Worcester Candidate Profile: Khrystian King For City Council

WORCESTER, MA — Incumbent Worcester At-Large Councilor Khrystian King is running in 2019 for a third term on the City Council. The at-large race also happens to be the most crowded in this year's election.

There are 13 people running, including incumbents Mayor Joseph Petty, Morris Bergman, Kate Toomey, and Gary Rosen. Konstantina Lukes has chosen not to run for reelection, which means there will be a new face on Council after Election Day.

King, 48, is a social worker with the Department of Children and Families. He says he's running again to ensure Worcester residents have access to good paying jobs, and that revenue from increased economic development gets used for social services and schools.

Patch has sent candidate questionnaires to each at-large candidate. Here's how King answered:

The single most pressing issue facing our city is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

To ensure that Worcester residents have access to good jobs, with family-sustaining wages and benefits. Worcester is doing great, new businesses are investing in our city and the Red Sox are coming to town. With economic expansion comes prosperity, and all residents should have the opportunity to benefit from Worcester’s renaissance. Let's use increased revenues from economic development to further invest in our neighborhood schools, and services for seniors, veterans, and those that struggle with mental illness and substance use disorder.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am not a typical politician. I listen first, learning from parents, teachers, clergy, public safety personnel, and neighborhood advocates to truly develop an understanding of the needs of Worcester residents. Too often, politics seems to be about blaming others and splashy headlines. As a social worker, I know how to bring people together, even if we don't agree on every issue, to ensure that Worcester remains a great community to work, live and raise a family.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Every child should have access to great public schools, no matter their ZIP code or neighborhood. I am proud to have led the initiative to bring back middle school sports as we look to expand to include more schools and more sports. I have also partnered with the School Department, mayor and city manager to hire additional adjustment counselors for our schools because every school should have a full-time adjustment counselor on staff.

Crime is down but we must continue to make progress with community-based policing initiatives. I filed an order to establish police substations throughout the city and am pleased that the city manager has proposed locating a “mini city hall” with a community policing component in Main South. It is important that law enforcement and the city continue to build relationships with members of the community

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have successfully lead the initiative to bring back middle school sports and secured funding to hire additional adjustment counselors throughout the school district. As far as public safety, I am firm believer in expanding upon the community policing initiatives already underway in Worcester. To that end, I filed an order to establish Police Sub-stations, pushed for the implementation of body cameras, and advocated for additional funding for increased bike patrols in our neighborhoods and public parks.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Stay true to yourself, stay true your values.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a social worker, coach, father and mentor, I have always sought to be a leader in my community- even as a high school student. For the past 4 years, serving as a city councilor has allowed me an opportunity to continue that leadership on a bigger scale. It’s an opportunity for which I will forever be grateful. We have accomplished so much together- more funding for public parks and open spaces, improvements to schools and an our economy is on the upswing.
But there is so much more to do, and I am excited to continue the good work, so we can move Worcester forward.