With an eye toward the June 24th Democratic primary, candidates for Albany's 6th ward Common Council seat are emerging. Candidates including Justin Perkins hope to fill the vacancy left when Gabriella Romero was elected to the New York State Assembly.
Perkins, a 28-year-old climate policy advocate and Albany resident for nearly a decade, says November’s election was a turning point for him, prompting his decision to run for council in hopes of moving the neighborhood forward.
"I want Albany to be my home, as it has been for the last decade. I want it to be my home for decades more. And that means, you know, potentially raising a family here, and in order to do so and feel comfortable doing so, I think there's a lot of things we need to address, particularly affordability, public safety, equity, and at the very least, I want to be part of those conversations," Perkins said.
The 6th Ward includes the Center Square neighborhood, encompassing Washington Park on its west side running from South Lake Avenue southeast to South Swan Street, bordered on the southwest by Myrtle Avenue and on the northeast by State Street and Washington Avenue.
The ward is represented by Richard Conti, who served as its councilor from 1997 to 2021, when he decided not to run for another term. Appointed by Mayor Kathy Sheehan to serve as an interim member, Conti rejoined the council January 1st, to finish out Romero's term until the November election.
If elected to the council, Perkins says his first focus will be on public safety.
"The number of shootings that have happened, particularly on Lark Street in our business area within the ward, this, to me, is unacceptable. And it's resulted in casualties, loss of life, but also the loss of business, particularly pointing out Cafe Hollywood, you know, which had to close for a whole manner of reasons. My point is, violence and not addressing public safety in an effective way has real consequences, not just for people's health, but also people's psyche and people's economy, you know, particularly in our neighborhood," said Perkins, who advocates for balancing nightlife with residential peace through reforming Albany's cabaret law, which regulates how businesses provide entertainment.
The Albany Common Council has for months been working to simplify the law, which currently requires any cabaret license must be approved annually by five city departments including Police and Fire, all council members, the Business Improvement District and any neighborhood association active in the ward.
Perkins supports criminal justice reform as well as gun reform, but concedes legislation hasn't helped people feel safe.
"The numbers do not show that," said Perkins. "And that's what the Democratic Party has, both nationally and down ballot, and also locally, has told us for the latter part of two years. Unfortunately, whether it be the media or actual instances, people do not feel the same, and I think that's led to a disconnect, you know, between certain elements of the populace, even within the city of Albany and its elected officials. I'm a black male, you know, I do not have the same experience as others do you know, walking the streets, whether it be Lark Street, whether it be State Street, whether it be Madison, and everything in between, that is not my experience. But you know, just hearing from people, it is not my job to invalidate those concerns, but really hear them out and address them both on an emotional level, a social level, but more importantly, a policy level."
Perkins says he aims to create a people-powered campaign focused on education, economic development, and environmental protection. He's looking to both the Democratic and Working Families parties for support.
"Those are the two main elements, I would say, organizing wise, that we want to conjoin and bring together and create what would be a colorful coalition within the 6th ward. But you know, just as far as the strategy goes, really just reaching out to the people that matter. Families, small business owners, those who are active within the community and have a stake moving forward. This is not going to be a campaign about ideals, but really just addressing the problems and issues that are directly impacting our community," said Perkins.
Conti is not running for a full term.
