Where: Virtual, register here
When: Tuesday, November 30 @ 7pm ET
Details:
- You must be a member in good standing to vote for MYD Elected Officers.
- See MYD’s Constitution & By-laws page for additional Election details.
- Questions? Reach out to vp@gomyd[.]com or president@nysyd[.]org for assistance.
Candidates
President
Jeremy Berman
What MYD events, meetings, or programs have you attended in 2019?
Just about all of them, including YGID, Engendering Progress, all the in-person general assemblies, all the issue assembly panels on Zoom, our Zoom trivia event, and direct actions like canvassing for Felicia Singh. Most recently, I led our Constitution revision meeting, where we made extensive amendments to our Constitution and Bylaws that I drafted.
What strengths do bring to this position?
As Events Director for MYD the past two years, I’ve organized almost all of our events in that time (and events are the main thing we do), and I’ve had a hand in just about everything we do as an organization. I’ve spent this past year closely watching what Anju does and talking to her about the many tasks she’s done as president, and I’m confident that I can carry out those tasks. I’ve been President of two other large organizations’ boards before (theatre groups in college and law school), and through that I know that I’m good at organizing groups of people, delegating, keeping an eye on everyone’s tasks and deadlines, fostering peoples’ talents and skill, managing conflicts, and the many other elements that come with leadership. I also have close relationships with the leaders of Young Democrat groups and other progressive organizations in our area, which will be helpful as we work with those other groups to achieve progressive change in Manhattan. And for a role tasked with speaking for our organization, I can give a good soundbite.
What is your vision for the Manhattan Young Democrats for 2020? Please give some specific examples of initiatives you would undertake throughout the year.
I’d like to focus a lot of my efforts on our new project to elect democratic party officials like District Leader and State Committee. While we won’t be running our own candidates until 2023, we can get a lot of programming out of getting ourselves ready for that year (how to run for office workshops, issues assemblies on what these offices do, etc.) and all of the work of prepping a candidate slate and lining up endorsements for 2023 would have to take place in 2022, so I’m prepared to take the lead on that.
I’d also like for us to build relationships with other organizations in the city. We are the independent youth arm of the Democratic Party in Manhattan, so we should be a visible partner in progressive efforts across the city.
Serving as an executive officer of MYD is a significant time commitment. Please list your commitments outside of your employment (i.e. leadership positions in other clubs/organizations).
None. I’m all in on MYD.
Give three (3) examples of issues that are important to young New Yorkers and how you would, from your position, engage our membership to take action.
1. Reimagining our streets – We’re the best borough in the greatest city in the world, but our streets belong to the tiny fraction of people who own cars, pretty much none of whom are young Democrats, with the few bus and bike lanes there are filled with parked cars making them unusable, and the sidewalks covered with trash that should be in containers where parked cars currently live. We should be on the vanguard of the movement to create pedestrian/cyclist/bus-friendly streets, and that will involve working with existing organizations dedicated to rethinking our streets, and nagging elected officials to move ahead on proposed bike lane projects that just seem to keep getting pushed back year after year. There could be room to work with the Adams administration on this too, if he seems to be serious about this issue.
2. Climate – Former board member Harry Manin has some great ideas about the state Democratic Party adopting a climate policy and connected Anju and I with someone from the DNC’s Environment and Climate Crisis Council to talk about those ideas, and I’d like to keep talking to them about what we can do to help.
3. Housing – If we want our members to stay in Manhattan once they have families, we need Manhattan to be affordable. So many people in progressive spaces are under the misapprehension that building new housing causes gentrification, allowing the center NIMBYS to keep supply low and prices high without doing anything to stop gentrification, and I want to have speakers who are experts on housing to correct the record with facts. We should be a voice in favor of upzoning basically everywhere, but especially wealthy areas like Soho/Noho, and I think we should consider being on the record against member deference when it’s used to block housing.
What would you hope to gain from MYD, personally and/or professionally, if elected to this position?
MYD is such a fulfilling part of my life, and a place where I’ve met great friends. I want the next few years with MYD to be the fun and exciting part of my life that I look back on with fondness when I’m old and boring.
