Queens Gazette

Johnson Announces Run For City Council District 27


Democrat James Johnson (second from l.) has announced his candidacy for City Council District 27. He was joined by NYS Senator Leroy Comrie.

Democrat James Johnson (second from l.) has announced his candidacy for City Council District 27. He was joined by NYS Senator Leroy Comrie.

Democrat James Johnson has announced his candidacy for City Council in District 27. He is a community organizer and a lifelong resident of the Southeast Queens neighborhood of Cambria Heights.

According to Johnson’s campaign, he is devoted to building a brighter future for his community, and his focus is on securing a more equitable portion of city resources for education and small business support. He has worked as a community liaison for both the current Councilman and for the NYC Comptroller. He is prepared to put his City government experience to work to get his neighbors the resources they deserve and keep the municipal accountable to the community.

District 27 includes Cambria Heights, Hollis, Jamaica, St. Albans, Queens Village and Springfield Gardens, and the stakes for these neighborhoods couldn’t be higher. “We need to bring the community to the table in making the necessary decisions that will shape the policy to address these needs and many more,” Johnson says.

Johnson’s top three initiatives:

Education Funding Reform: Johnson has been critical of the inadequate funding level for our local schools for years. He has noted that it is inequitable to allow the City’s disadvantaged to continue to go on without a proportionate level of support from city, state and federal funds. He will work to shift the City’s education funding formula to ensure our young people have what they need.

Housing Justice: The New York City property tax system is broken. The homeowners in our district, and districts like ours, pay the lion’s share of the City’s property taxes while others enjoy years of tax abatements and credits. For the last two years, our City government has been discussing reforms to our property tax system. If elected, Johnson is ready to join that conversation. He will work to prioritize a fairer and more transparent property tax system that prioritizes relief for our low-income and senior homeowners.

Community-led Economic Development: Johnson will focus on bringing more economic development dollars to the district and prioritize establishing a vacant commercial property tax to force landlords to give Southeast Queens businesses and entrepreneurs a chance. He will make sure that the dollars he secures are to bring the types of businesses to our community that we need most, those that are for us and by us.

To learn more about James Johnson, visit jamesjjohnsonforcitycouncil.com.

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