Ebony Young (Young for Queens)
June 4, 2021 By Allie Griffin
One of the 15 Democratic candidates in the Council District 26 race snagged endorsements from three Queens legislators this week.
Ebony Young, a Woodside resident vying to represent western Queens in the council, was endorsed by three state lawmakers — adding to a growing list of elected officials who are backing her campaign.
Assembly Members Cathy Nolan and Jeffrion Aubry, along with State Sen. Leroy Comrie, announced their support of Young Wednesday.
Young said she earned their endorsements after working alongside them in the district for several years.
She worked as the executive director of the YMCA in Long Island City for nearly nine years and later spent 18 months as vice president of corporate social responsibility at TF Cornerstone.
Young has an especially close partnership with Nolan, who has supported the YMCA’s youth and educational programs for years.
The assemblywoman said she has known Young for a long time and has confidence in her leadership abilities.
“As the city rebuilds, we need strong, community-minded leaders,” Nolan said in a statement. “Ebony is a mom who has extensive experience working in education and child care, two key issues for western Queens.”
A central focus of Young’s campaign is to create a fair education system for all children, as well as free after school care in the district.
Comrie also said he was glad to back Young in her quest to represent the 26th district, which covers Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Dutch Kills and parts of Astoria.
“Ebony is the right person at the right time, to bring their leadership and skills to bear for the future of the community,” he said in a statement. “Ebony has a clear plan to improve District 26 with the priorities being Economic Empowerment, Social Equity and Community Wellbeing.”
Young aims to help small businesses as part of her economic empowerment plan. She also promises to ramp up apprenticeship programs with labor unions and encourage tech careers and entrepreneurship among people of color.
The candidate hopes to create social equity in the district through an equitable education system, free aftercare and fair affordable housing. She says she will work to end the digital divide among students and create an easier path to citizenship for immigrants.
She also plans to expand hospital capacity in the borough, improve access to healthcare and introduce free fitness activities to improve both physical and mental health of constituents — all to promote community wellbeing.
“I’m excited about serving and leading our community, but it’s not about me; it’s about we,” she said. “How do we do this together?”
Young has also been endorsed by Council Member Adrienne Adams, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks and the Queens County Democratic Party. She also has the backing of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York-FDNY; the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire inspectors- FDNY; the Home Healthcare Workers of America and the Laborers’ International Union of North America.
Primary Election Day is June 22 and early voting starts June 12.
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