NYC Council District 9 Election: William Allen 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 William Allen, founder of the Uptown Democratic Club and former National Crisis and Service Director at the National Action Network.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

62

Position Sought

New York City- City Council, District 9

Party Affiliation

Democratic

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

Harlem

Family

N/A

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Started BA in Political Science, Fordham University; completed BA - The City College of New York, MS - Hunter College, MPA - John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY); accepted into New York Law School and Rutgers University to attempt a JD and PhD in Urban Systems, respectively.

Occupation

Harlem Democratic District Leader; Delegate, New York County First Judicial Convention – 1st District; Chair of the National Action Network Crisis Advisory Council; Public Affairs Consultant; Lecturer in Crisis Management, Public Leadership and Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) as well as Adjunct Professor in Graduate Studies in Public Administration at the Metropolitan College of NY.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

NAN Representative to the NYPD Community Affairs Consortium
Member, Faculty Senate, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of CUNY
Co-Founder & Trustee, Harlem Hebrew Public Charter School
Board Chair & Trustee, Sisulu-Walker Public Charter School of Harlem
Faculty Advisor, John Jay College Student Council
Member, Student & Public Affairs Committees, CUNY Board of Trustees
Vice Chair for Graduate Student Affairs, CUNY Student Senate (USS)
Chair, Council of CUNY Student Government Presidents
President, Hunter College Graduate Student Council
CCNY Student Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Dominica
President, CCNY Graduating Class
Member, CCNY Honorary Degree Committee
Member, CCNY Medical School Implementation Committee
National Vice President, College Democrats of America
Steering Committee Chair, U.S. Student Association
Director, CUNY Student Voter Education Campaign
Chair, CCNY Student Legal Center
Member, CCNY President’s Policy Advisory Committee
Member, CCNY Presidential Inauguration Committee
CCNY Student Ombudsman
Delegate, Democratic National Convention
Vice Chair, NYC Youth Employment, Training & Planning Council
Vice Chair, Youth Advisory Council of the NYC Youth Board
Member, National Urban Coalition Task Force on Employment
Treasurer, Community School Board, District 5
Acting President & Trustee, Community School – District 5
Co-Chair, Manhattan Borough President’s Youth Task Force
U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Youth Envoy to the United Arab Republic of Egypt
Secretary, Manhattan Community Board 10

Campaign website

www.williamallennyc.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running to represent Harlem, from the east, west, north and south, which is the 9th District of the New York City Council. I want to be the Harlem voice in our city. I am deeply rooted in this community and invested in the future of Harlem because a better Harlem means a better New York. I am running because I believe that by working together at all levels of community and government, we can assure that this city belongs to all of us. I have been a community leader most of my life and all of my adult life. As an educator, I have seen how our children can succeed and how there still exist systemic obstacles that impede hope for their great futures. As the Harlem Democratic District Leader, I know that an engaged electorate can claim its power and use it to determine its own leadership. As a former elections chief, I know that representation matters when it comes to protecting our democracy. Our communities have been in crisis far too long; we are overpoliced and underprotected. I have always put work over words and that is why I am running to serve District 9.

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

My number one issue on my agenda that will be addressed is systemic racism and social justice reform (Wealth Gap, Housing Security, Quality Education). Equity and justice go hand in hand and the residents of District 9 need a candidate that will ensure they have increased economic and housing opportunities.

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

As the Harlem Democratic District Leader, I know that an engaged electorate can claim its power and use it to determine its own leadership. As a former elections chief, I know that representation matters when it comes to protecting our democracy. As a life-long Harlem resident as well as having a long-tenured background in community leadership and civic engagement mentoring, I know how to help people move from waiting for someone to lead to becoming a leader. With my extensive listing of public and community service, it is difficult to provide all of my information on this platform.

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

While I haven’t been able to review and assess all of the current incumbent’s votes in the Council, I know that his voice and presence appeared to have been absent from key issues impacting Harlem and other communities of long standing need.
The incumbent, Bill Perkins, has maintained a solid progressive record through most of his 40-year public and political career (almost 16 years in the New York City Council, with a 8-year break in the New York State Senate), but he has been ranked 51 of 51 members by City & State New York. The ranking identifies seven criteria to assess each member: attendance record, the number of bills introduced and signed into law, responsiveness to questions from constituents and from the media, and public prominence.

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

From my perspective and sadly, my current City Council Member appeared to have been absent during the COVID crisis due to his own personal crisis. To give some credit, I have seen his staff do their best to create some level of a presence in his office via distributing masks, water, book bags, food and other items in the district. However, when there were questions about access to critical COVID services, the council member was simply not present to lead or hear the pain endured by his neighbors.
As a leader and a teacher, I know when the meeting is over and the semester has ended. I would not allow my own personal challenges to impede upon my duties to protect those that care enough to elect me to be their representative. Nonetheless, I would hire the best possible staff that could reflect my values, ability to also lead and represent the district. Confronting the legislative process could be daunting, but meeting with your constituents, assessing their needs and getting them involved in the process, shouldn’t be difficult. Most constituents just want to be heard, lead to existing resources and feel that you’re with them in their journey for justice.

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?

