Brooklyn Borough President Race: Trisha Ocona Seeks Office

BROOKLYN, NY — As early voting begins in New York City, the stage is set for voters in Brooklyn to choose who will become their next borough president.

The June 22 primary will feature 12 Democratic candidates vying to replace Borough President Eric Adams, who is running to become New York City's next mayor.

Among them is Trisha Ocona, a small business owner and an advocate against predatory housing in Brooklyn.

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

Position Sought

Brooklyn Borough President

Party Affiliation

Democratic Party

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

East Flatbush

Family

I have three children: two daughters and a son. They are 11, 5, and 4 years old.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

NO

Education

I attended Philippa Schuyler Middle School For The Gifted and Talented, Nazareth Regional High School, and attended New York University

Occupation

Global Community and Housing Educator and Strategist, Twenty Years Experience. CUNY real estate educator for 11 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Appointed Board Director, NYS Department of State Real Estate Board Division of Licensing
Chairperson, and former Housing Committee Brooklyn Community Board 17. I was also

Campaign website

www.TrishaOcona.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

As a Brooklyn native and resident my entire life, I have seen administrations come and go. Throughout my time in Brooklyn, I have seen certain communities go unseen and unheard by leadership and I’m ready to change that. I am a community educator and strategist who is the mother of school-age children, daughter to senior citizen parents, and I am a small business owner. I truly understand the issues facing Brooklyn because those issues are my issues. As I strive to find solutions to these issues every day in my personal life, I am eager to see the type of solutions I can bring with the power of Borough Hall behind me. I plan to create an inclusive, collaborative, and representative form of leadership through advisory councils made up of community members who will advise me on various issues. This will ensure that everyone in Brooklyn has a seat at the table to motivate change. In addition, the pandemic has brought on one of the worst housing crises and as a housing professional for over twenty years, I am the candidate who is best equipped to solve these problems. I have had over a decade of experience in Community Boards, I am a real estate instructor, and I am an appointed member of the New York State Department of State’s Real Estate Board. A lack of secure housing is the catalyst to so many other issues such as homelessness, crime, violence, and drug abuse. We must address issues surrounding housing to ensure safety and prosperity in Brooklyn.

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

Housing is the most pressing issue facing Brooklyn. First, I have worked with my NY Senator to reintroduce Senate Bill S1256A, the Cease-and-Desist bill. It has passed in the NY Senate but is still up for debate in the NY Assembly. I have been advocating for the passing of this bill intended to protect ALL of Brooklyn from predatory housing practices, blockbusting, and gentrification. I have been putting pressure on my Assemblyman to take action. In addition, I have already begun reviewing the current Brooklyn ULURP applications that will need my recommendation. I work closely with Community Boards to make the best, most informed decision on behalf of the community. I will also do my best to educate Brooklynites and increase transparency when it comes to information. I will also be dedicating staff members to holding developers accountable when promises are made to the city. Too often, developers make promises to negotiate contracts and then those promises are never met. I will hold them accountable to those promises and ensure that all development benefits Brooklyn and its residents, not just those profiting off of the development.

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

I am not a politician. I am Unbossed and Unbought. I am a grassroots candidate who has not received any donations from developers, political action committees, or any donors from outside of the city. I have not held political office so I do not owe anyone any favors nor do I have any special interest groups motivating my agenda. I am a community educator and strategist who my neighbors call on when they need solutions because I can produce them. I spend every day solving challenges in my community and I am ready to gain the resources of Borough Hall to maximize my efforts and improve Brooklyn for everyone. I am also equipped with robust housing experience that other candidates simply do not have. I am a Woman of Color, a mother, and the daughter of senior citizen parents, so I truly understand the issues facing every generation of Brooklyn.

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

First of all, I would do everything in my power to pass the S1256A Cease-and-Desist BIll. This will help protect homeowners when the rent and mortgage moratorium ends in September. The current leadership has dragged its feet in doing so. I have not been impressed with the coronavirus response. Homelessness is on the rise, gun violence is on the rise, and small businesses have suffered immensely. These issues are changing our neighborhoods in negative ways and I haven’t seen much of a strategy to combat these issues and find substantive solutions. I would work with the community to create solutions that serve the community. I would increase community policing efforts, I would increase access to affordable housing, and I would support small business owners who have trouble competing with corporations who are wielding more power and presence in our communities.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I have created volunteer advisory councils that I have personal experience in, that are made up of community leaders, advocate organizations, and professional experts. Since I was young I always found a seat at the table. I am going to bring that same seat and voice to Brooklynites across our borough through these councils. Any Brooklynite can join #TeamOcona at www.trishaocona.com
-Housing and Land Use
-Education and Employment
-Youth Development and the Aging
-Community Policing, Public Safety and Prison Reform
-Small Business and Economic Development
-Health, Food and the Pandemic
-Additional Auxiliary Councils on www.trishaocona.com

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

The Borough President is responsible for appointing fifty percent of the community board members. I am the immediate past chairperson of the Housing Committee Brooklyn’s Community Board 17, and worked closely with the land use committee. I was one of the youngest members at the time of my appointment to the board, I served a decade on the board, and I was a member of the youth committee. I also helped develop the block and tenant association committee. The Borough President is responsible for giving a recommendation for the ULURP zoning application. I know how to educate, research and strategize what is best for our community with twenty years of housing and real estate experience, plus teaching it at CUNY. I helped introduce the NYS Cease and Desist non-solicitation order that would stop homeowner harassment and prevent gentrification. I continue to advocate for the passing of the bill which is currently up for debate in the NY Assembly.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“If You Refuse To Accept Anything But The Best You Very Often Get It”

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

I am a lifelong Brooklyner, mother to school aged children, daughter to senior citizen parents, M/WBE small business owner striving for a better Brooklyn that we all need. I am first-generation American and I am an Afro-Caribbean/Latina woman. I understand the struggles, the hardships, and the daily challenges of our Brooklyn community because their issues are my issues. Every day, I am working to find solutions to make my community better