2019 Candidate Profile: Joash Ward For Mayor

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The Hudson Valley will have several contested races in this fall's election, including the mayor for the City of Poughkeepsie. Mid-Hudson Valley Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Joash Ward, 24, is running to unseat the incumbent mayor of Poughkeepsie. His opponent is Republican incumbent Rob Rolison.

Ward, a Democrat, is a consultant. He attended Poughkeepsie High School, Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London and Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our city is investing in jobs, not jail. To tackle this issue, I've outlined a comprehensive plan for the city to forge a reliable path to the middle class for families to grow with the city.

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

I have a plan, my opponent does not.

I have lived the challenges of this City, my opponent refuses to acknowledge them.

I am committed to government reflecting the people it serves, my opponent is not.

I believe the City should support our families and youth, my opponent believes education is not his job.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

My opponent takes a color blind approach and refuses to acknowledge the fundamental challenges facing the City. Poughkeepsie has a Colored Majority, but the entire administration, and 96 percent of the police force is White and virtually all male. My opponent has failed to keep our streets safe because 80 percent of residents do not feel safe. Because of this, businesses on Main Street cannot attract patrons and are forced to close. The City has a district that is fails more students than it graduates and our youth unemployment rises to 40 percent. My opponent has raised taxes almost 30 percent in his administration because he's given away tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Public Safety: We need a community oriented plan that brings the community back to community policing so we can disrupt the patterns of violent crime that are concentrated among and prey on our youth.

Economy: We need a family oriented plan that allows residents to grow with the City's billion-dollar economy as we forge a reliable path to the middle class. The retention of families will be the way we build our tax base and revitalize our City.

Education: We need a plan that builds the public-private partnerships with our schools that is results oriented and measurable. The goal of the city should be to support the education of our youth that finish with the market based skills necessary to compete in both the academic and career markets after high school.

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

Presidential Commendation for Excellence in the Executive White House Offices,
Ambassadorial Commendation for Excellence in Service to the US Mission to the United Nations

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Run for those who can't.

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

I believe this election poses the opportunity not only to shape the next 4 years of our City, but to define the quality of life for the next 4 generations.