DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Julie Won ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 1st
Age: 31 Occupation: IBM iX, Digital Strategy & Experience – Global Garage COC Education: Syracuse University (B.A. English and International Relations)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Julie Won is a managing consultant for IBM iX and board member for Queens Community Board 2, while volunteering for a variety of local organizations. Won is focusing her campaign on progressive reforms to areas like housing, healthcare, and education resources for students with the growing “digital divide,” as she calls it. Won’s primary legislative goal is free wifi for all to close the digital divide and provide digital resources including government services and remote learning, among others. Won plans to use the City Council position to also fight for housing justice, with the full funding of NYCHA and a clear path for New Yorkers to become homeowners. Like many of the other democratic candidates across the city, Won promises to eliminate regulatory burdens for small businesses to help facilitate economic recovery from COVID-19. Citizens Union was impressed by her vision for the district, her forceful responses, and her familiarity with the issues. Although she lacks the government experience some other candidates in the race have, she was eager to learn and collaborate in the future. For these reasons, we prefer her in this race.
Amit Bagga ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 2nd
Occupation: Former Deputy Director for NYC Census
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Amit Bagga was most recently the Deputy Director for NYC Census 2020, and has extensive experience in city agencies, serving as Deputy Commissioner for both the Department of Social Services and Consumer Affairs under Mayor Bill de Blasio since 2013. Bagga’s biggest point of experience was his role in setting up IDNYC, a program for all individuals over the age of 10, regardless of immigration status, to receive identification cards to set up basic services like bank accounts. Bagga’s plans include rights for immigrants, tax relief, and housing for all. One of Bagga’s main focuses is for the right for immigrants that are permanent legal residents to vote in local elections. These New Yorkers are affected by all local policies, and Bagga advocates for their right to have a say in who gets elected to office. Citizens Union believes Bagga’s varied government experience makes him well qualified for the position, and he has worked on issues important to Citizens Union (cited the Census, IDNYC). He showed he understands policy, legislation, and the politics of getting things done, and stressed that he is the only candidate “ready on day 1.” Citizens Union prefers him as a second choice in this race.
Brent O’Leary ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 3rd
Age: 50 Occupation: Axiom, Legal Consultant Education: Trinity College (Bachelor’s History), Boston University (J.D.)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
For the past 2 years, Brent O’Leary has served as Legal Consultant as Axiom, while serving as President of the Board at Woodside on the Move. In recent years, O’Leary has fought as a community activist to keep overdevelopment out of Queens. O’Leary plans to continue this fight against overdevelopment in the City Council with the abolishment of the EDC and empower the department of City Planning to keep the community interests at the forefront of any development plans. Like the other candidates in the race, O’Leary advocates for supporting small businesses with rent cancellation if they were forced to close due to COVID-19, while also endorsing commercial rent regulations with options like 10-year leases. A well-known figure in the area, he founded two important community groups in Woodside and Hunters Point. Citizens Union was impressed by his record of service, especially during the pandemic, and his proven ability to bring the community together around issues. We prefer him as a third choice in this race.
Badrun Khan
Age: 48 Occupation: Financial Controller at the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp Education: Marymount Manhattan College (BA)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Badrun Khan is the current Financial Controller at the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, while also serving as the President of the Jalalabad Association. She has also previously served as a member on Queens Community Board 2. Khan’s campaign heavily focuses on healthcare and basic income for all New Yorkers. Her plan is to create a public-option for healthcare, while still giving New Yorkers the option to stay with their current plan. Khan also supports the idea of an UBI, or Universal Basic Income, of $2,000 for all adult citizens during the pandemic, to be reduced to $1,000 once the crisis is over. Citizens Union was impressed by Khan’s campaign and believes she would bring a real-world pragmatic perspective to the job.
Hailie Kim
Age: 28 Occupation: Adjunct instructor at Hunter College Education: SUNY Purchase (B.A. Literature), Hunter College (M.A. English)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Hailie Kim is currently an Adjunct instructor at Hunter College in English literature. Kim has been heavily involved in the community with her involvement organizing petitions for Earth Day awareness, a documentary on the Korean-American LGBTQIU community, and teaching Korean at the New York Presbyterian Church. Kim’s main legislative focus addresses the growing unemployment rate the city is facing. Kim promises to establish a new city agency that will provide basic fixed wage public service jobs with full benefits. She explained that these jobs would be focused on new or expanded programs and the amount of jobs would depend on the funding for the agency. For $1 billion funding, Kim estimates 25,000 residents could be employed.
Steven Raga
Age: 37 Occupation: Northeast Regional Manager for Policy & Advocacy for the Komen Foundation Education: SUNY Stony Brook University (B.A. Political Science), SUNY Stony Brook University (M.A. Public Policy)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Steven Raga is currently the Northeast Regional Manager for Policy & Advocacy for the Susan Komen Foundation, and previously served as Chief of Staff for a local Assembly Member in State District 30. Raga has experience in the district after years of local government work, and plans to use his experience to form policy that favors the local community. Raga’s campaign’s main policy focus is on tenant rights and housing affordability for all New Yorkers. Like the other candidates in this race, Raga supports the full funding of NYCHA to better the conditions of all residents. To combat the eviction issue many tenants are facing as a result of missed rent payments from COVID, Raga plans to form a subsidy program to help tenants pay missed rent and avoid eviction. He also supports fundamental changes to the housing issue with a change in how AMI is calculated to ensure the cost of living best fits the constituency. Citizens Union found Raga to be thoughtful and well prepared for the job.
The following candidates were not available for an interview:
Jonathan Bailey
Lorenzo Brea
Julia Forman
Glennis Gomez
Denise Keehan-Smith
Jesse Laymon
Sultan Maruf
Emily Sharpe
Ebony Young