HUDSON — Mayor Kamal Johnson is thinking about a possible run for state Assembly in 2024.
“I’m not ruling out running for Assembly,” Johnson said Thursday. “It’s not out of the question. I think, career-wise, that would be the next step.”
The 106th Assembly District seat Johnson may be eyeing in the future is held by fellow Democrat, Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, who is running for reelection this year and has represented the district since 2013.
Johnson is in the first year of his second two-year term as the city’s mayor. Although the Democrat may be eyeing a seat in the Assembly in the future, he is focusing on running for reelection next year for another two-year term.
“My ultimate goal is to secure a third term as mayor,” he said.
Johnson highlighted accomplishments he has achieved during his time serving as mayor.
“I am making sure we put a dent in the affordable housing crisis in the city,” he said. “And a lot of initiatives have started under my administration.”
Johnson pointed to capital projects that have begun as part of the $10 million state-funded Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant the city received in 2017.
After 15 months, work on the $1.8 million Promenade Hill Park improvements is nearing the end after supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed completion of the project. The $1.8 million cost of the park’s rehab is funded with $1.1 million in DRI funds and the remainder coming from private contributions from the H. van Ameringen Foundation and the Colarusso family. A. Colarusso & Son, Inc. is the contractor for the park renovation project.
In addition, he said his involvement in the HudsonUP universal basic income lottery is an important new initiative in the city.
A new crop of city residents are set to receive $500 monthly payments in the third round of the lottery.
The lottery for the third cohort of the program closes Sept. 22 when 53 city residents will be randomly selected to receive $500 per month for the next five years. Since the program began in 2020, a total of 128 residents will participate in the program.
The funding for the program is provided by The Spark of Hudson Foundation. The lottery application is available at HudsonUP.org.
Johnson is a supporter of the initiative and also serves with the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income network, a collective of 30 mayors nationwide studying data and initiatives on universal basic income programs.
“I’m going to present at a panel in Atlanta this month with other mayors who are part of the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income,” Johnson said.
The group is a collaborative network of mayors across the county advocating for a guaranteed income to ensure that all Americans have an income needed to live comfortably.
Looking to the future and a possible Assembly run, Johnson said his work on the local level could make him a more effective state leader while he would continue the work of previous office holders.
“I would carry on a lot of the work done by previous legislators, but I would bring a new energy and perspective to the job as someone who has directly worked on the ground,” he said. “I know what’s needed by local leaders and I could bring that to a higher elected office.”