Is there anything else you think we should know about you or your candidacy? (Optional)
The MYD logo is my desktop background on my laptop. I can’t overstate how committed I am to this group, and how much I want to do right by MYD and to be a leader people can be proud of. KT and Anju have been fantastic examples of leaders in my two years on board, and I can’t wait to build on their work to make MYD a vital (and fun!) part of Manhattan politics.
Vice President
Kit Morrison
What MYD events, meetings, or programs have you attended in 2019?
For the last year I’ve served as the Communications Director for Manhattan Young Democrats (MYD). As Communications Director I was responsible for MYD messaging and promotion of MYD events. In addition, I supported the Secretary in the creation of the weekly newsletter. Most notably, I organized MYD’s annual fundraiser Young Gets it Done fundraiser, which included finding the event space, developing event collateral (e.g, social media posts, award designs) and managing on-site event logistics. Further, I personally raised over $2,300 the most of any board member. Finally, in the last year I’ve regularly attended Board meetings, the open seat project, issues assemblies, policy advocacy meetings and the Annual Engendering Progress.
What strengths do bring to this position?
As VP I would bring my executive level communication skills and ability to drive complex projects to the position. As well as a smart, thoughtful and empathetic approach to leadership.
Further, as an alum of Coro Leadership New York 29 I’d bring a network of engaged civic leaders focused on the city’s social, political, and economic issues.
Further, I excel in the following areas, all of which would be put to good use as VP of MYD:
- Executive management: Experienced operator and strategic communicator with proven ability to manage day-to-day organizational activities to enhance the effectiveness of C-suite executives (e.g., Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Transformation Officer and Vice Chair and Chief Automation Officer).
- Strategic communications and content creation: Designed and delivered strategic, multifaceted communications initiatives for Fortune 500 companies meant to engage, inform and inspire internal and external audiences. Clients included: Shire, American Heart Association, J&J, Facebook, BlackRock, GE, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, The Home Depot, Flex and Unilever.
- Program Management: Award winning recognition for experience as a Creative Producer and Account Lead.
- Team management: Demonstrated experience leading teams of five to 15 during times of both stability and change.
What is your vision for the Manhattan Young Democrats for 2020? Please give some specific examples of initiatives you would undertake throughout the year.
In the next year, as VP I would focus my efforts on increasing member diversity, member engagement and issues engagement. To do so, I’d develop the following programs and initiatives.
- Inclusion and diversity:
a. Increased outreach to democratic clubs throughout the city to find and engage with potential new members (i.e. featured speaker at one of their meetings, inclusion in a newsletter).
b. Tap Coro Leadership New York network for young and engaged progressives. - Member engagement:
a. Conduct an annual membership survey to gauge member interest and programming ideas for the year-ahead.
b. Focus on engaging members and like minded progressive organizations through social channels. - MYD polls and issues engagement
a. Regularly share poll results and provide insight into what actions the MYD Board is taking in response to member feedback.
Serving as an executive officer of MYD is a significant time commitment. Please list your commitments outside of your employment (i.e. leadership positions in other clubs/organizations).
As of December 2021, I was elected to serve as the Recording Secretary for Four Freedoms Democratic Club.
Give three (3) examples of issues that are important to young New Yorkers and how you would, from your position, engage our membership to take action.
There are a number of issues important to young New Yorkers. Three I would focus on the coming year are: 1) addressing the growing threat of climate change, 2) the ability to access quality healthcare regardless of economic status, ethnicity or sectural orientation, and 3) protecting New Yorkers from data harvesting, theft and abuse,
As VP I would engage members to take action in the following ways:
- Educate members regarding legislation that supports the above issues.
- Seek out political / activist groups that share similar views to build a coalition of advocates.
- Develop a clear communication strategy to codify MYD’s position, messaging and tools and activities.
What would you hope to gain from MYD, personally and/or professionally, if elected to this position?
If elected to the VP position I would hope to deepen my level of commitment and involvement in the club and to electing candidates who enact progressive policies. I’d also hope to meet fun and interesting people who share my democratic values.
Is there anything else you think we should know about you or your candidacy? (Optional)
Treasurer
Sarah Rowen
What MYD events, meetings, or programs have you attended in 2019?
I have attended the vast majority of MYD events, including Young Gets It Done, most General Assemblies, and most Issues Assemblies. I look forward to continuing my engagement with MYD.
