In a competitive race for New York City’s mayoral seat brimming with controversy, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie plans to offer obtainable solutions to “common sense” issues.
Having represented the 20th State Senate district in Brooklyn since his election in 2019, the democratic state senator announced his candidacy for New York’s upcoming mayoral election in late 2024.
During an interview with The Torch, Senator Myrie outlined his plans for free after-school programs and affordable housing while lending analysis on St. John’s historic season.
Myrie said after-school programs are a “no-brainer, common sense issue.” It’s even a personal topic for him.
“I had to have a safe place for me to be, keep me off the streets but allow me to be a kid,” he said reflecting on his past as a child growing up in Brooklyn. He sees these programs as a “public safety tool,” an opportunity for children in the city to safely be themselves while parents are at work.
“I think this should be available to every single family, every single kid that needs it,” Myrie added. “The investment in the future that after school for all would be is hard to count, but the data does give us empirical support for this investment.”
As a proponent of the “Yes In My Backyard” movement, Senator Myrie plans to overhaul New York’s housing development and add nearly one million new houses to the city. It’s a move for housing reform that could impact college students.
“If you are an undergraduate or graduate student at St. John’s right now and you’re thinking about what your future is going to look like, you would want to put roots down in the city,” he said. “A major component in that calculation is whether you can afford it.”
New York City’s “affordable housing crisis” has decimated the city’s housing market with the median rental rate soaring above a reasonable margin. This boom in the cost of living has caused an exodus of low-mid-income earners from the city, with a large number of that group being college graduates.
“I would say this is really about you guys,” Myrie said, speaking to college students. “What I’m trying to do as the next mayor is to ensure that your decision is informed by having an affordable place to stay.”
Aside from after-school programs and housing reform, another one of Myrie’s biggest interests is on the court.
“If you look at the story of some of the guys on [St. John’s] now, some who may not have had as much success somewhere else but found that success when they came to St. John’s, it is very emblematic of what New York is,” he said when talking about why he has supported “New York’s Team” this season.
“For [St. John’s] to be one of the best basketball teams in the entire country, undefeated at home, winning the Big East Championship and 30 games, that is exciting for the Mecca of basketball, and yes, we are still the Mecca of basketball,” he said about the historic season the Johnnies had.
Myrie praised Coach Rick Pitino’s ability to turn the team around in such a short amount of time with players that “fit so well together,” including Kadary Richmond from his home district of Brooklyn.
He also held praise for another aspect of Pitino’s time at St. John’s, his iconic white suits. Even though has doubts that he could pull the look off himself, Myrie still loves the Hall of Famer’s style.
While he isn’t brandishing white suits in support of the Johnnies, Myrie still found a way to show loyalty to the team through his shoe game. He wore his Olympic red Sabrina 2s to match the team colors during their short-lived tournament run.
Putting shoes and suits to the side, Myrie sees the game of basketball as a potential tool for unity in such a fractured time.
“There are great analogies to life that basketball can provide,” he said. “You have to do things as a team, there is no one person above the team and everybody has to work together.”
According to Myrie, these analogies for unity and teamwork apply directly to the experience of living in New York City.
“That is something that we should be looking to emulate here in New York City; where the whole world comes, where everybody comes and tries to have a successful life and get on the right path,” he said. “We should be welcoming that and encouraging that.”
The campaign trail continues for Myrie, who enters New York City’s Nov. 4 mayoral election as a hopeful underdog to incumbent Eric Adams and former Mayor Andrew Cuomo.
