Troy Blackwell, 29
29 year old Troy Blackwell has worked at some of the highest levels of government. Now he’s looking to fight for his hometown neighborhood in the Bronx. An Obama White House alum and former aide on the Biden Harris campaign, he’s here to prove you’re never too young to lead.
Name: Troy Blackwell
Age: 29
Running For: New York City Council, District 15
What was the best piece of advice you received before running for office?
The best advice I ever received is that no one is too young to lead. When you think about social movements, both globally and in the United States, most movements have been led by young people. When you think about women's rights, civil rights and the LGBTQ community in the 60s -- those movements were led by young people. John Lewis was only 25 at the time he was in Selma. Then he went on to become one of our most beloved members of Congress.
If you think about our political process, then-senator Obama won the presidency in 2008 because of diverse coalition building, including bringing young Americans into the fold. The way the Obama campaign expanded digital engagement and fundraising made everything more accessible.
When did the light bulb go off? When did you realize you wanted to run for office?
I always knew that I wanted to work in public service but I really started thinking about running for office after 2016. All politics is local and it is at the local level that change can be most effective. I know what my community needs because I grew up and went to school in this district. I'm a product of both public housing and Title I public schools. I also lived off of food stamps and free school lunch similarly to many of the students from low-income households in my district. I’m a firm believer that you can teach someone policy but you can’t teach them to have a lived experience, which is why my own lived experiences help guide my professional decision making. I genuinely want to help people.
“If you think about our political process, then-senator Obama won the presidency in 2008 because of diverse coalition building, including bringing young Americans into the fold.”
There’s 51 NYC Council Districts. Tell me about your district. Which one are you running for and what are the issues are you hoping to tackle?
I am proud to be running for City Council District 15 in the Bronx! The Bronx is where I was raised, went to school, and still live. I am running due to the four crises we are facing: public health, housing justice, education equity, and the reckoning on race. The number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 100,000, thousands of residents are facing evictions, 77,000 students city-wide don’t have a laptop or tablet for remote learning, and police brutality hasn’t been appropriately addressed.
Data shows that 41% of my district is severely rent-burdened, one out of every four students are facing homelessness, and 38% of the Bronx doesn’t have home-internet. People are hurting and desperately need immediate help.
There are tens of thousands of gig workers (Uber drivers, Handy workers, etc) in NYC who are excluded from the City's paid sick day requirement and simply can't afford to stay home if they feel ill. This is why I support expanding the City's paid sick day requirement to cover gig workers.
There are thousands of everyday New Yorkers who work for companies that might not offer a 401k retirement savings plan, which is essential to building for the future. I’m in strong favor of a city law creating a government-sponsored 401k retirement savings plan for workers whose companies don't offer one. The proposed program would be voluntary for anyone working at least 20 hours a week and automatically withhold at least 3% of a paycheck, with investments run by a third-party administrator chosen by the city.
In regards to housing, I want to accelerate implementation of the NYC Right to Counsel program to all zip codes in the five boroughs so every New Yorker facing eviction during this crisis can have high-quality legal representation. Additionally, I want to transfer ownership of financially distressed properties to Community Land Trusts, or to nonprofit community organizations. This can be a pathway to the middle class in the Bronx and other urban communities.
There's 51 people on New York City Council. What perspectives do you think are kind of missing on that council? And what do you think are some unique perspectives that you're bringing?
As a Black, Latino, and openly gay millenial, I look forward to bringing all those perspectives with me to City Hall. With a foot in diverse communities, I have a unique understanding of the challenges that marginalized people are facing every day.
Although New York City is widely regarded as one of the most diverse cities in the United States, our municipal government doesn’t reflect that diversity. Out of 51 council members only five are members of the LGBTQ Caucus and all five council members are term limited in 2021. Additionally, there is no Black representation in the LGBTQ Caucus. We've only had one African American serve as Mayor out of the entire history of New York City. Almost 40% of the Bronx identifies as Black or African-American but that perspective is severely missing in our city government.
“As a Black, Latino, and openly gay millenial, I look forward to bringing all those perspectives with me to City Hall. With a foot in diverse communities, I have a unique understanding of the challenges that marginalized people are facing every day. “
We need more young people elected to office in New York City. Over half of city council members are over the age 40 and many are partners at law firms or own businesses. As my old boss Vice-President Harris’ would say -- we must be unburdened by what has been to see what can be. Millenials and Gen Z combined make up 40% of our national electorate. Young Americans are a huge voting bloc right now and our leaders need to do more to bring young Americans into the fold on policy. Young Americans are dealing with student loans, an unstable job market, and issues on affordable housing. Almost every other industry -- tech, innovation, finance, education -- has young people in positions of leadership. It is time that politics catch up.
What are some advantages and disadvantages you have as a young candidate?
The challenge of being a young person running for office is that sometimes people will write you off because they think you don't know what you're talking about. It is common to hear things like “You're 29 years old, I'm 50 years old. I know more than you. I understand this more than you do.” The second challenge is fundraising. Older candidates have larger networks and bigger rolodex of people they can call and ask for checks. Many young candidates don’t have friends that are partners at law firms or are in the C-suite at big companies.
I think the positive outlook to being a young candidate is actually everything that the naysayers repeat. Being the “new kid” means I'm working to bring new, fresh, and creative ideas to public office. Many of my friends didn't initially like politics because they thought politics was boring and complex but it's just that no one made it relatable to them. As both a young American and person of color, I am always thinking of tools and platforms to make issues of the day relatable to my community. This includes conducting interviews on Instagram live, creating group conversations on Clubhouse, and sharing news on Snap stories.
Young people are the largest voting bloc in the country. Having more young people visible in politics is a really good way to bring other young people into the process.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to another young person who's considering that run for office?
The first is exactly what was told to me: you're never too young to lead! If you have the will and capacity to lead then you should run for office. There will always be naysayers telling you that you are too young or that it isn’t your time -- but do not listen to them.
The second is that the earlier you start your campaign, the better it will be for you. Running for office is time consuming and election law is very nuanced. You have to talk to a lot of people, have to fundraise, meet legal requirements. etc. Give yourself enough time to put your ducks in a row.
The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.