the rest of the world celebrates, treasures and visits- the birthplace of many artistic, educational, military, and political contributions from people of African descent to the rest of humanity- from the Harlem Hellfighters to the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement to the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements happening now. Harlem always has been and will continue to be a “Mecca” for the African diaspora and worthy of preservation for and celebration by future generations. As City Councilmember I will support development that is contextual with existing neighborhood norms.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign platform descriptions are available at:
https://www.taylormadeforharle...

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a NYC assistant commissioner, I managed an intelligence bureau with a multimillion dollar budget and a staff of over sixty uniformed and civilian NYC DOC employees. As a twelve year member of the local community board, I served in leadership for many years as first vice chair, Economic Development Committee Chair, Public Safety Committee Chair, and currently as Landmarks Committee Vice Chair. As a local block association, I proposed to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee a Central Harlem historic district which will be the first in NYC history to be named after an African-American; as an educator I was a founding board member of a successful STEM charter school in the Bronx. These are examples of vision turned into action resulting in real accomplishments to improve NYC communities.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

An observation by Frederick Douglass- Without struggle there is no progress.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My promise to the residents of Harlem is that as your representative to the New York City Council I will work tirelessly to disrupt and destroy the forces that perpetuate the systemic poverty, discrimination and disempowerment of our community to successfully address the historic and enduring problems of the Harlem community.