Keith Powers excited by Harris-Walz enthusiasm at DNC

New York City Council Member Keith Powers is navigating a crucial moment in his political career, having recently announced his candidacy for Manhattan borough president now that incumbent Mark Levine is running for city comptroller. Having served in the City Council since the start of 2018, the term-limited council member representing Manhattan’s East Side and Midtown has focused on stabilizing housing, supporting small businesses and addressing quality-of-life issues. As a first-time delegate at the Democratic National Convention, Powers said he was enthusiastic about the presidential ticket and their potential impact. In an interview with City & State from the DNC, Powers highlighted the urgency of tackling housing insecurity and investing in neighborhood stability. He is focused on leveraging his experience as a lifelong Manhattan resident to address the borough’s most pressing challenges. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What has Chicago been like so far for the Democratic National Convention? Have you been a delegate before?

This is my first time being a delegate and so it’s a totally new experience. Part of the early steps of being here is getting accustomed to the lay of the land and where things are, but so far, it’s been great. There’s so much enthusiasm for the presidential ticket, a lot of enthusiasm for the way the race is going the last few weeks, and I think for a lot of us, first-time delegates and long-term delegates, it’s a lot of excitement to be participating in a really important process.

You recently announced your bid for Manhattan borough president. What do you want to do in that job, and why did you want to run for it?

I grew up in Manhattan and when I was growing up in Manhattan, it was a place where folks who own small businesses, where a nurse, could raise a family. I know that because those are my parents, and they were able to do that because we provided good housing, a safe neighborhood, good schools and a good way to make a living. I hear constantly from families and people my age who are raising families who feel like that opportunity is fleeting. So we have a lot of work to do to stabilize our neighborhoods, empower small businesses, address the housing crisis, continue to invest in programs like pre-K and 3-K that I think really keep families in places like Manhattan. Going beyond that, I think for the long-term future of what Manhattan is and will be, it’s the economic engine of our city, it’s the cultural heartbeat of this entire nation, it’s a center of opportunity in our city and if we don’t continue to invest in it, we are going to lose that. And so I have been working on a lot of those issues while I’ve been in the council and fortunate to represent the area I grew up in. I want an opportunity to continue to be able to do that type of work.

What policies would you continue from Mark Levine?

Mark’s been the leader on housing. I care deeply about these issues. I think you don’t have a city if you’re not offering opportunity to all types of people to be able to live in a desirable neighborhood, close to their job, close to their schools and to build a type of housing that can be multigenerational, like the neighborhood I grew up in. So that’s a start. That’s a great starting point. I also think Mark is focused very well on issues around the city that don’t get enough attention. I love his campaign around public bathrooms and expanding access to it. It’s the type of thing that I think New Yorkers kind of think about. We don’t ever feel like officials themselves meet them at that place, (but) I think Mark’s done a good job with that.

What are your thoughts on next year’s mayoral race?

As I’m running, the entire city will be having a conversation around what the future of the city is. We know it’s going to be exciting and competitive to have that going on at the same time as other races. I think we’re going to be talking about a lot of the same issues I’m talking about in my campaign: cost of living, quality of life (and) public safety. It’s going to be an exciting opportunity, but certainly very competitive it seems like.

Do you think you’ll support Eric Adams for reelection?

I’m focusing on my own race right now. I haven’t made any decisions about the mayoral race, but I want to work with whoever the next mayor is to address the issues that I’ve been talking about.

Who do you think could be the next City Council speaker?

I have some great colleagues, and I’ve gone through this process, so I’m going to keep my opinions to myself. I think there’s a lot of great, really qualified members and I’m excited to see a lot of them. The one thing I learned in the speaker’s race is that it changes throughout the race, so we’ll see.

How have you adapted to no longer being City Council majority leader?

I still get to work on issues I care deeply about, and it gives me a lot of time to focus on issues like how (we) strengthen our neighborhoods, how we build the type of housing we want, how to create opportunity. I’m grateful to be able to do that work and I love being a City Council member, I love this job. You can have all the titles in the world, (but) the most important thing is how you can help people.

What do you think is the most pressing issue for the area you serve?

