Far Rockaway political staffer vies for open Queens council seat
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LaToya Benjamin, the economic development director for State Sen. James Sanders, is one of at least 10 candidates running for Council District 31. Photo courtesy of Benjamin
By David Brand
A veteran political staffer from Far Rockaway has pledged to close the digital divide, foster access to employment and tackle racist inequities in the criminal justice system as she campaigns for an open Council seat in District 31.
LaToya Benjamin has served as economic development director for State Sen. James Sanders for the past four years. It’s the latest stop in her career in politics, first as an intern for Rep. Gregory Meeks and later as a volunteer on Eric Adams’ campaign for Brooklyn borough president and a staffer for late Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.
Benjamin also earned her master’s degree in urban policy and administration from Brooklyn College and served as an outreach director for the New York State Young Democrats of Color and the National Outreach Network’s Second Chance Program.
She said her criminal justice reform work with NAN and Thompson, the first in a wave of “progressive” prosecutors, inspired her pivot to the economic development sphere.
No matter how much training and expertise someone has, a criminal record can prevent them from securing a job, she said. Others commit crime when they are cut off from economic opportunities as a result of their skin color, their background and their education.
“Entrepreneurship and re-entry pilot programs allow people to come home with various trades, but they sometimes have a hard time finding employment,” she said.
“But even prior to them being convicted, what’s happened? What drove them to actually commit a crime? How many people would have made better decisions if they had better options,” she said.
Attracting businesses to the district would provide jobs for low-income residents of color and immediately reduce the number of people involved in the justice system, she said. It would also give a boost to unemployed workers, including people laid off from the district’s major employer, JFK Airport, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Benjamin said she will also focus on establishing universal access to WiFi and broadband internet, a key piece of infrastructure as jobs and school go fully remote. Roughly 16 percent of residents don’t have home internet access in Queens Community District 14, which overlaps with Council District 31, the organization Citizens’ Committee for Children.
The gap in internet access is known as the digital divide.
“We’re mandating that communities use tech.” she said. “It’s a requirement for families to have internet, and depending on what social class you’re in, it determines if you can afford it or not.”
She said she would also implement local “train the trainer” programs to help residents teach their neighbors how to use essential technology. “That’s how we close the digital skills gap,” she said.
Benjamin is one of 10 candidates running in the Feb. 23 special election to replace Richards, who vacated the office to take over as Queens borough president.
Only three filed their campaigns before the most recent financial disclosure deadline on July 15. Richards’ former Chief of Staff Manny Silva led the early fundraising with $7,425, followed by Benjamin with $3,421 and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey outreach director Selvena Brooks-Powers with $100.
