Primary Election Date: 09/13/2011
General Election Date: 11/08/2011

Who Am I?

I came to Troy in 1987 as a student at RPI. While there, I became involved in the local ice hockey community, eventually being elected president of the local officials association and serving in that role for 17 years. I have also volunteered my time as a coach for both youth and adult hockey teams. After graduating, I worked at several private companies, including a tech start-up company in which I was a partner.

In 2007, I restarted the dormant Eastside Neighborhood Association and have served as a leader in the group ever since. That same year, I decided to run for Troy City Council. With DFA's help, I ran an historic campaign in the city of Troy, bringing out record numbers of voters, and beating my Republican opponent (a two-term incumbent who grew up in Troy, was well-connected, and had three ballot lines to my one Democratic line) with 65% of the vote. I was the first openly gay candidate to be elected in Troy. During my first re-election campaign in 2009, I had no opposition.

Also in 2009, I was hired by the new Democratic majority in the New York State Senate to put my technology skills to work as the new leadership put forth a mandate for open government initiatives. I continue working in the Senate under Republican leadership, a testament to my work ethic and expertise.

My partner Mike and I are active in the LGBT community. I actively lobbied to get marriage equality passed (prior to my employment in the Senate), and I coach the Albany Bombers, an LGBT ice hockey team. On the City Council, I drafted and sponsored a resolution in support of full marriage equality for all same-sex couples in New York. This resolution was sent to State Senator Roy McDonald, who then became the thirty-first vote for the Marriage Equality Act.

Mike and I hope to get married after the campaign season has ended (and after I am hopefully re-elected).

Why Am I Running?

In 2007, I ran for office on a simple premise: To provide real representation to the people of Troy. My council district, District 5, was under-represented by the incumbent, and I was convinced that through hard work and noticeable involvement, I could improve our city and serve as an active voice for our residents.

Four years later, I am proud to run on my record. I have made myself extremely available to my constituents. I have a 100% attendance record for Council meetings, and I attend all monthly meetings of the various neighborhood groups in District 5, including Little Italy, South Central, and Osgood. I have personally responded to over 1,400 constituents requests. I have passed legislation that combats real problems in Troy, including: a landlord registry law to hold negligent absentee landlords accountable for their properties; a mini-dorm moratorium to prevent developers from carving up housing units in residential neighborhoods in an attempt to pack inordinate numbers of students in them; increased fees for properties on the city's vacant building registry, and a beefed up nuisance abatement law. I have voted on three budgets so far, most recently working to reduce the Mayor's 5.5% tax increase down to 1.9%. I have worked very closely with our Community Policing Unit to address neighborhood issues quickly and effectively. I have used my technology skills to bring an unprecedented level of transparency to the Council, including the live streaming of Council meetings to the Internet (with full archiving), a Twitter feed, and a Council Facebook page that is not only used to disseminate information, but also to respond to citizen concerns and criticisms. I regularly use the SeeClickFix web service to handle non-emergency requests, and have become a top contributor on that site. Through a Local Law, I created a Technology Committee for the City Council, and used the committee to help organize the city's Troygle effort - our attempt to win the Google Fiber contest.

In my next term, I pledge to continue my high level of constituent service. I will explore further technology initiatives to make Troy government more transparent, participatory, and efficient. I will move into phase 2 of the landlord registry, which will include regular code inspections for non-owner occupied buildings.

Hold Me Accountable!

The top three issues facing my constituents are:

1. Negligent, absentee landlords

As discussed above, the absentee landlord issue is a problem that continues to plague our city. It is related to quality of life issues, including crime, drug use, noise, loss of property values, and over-crowding. I sponsored and passed a Landlord Registry during my first term on the Council, a landmark piece of legislation for the city. The Registry was the first step. I will continue working with my colleagues to implement the second phase of the Registry - regular code inspections.

2. High and inequitable property taxes

Taxes in Troy are very high due to the large amount of tax exempt properties in the city (several colleges and hospitals, non-profits, and churches). In addition, the city has not conducted a citywide property reassessment for 37 years. Property assessments have become completely inequitable, and our equalization rate is now at 13%. This is both unfair and unsustainable. The Democratic majority voted in favor of a citywide reassessment last year, which is now underway.

The reassessment will bring our property values back in line, and hopefully allow the city to reach full-value assessments. However, the reassessment alone will not solve our tax problems. Troy needs to grow its residential and commercial base. I am committed to bringing more residents and businesses to our city, without destroying or damaging any of the city's historic fabric. I have supported two new residential projects that will create hundreds of new housing units - one project right downtown. I am also seeking to bring new green collar jobs to Troy. Several groups in the city are brainstorming on sustainable living and clean energy initiatives. I hope to partner with RPI to get more science and technology students involved, and to offer incentives for them to stay in Troy after graduating.

3. Lack of faith in government

Many of my constituents have become disillusioned with government. Politics in Troy has sunk to new lows, and inter-party squabbling has reached an all-time high. Operatives in both political parties have a win-at-all-costs mentality that has resulted in a voter fraud case that has made national news and dragged on for two years.

I have been, and will continue conducting myself with the highest ethical standards. I have held elected officials accountable for their actions, even when they are in my own party. I passed a whistle-blower law to protect city employees from retribution if they speak out about unethical behaviors. I will support the creation of a citizen-centric Ethics Commission (to replace the Mayor-appointed, defunct Ethics Board) that has bi-partisan participation.

My DFA values:

I am the only true progressive currently serving on the Troy City Council. I have proudly and consistently advocated for fiscal responsibility and progressive social policy, two cornerstones of the DFA platform.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

My entire campaign is built up on my belief that strong grassroots organizing is the best and most proper method of winning elections. My goal is to speak to every voter in my district, just as I did four years ago. Two examples of the power of my grassroots organizing:

1. My Republican opponent was automatically given the Independence and Conservative ballot lines, since both of those parties are fully controlled by the Rensselaer County Republican Party. It is my belief that this is unfair and undemocratic, so I waged a write-in campaign on both lines during the September 13 primary. I ended up winning the Independence primary, and came within one vote of winning the Conservative primary. My write-in campaigns were successful because I personally contacted each voter - going door-to-door, calling them, and e-mailing them the information with instructions for writing my name in. On primary day, volunteers stood on street corners with "Write-in Ken Zalewski" signs. I did not send out a single mailer, or record any robocalls. Every write-in was due to a personal contact that I made with the voter.

2. Every weekend, I participate in a slate canvass, where I walk door-to-door with some of my Democratic colleagues who are running for Council At-Large positions, Mayor, County District Attorney, and County Sheriff. We coordinate our volunteers, and fill the streets with people who are excited to be involved and want to see good candidates get elected to office. I use Facebook to post updates on the campaign, and even residents who are unable or unwilling to walk door-to-door have gotten involved by making phone calls and stuffing envelopes. You will not see me on television. You will not see any corporations making donations to my campaign. I refuse to be beholden to anyone other than the people whom I represent.