No. 1 is housing and housing insecurity and that can be anybody, that could be a senior who’s facing high rent and struggling to figure out whether they’ll have an opportunity to continue to live in the neighborhood they live in. It could be a young person who is trying to create a future for themselves in a neighborhood and they’re looking at the prices of buying a home in the COVID-19 recovery world (and) still yearning to see the government meet them where they’re at.

What do you think will set you apart from any other contenders for the borough president’s office?

My entire life I have lived in Manhattan, and I think I deeply understand what the issues are and how to solve for them. I look at all the people that I know from my life growing up here in Manhattan, and think about their stories every day. Those small-business owners, those young people that want to be here, the seniors who are facing a housing market that is difficult to afford. So I look around and I really can pull from the stories of my experience of growing up in the city and try to find solutions to those problems (that) actual people are facing. In my seven years in the council, I’ve tried to do that and I think we have a bigger opportunity to do more.

What do you think about the fight over Elizabeth Street Garden?

I’ve heard from so many different sides of this. Look, I’ve been a champion for housing. I definitely understand how much housing we need, I understand how hard it is for a lot of folks to look at and cherish open space and see that go away. So I’m hopeful we can find a way to make sure that both sides feel like they’ve gotten something out of this. Long term, we don’t want to have to put open spaces against housing. We want to be able to build housing that we want and need in communities so we don’t have to go to open spaces for that. That’s the goal that this city has, to pivot away from these types of fights and to focus on building housing.

Do you have any thoughts on Penn Station’s redevelopment plans?

Part of this came up in the City Council last year, so I started to pay a lot of attention through our process on it. I think we all have to invest in it. Part of my process of running is to sit down with every community and talk about these big issues there. I’m looking forward to that and that’s absolutely going to include Penn Station.

How do you view the Harris-Walz ticket’s potential impact on New York?

I think we know as New Yorkers how dangerous the Trump-Vance ticket will be and how impactful it will be to even basic rights of New York. We certainly also have seen how dangerous the U.S. Supreme Court can be when you have President Donald Trump appointing Supreme Court justices and how that can impact us even down to issues like concealed carry in New York City, how scary that could be to have people carrying guns on our subways and throughout our city. So that’s a starting point. But also I really think Harris (and) Walz, this week and over the next few months, are going to talk about issues that actually affect New Yorkers. It’s going to be around the cost of living like she talked about last week. I think you see a popular platform that’s going to resonate with a lot of people, whether you are in Ohio or in New York City, because it’s going to be talking about everyday issues, about how we can help people out. I thought her housing plan had a lot of really good things in it, how to add supply, but also really help give a hand to people who want to buy a home for the first time. I think the cost of living focus is going to inherently put money back in people’s pockets. It’s exciting, I think it’s a combination of how bad (and dangerous) the Trump ticket is combined with how much relief we can get if Harris can be elected.

Does it seem like Democrats are united, or are there fractures particularly over the war in Gaza?

Fairly united, and while there’s always going to be issues that divide the Democratic Party, I think you’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm in the last few weeks, and now we have the whole ticket put together. It seems like the decision to pivot and let Kamala Harris be the presidential nominee, and then the choice of Tim Walz, have really excited people. I think telling Tim Walz’s story and some things he’s done as a teacher and as a governor are getting (people) really excited about him. Democrats are really enthusiastic, and one common theme I’ve heard so far this week is people feeling really excited to be here now that the ticket is a ticket they feel can win.

How do you think the discussions and policies emerging from the Democratic National Convention will impact your district?

The first thing I’d say is having this new ticket brings a sort of level of enthusiasm back into the process of actually participating in politics, voting and being part of civic life in a way that it did not feel a few weeks ago. Second is, we know our policies are going to be put in place if we win, and we know what’s going to be put in place if Trump wins. So I think New Yorkers are similarly enthusiastic about being able to go for a ticket that can win and will do the right thing. Also, we talk about New York City governance, we talk about the migrant crisis, infrastructure, civil rights and basic human rights and much more. We deeply understand what the difference is between the two parties and I think New Yorkers can respond to that, both in their contributions, their voting and getting out to knock doors in places like Pennsylvania. So I think it’s an exciting moment locally and nationally for New York City.