WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective PAC — the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation, and power across all levels of government — endorsed a slate of candidates for state and local races in Florida and New York.
Florida
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Vice Mayor Mike Gelin is running for Mayor in Tamarac, Florida. Vice Mayor Gelin serves the community in the City of Tamarac in District Two. He is a graduate of Morris Brown College, an insurance brokerage owner, and a community advocate. Vice Mayor Gelin served on the Community Involvement Roundtable of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tamarac City’s Insurance Advisory Board, the Youth Survivors Foundation, a nonprofit providing mentoring and scholarships, and the National Forum of Black Administrators. During his tenure as a Vice Mayor, Mr. Gelin successfully lowered property taxes and passed a “Ban the Box” ordinance, which ended the discrimination against formerly incarcerated individuals in employment, housing, and public service. If elected, Vice Mayor Gelin plans to support small businesses, stimulate economic growth, and advocate for affordable housing.
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Ms. Dawnyelle Singleton is running for Sarasota County School Board in District One. Ms. Singleton is a Sarasota County native and a proud product of Sarasota County’s public education system. Currently, she works for Forty Carrots, an educational nonprofit as an executive assistant. As a former administrator at Visible Men Academy and substitute teacher at Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences, Ms. Singleton understands how important support and resources are for the students, their families, and the teachers. Ms. Singleton aspires to advocate for fair and competitive salaries for educators, support student’s academic achievements, and increase resources so that students can thrive and continue their educational journey to college.
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Dr. Keesha Benson is running for Pinellas School Board in District Three. Dr. Benson received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from Florida A&M University and her Ph.D. in Social Work and a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Benson has been an educator for over a decade, currently teaching for Rutgers University’s Master of Social Work program. She has over 15 years of experience as a community advocate and worked as the manager for the Grow Smarter Initiative, facilitating 90-plus organizations focusing on equitable economic development for the city of St. Petersburg. If elected, Dr. Benson plans to advocate for quality education, inclusive and transparent policies and practices for youth in the classrooms, and investing in school personnel.
New York
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State Senator Kevin Parker is running for re-election to the New York State Senate in District 21. State Senator Parker has been serving his district since 2002. He currently serves as the Majority Whip and Chair of the Energy and Telecommunications Committee. State Senator Parker has passed 91 bills into law and has 480 active bills. He has sponsored legislation that led to over 700,000 households being protected from owing $966 million in utility bills from service interruptions. If re-elected, State Senator Parkers plans to continue to advocate for workforce housing and affordable housing expansion, investing in education and sponsoring bills to make tuition books and fees free for New York State and City employees attending SUNY and CUNY universities, and ensuring that New Yorkers are connected to the 21st century through broadband.
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC
The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state, and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has successfully helped 300 Black candidates win elections across the United States.