What strengths do bring to this position?
I have served as Treasurer for a New York State Committee before and have extensive experience filing disclosure reports, maintaining financial records, and handling a budget. I am very organized and have maintained financial records for MYD before, including tracking the fundraising and budget for Young Gets It Done.
What is your vision for the Manhattan Young Democrats for 2020? Please give some specific examples of initiatives you would undertake throughout the year.
MYD is poised to bring transformational change to Manhattan politics through our upcoming electoral work and base of engaged young progressives. I am eager to expand our membership and provide membership with a myriad of effective ways to get involved in local, state, and federal politics.
Initiatives I hope to undertake, include, but are not limited to:
- Hosting trainings for young progressives on how to run for local and party office. Trainings will focus on filing to run, fundraising, field, campaign budgets, and more.
- Building a more robust fundraising strategy for MYD. We currently have one large event a year, and I propose engaging our donors and alumni year round, particularly our alumni who are now in elected office or have access to capital.
- More effective organizing and outreach opportunities for membership. While letter writing is an easy way for folks to get involved in politics, data shows that it is largely ineffective. I propose encouraging more direct and effective action, including more phone banks, canvassing, and mutual aid.
Serving as an executive officer of MYD is a significant time commitment. Please list your commitments outside of your employment (i.e. leadership positions in other clubs/organizations).
In addition to MYD, I volunteer through the Crime Victims Treatment Center, which provides healing services to survivors of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence.
Give three (3) examples of issues that are important to young New Yorkers and how you would, from your position, engage our membership to take action.
Housing Justice: The lack of affordable housing in New York is a crisis. To ensure that our city remains and becomes more accessible to young and diverse New Yorkers, Albany needs to pass universal rent control and take action against predatory landlords. I will work with other advocacy groups to pressure Albany to take action by targeting legislators who will be key votes on this crucial legislation. With a supermajority in the State Senate, we have the greatest chance in decades to make significant progress. In the short term, I will organize with fellow organizations to organize our members to pressure Governor Cuomo to extend the eviction moratorium until the COVID pandemic has ended and New Yorkers have been able to recover economically.
Ensuring an Equitable and Sustainable Future: New York is on the frontline of the climate crisis and young New Yorkers have a vested interest in ensuring that New York has a green future. I will keep abreast of environmental actions on the local, state, and federal level and create opportunities for MYD members to take action.
Student Loan Relief + Free College: New Yorkers have on average $35,638 in student loan debt. Access to debt relief and free college is imperative to economic mobility. I will provide membership with ways to lobby for relief on the state and federal level.
What would you hope to gain from MYD, personally and/or professionally, if elected to this position?
I hope to strengthen MYD and build up our electoral arm to be the leading organization helping young people win party and local office in New York City.
Is there anything else you think we should know about you or your candidacy? (Optional)
Secretary
Eric Chavous
What MYD events, meetings, or programs have you attended in 2019?
I attended numerous as Finance Director, including monthly membership and eboard meetings, and the Halloween Party/YGID.
What strengths do bring to this position?
I am a team player, collaborative, organized, well-written, and possess a knack for social media in the political sphere.
What is your vision for the Manhattan Young Democrats for 2020? Please give some specific examples of initiatives you would undertake throughout the year.
For MYDs to increase it’s following on social media, have an even more successful YGID 2022 (will be very hard to top 2021!!), and disrupt local politics via the new New Democrats Initiative.
Serving as an executive officer of MYD is a significant time commitment. Please list your commitments outside of your employment (i.e. leadership positions in other clubs/organizations).
Fashion Law Committeeman for NY Bar — periodic meetings; not a significant time commitment.
Give three (3) examples of issues that are important to young New Yorkers and how you would, from your position, engage our membership to take action.
1) Climate Crisis, 2) Crime, and 3)Transportation. I would use my position to draw attention to issues and causes of action through the newsletter but also through social media by working in close conjunction with the MYD Communications team.
What would you hope to gain from MYD, personally and/or professionally, if elected to this position?
I hope to strengthen friendships with fellow and future MYD members and expand my local network of young, politically engaged New Yorkers.
Is there anything else you think we should know about you or your candidacy? (Optional)