Devin Balkind

Public Advocate Candidates Sign Pledge to Reconvene Commission on Public Information and Communication (COPIC) and Demand COPIC Website Put Back Up

Charter Mandated Commission hasn’t been convened in over 2000 days and the website was taken down immediately after the last Public Advocate debate. Two candidates for New York City Public Advocate, Republican Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil and Libertarian Devin Balkind, have signed a pledge to convene the Commission on Public Information and Communication (COPIC) within 100 […]

Real Solutions the Public Advocate Should Deliver for New York City

The New York City Public Advocate is a poorly defined position that, over its 30 years of existence, has often been used to advance the political interests and status of career politicians. I’m running for Public Advocate because I want to do something very different with the office: turn it into a “startup” working in […]

It’s Time for a “Participatory” Democracy Instead of our “Consumer” One

Democracy in the United States was established nearly 250 years ago when news traveled at the speed of a horse and real-time collaboration required sharing a physical location. Today, ubiquitous internet access, smartphones, social media, and online collaboration tools have transformed how we work, play and consume, but the basic structure of our politics remains the same.

Making the Libertarian Party Viable in New York City

New Yorkers are constantly complaining about the two-party political system. Democratic domination of New York City politics means Democratic primary elections are more impactful than general elections. Republican domination of the national political system means New Yorkers’ progressive cultural values are rarely reflected in national politics. At the state level, Democrats and Republicans seem to […]