Devin Balkind is a technologist who spent the last decade working with nonprofits, governments and businesses to improve people’s lives. He says: “I’m concerned that the Public Advocate’s office has become a venue for political provocation and propaganda, instead of what it was intended to be — a way to make government more transparent and accountable to New Yorkers.” He believes that the office should be less political and focus on providing real solutions that every New Yorker needs.
Devin has written over a dozen op-eds in Gotham Gazette outlining various solutions for New York City, including a 2019 article explaining five practical, nonpartisan things the Public Advocate could do to improve the lives of city.
During his 2021 campaign, he’s focusing on three:
1) Build NYC’s Missing Social Service Directory so New Yorkers can access the services they need when they need them;
2) Establish a Technology Transformation Service that helps agencies and civil servants use technology to modernize their operations;
3) Organize Sensational Civic Engagement Experiences that show New Yorkers how fun next generation democracy can be.
Running as a Libertarian, Devin says: “I’m a civil libertarian progressive who believes that the Libertarian Party should offer solution-oriented candidates that put ideas above ideology and results over rhetoric. I’m running to bring much needed competition to New York City’s democracy, which has been being suffocated by the corruption and cynicism of Republican and Democrat political leaders for far too long.”
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* Photos
Contact the Candidate: [email protected]; 646.883.8048.