The Rural We: Mayor Kamal Johnson
At the end of the summer 2019, I was introduced to Mayor Kamal Johnson, who had just become the first African American Mayor in Hudson, New York. He was generous enough with his time to show me some of the organizations in Hudson where there is both potential and challenge. He attended events of mine, and I have attended events of his, and it is with pleasure that I have the opportunity to speak with him, and talk about his first year as mayor, the pandemic, being on the frontlines in Hudson, the position on policing and the community, and where things go from here.
JC: Thank you for taking the time to talk. You grew up in Hudson. Can you share what life was like for you growing up in Hudson?
KJ: I actually came to Hudson in the second grade from Westchester County. Hudson was a close-knit community, you knew all your neighbors, and where the kids were, you’d see a million bikes outside the park. It was a different place than what it is now. Now, we’re at a point where rent prices have skyrocketed, cost of living is incredibly high, there’s short-term rentals. It’s rare that you know your neighbors.
JC: Did you have a goal or plan to be in the political arena? And if so, what motivated that?
KJ: When I was in 11th grade, I was the class clown, and always doing random funny stuff. The class would always get behind everything I did, and the English teacher said, you’re like the mayor of the classroom, so as a joke I posted Kamal for Mayor. Early on, things I did in the community, people would see me as a community leader, and I would study all the things that were in front of me.
JC: Let’s talk about the pandemic. Of all the counties in the state of New York, Columbia County has the lowest number of cases with 582 at this time. How has COVID affected Hudson?
KJ: I think when the pandemic hit, in the first few months of my tenure I was just hitting my stride. As a community, we had to buckle down and change our plans, the way we handle things with city buildings to protect ourselves and the community, and communication with the community was a must. Our city took a hit financially, but health-wise, we withstood the surge.
JC: How difficult has it been for your first year?
KJ: Your first year is supposed to be the honeymoon phase, your job, your platform, and timelines, but for me, it was like being thrown into the fire. No one was there to talk with me on how to handle this pandemic. It was full speed from the inauguration. I think for my administration, we were able to still accomplish getting things off the table. We’re still pushing initiatives like universal-based Income and housing issues, but we’re just having to do it a different way.
JC: Can we talk about some of the challenges when it pertains to the Black community in Hudson. Housing, storefront opportunities, business ownership, partnerships, education. There are clearly some divides for equal opportunities.
KJ: Yes,, we wanted to speak directly to the constituents that don’t have a voice. One of my early initiatives with The Galvan Foundation was for $100,000 in grants for businesses for minorities and women. I’m happy for those 13 businesses, with a maximum of $10,000 for each business, and a wraparound to help them with their five-year plan. I knew that they had great clientele, but lacked the vision to get them over the hump. The next part of that is also, I work on low-interest loans for minority businesses, connecting them with resources and partners in the community, giving the entrepreneurs the opportunity to bring their plans to fruition and get paid for their business. That’s Columbia Economic Development Corporation. That hasn’t been enrolled yet, but it is happening in the next few months. The first part was the grants, and the second upcoming part is the loans.
JC: Many know that in June 2020 you implemented reforms to the Hudson Police Department. In fact, I believe it was a total of 21 reforms. How would you say the relationship has been in 2020 between the Black community and the Hudson Police Department?
KJ: I think that, right now, the relationship has been positive. We established the police advisory reconciliation committee, and we have four officers on that committee, as well as seven community members. They’re working together to engage the community to put together plans to improve the life of our officers at the department, and for supporting the community. We acknowledge a system that has been flawed with socio-economic challenges with Black and brown people, but we are working on that.
JC: If we took away the conversation of COVID-19 and racial injustice, which have clearly been the greatest topics of 2020, what have been your biggest challenges as mayor?
KJ: I would say dealing with the financial crisis is the biggest challenge. Some people already came into this in poverty, and are now being hit even more. Some were right on the brink. I think one of our highlights of this year has been the universal based income initiative, and the Spark of Hudson, where we partner with Andrew Yang and his Humanity Forward. With those two establishments, 25 residents of the city are going to be the recipients of $500 a month over the course of five years. That will take away some of the financial burden, and it shows when people have more money they spend it in their community, which benefits a larger amount of people and businesses.
JC: What are the areas that are under your jurisdiction?
KJ: Anything city related, our youth, our fire, our police, all of those city issues, anything around legislation is all in my lane. I often get asked about our school district, but that is run by the school board, and outside of what I can do, even though we have a great partnership with the schools. Right now, we’re hiring a housing coordinator to manage what land we do own, and what we can possibly sell. I try to work towards assisting in those areas, even if it’s not directly in my community, I try to help. I never say, I don’t want to do that, or that’s not my lane, I usually try to help anywhere I can.
JC: How can the community support you, your mandates as mayor, and organizations that might need support?
KJ: I think support for Hudson Day Care; they’re one of entities in Hudson that doesn’t get the attention the other youth organizations get, and they oversee one of our most vulnerable populations. Also the work that’s being done by Greater Hudson Promised Neighborhood, around incarcerated populations with children of incarcerated parents — they can always do with some support for the work they do around the youth. I always state, I can’t do this alone, and it’s all hands on deck. This is no job for one person. It needs the community's support.
JC: If there is one thing that you have learned, and one thing that you are grateful for in 2020, what would those things be?
KJ: I would say one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t please everyone, and you’ve got to be able to leave work at work, and also focus on yourself. All this will be here tomorrow. I think I’m grateful for the community. I’ve watched it go through a crisis, and rally around each other, and it was an amazing thing to see. I would say Operation Unite’s Sankofa they are an example of rallying the community. At that event, a few well known community-based figures and I were able to share the work we are doing at that event, and we were able to see events like Black Arts Cultural Festival, which everyone looked forward to.
Please Support Rural Intelligence
We want to continue delivering the entertaining, informative and upbeat stories in the inimitable Rural Intelligence style, despite a pandemic. But we need your support to keep us going. Please consider making a donation; even a small amount helps secure our future. Support us now.
(If you prefer, mail a check to: 45 Pine Grove Ave., Suite 303, Kingston, NY 12401.)
Support Now