To slow gentrification, I will work to provide tenant protections, provide tenants who are being displaced with lawyers, keep rent stabilized units, keep affordable housing, provide opportunities for home ownership, and encourage local business.

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?

I will push for the moratorium.

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

The City took away garbage cans which is a huge issue. I will work to restart city education outreach campaigns called "Keep Harlem Clean". There needs to be more clean street education among the constituents, especially for the youth.

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?

I want to represent the community, and I do not speak for all of Harlem. I will meet with the constituents, with developers, and community board leadership to decide what is best for Harlem regarding the new development. With the new development, there must be rent stabilized units, affordable housing, and opportunities for home ownership.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

This is a campaign for Harlem’s soul. It is about matching a community’s legacy with a solid bridge to its future. As a life-long Harlem resident as well as my long-tenured background in community leadership and civic engagement mentoring, I know how to help people move from waiting for someone to lead to becoming a leader.
With Economic Equity, Social Justice and Housing Justice, we can confirm the American dream for those that came to Harlem to escape injustice and found the same bigotry in New York City.
In Economic Equity, I have a Victory Plan for Universal Basis Income that will give people agency over their lives and provide them with the resources needed to fight for social, housing and climate justice. Our seniors are being forced out and young people cannot move into Harlem. My Victory Plan will promote a livable city for those striving and for those who are most vulnerable to the economic downturns.
In Social Justice, I have a Victory Plan for rethinking policing, education, and jobs access to ensure that this current decade make Harlem residents see themselves as fully valued. As the National Crisis Director of the National Action Network, a major civil rights organization, I came to see that housing was the top issue facing Harlem residents. We saw in 2020 that justice still visit only a few Americans and that we must promote equality and equity. There must be a real investment in public education from elementary to college. Opportunities for civic engagement must be fully supported in all public institutions and those that are publicly funded.
In Housing Justice, I have a Victory Plan to reinvest in NYCHA, strengthen rent stabilization laws, advocate for a new Mitchell-Lama 2.0 and create a real path to property ownership in the fight against the current aggressive gentrification. We must increase housing affordability and protection long-term residents, including our elderly and young people.

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

After the senseless murders of his brother, two first cousins and countless friends before he turned 21 years old, William Allen has maintained a life dedicated to public and community service to ensure that young people could live safely and succeed in urban America. Allen credits the training he received through the NAACP, the New York City Mission Society and The City University of New York as his most important civic leadership tools.
Recently, William Allen was chosen as the National Crisis and Service Director of the National Action Network by the Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton, its President, to lead an effort to ensure that black communities, across the United States, have effective crisis response systems, especially the ones needed for civil rights violations.
Allen was one of the first teenagers appointed to a local community board in New York City and later appointed as the youngest trustee of a community school district in New York State. Today, Allen spends most his time developing citizen leadership, service, crisis response and restorative justice programs throughout the United States. All of his efforts, make him, a sought-after lecturer, mentor, leadership coach, public policy advisor, campaign strategist, resource development consultant and grant writer for communities of long standing need. His civic activities remain vast, but his prominent role still include a long tenure as the Harlem Democratic District Leader. Allen is no stranger to the world of youth development, education, public health and most urban areas. During his college tenure as a student leader, he was the first non-white student to serve as a SGA Vice President at Fordham University and at CUNY, served as a student representative on various committees of the Board of Trustees. Most significant during his CUNY student days, he led protests against Apartheid in South Africa and successfully won Nelson Mandela, imprisoned at the time, an Honorary Doctor of Laws. William Allen has served as National Vice President of College Democrats of America, President of Communities in Schools of New Jersey, Interim Chief Operating Officer of Newark Community Health Centers and New York Metropolitan Chapter President of the American Society for Public Administration. Allen has spent most of his entire life being active in political, governmental, civic and fraternal organizations, including Pi Alpha Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, who honored him several times for his continuous civic leadership and mentoring of future leaders.
Prior to his executive appointment with the National Action Network, William Allen served as one of the few black election chiefs in America as the Manhattan Deputy Chief Clerk at the New York City Board of Elections. Allen graduated from the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art after attending local public schools in Harlem. Allen earned a B.A. in Speech and Urban Legal Studies from The City College of New York (CCNY); M.S. in Urban Affairs from Hunter College/CUNY and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY. He started PhD studies in Urban Systems at Rutgers University. During his CCNY days, he was in a joint college and law school with New York Law School. This joint partnership between CCNY and NYLaw lead to the creation of CUNY Law School. Allen is currently in the process of continuing his legal studies to practice law.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Keep God first, pray everyday, respect all.

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

This is a campaign for Harlem’s soul. It is about matching a community’s legacy with a solid bridge to its future. As a life-long Harlem resident as well as my long-tenured background in community leadership and civic engagement mentoring, I know how to help people move from waiting for someone to lead to becoming a leader. As the Harlem voice in the City Council, I will make sure that a better Harlem is a better New York City. I will use my institutional and community building skills to bring new voices into community leadership and accountability. I would foster new hope to reveal that a people who recognize its differences, can work together to build a far greater city, and fulfill the promises of Harlem’s heroes - Marcus Garvey, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Frederick E. Samuel and those that continue their legacies.