The From the Lobby podcast features a behind-the-scenes look at politics and government from New York State to Washington, DC with Jack O’Donnell, an Albany insider and Managing Partner of O’Donnell and Associates, a top lobbying firm that helps clients all over the country cut through government red tape.
Don’t be stuck on the sidelines. Get a front-row seat to what’s happening in politics with Jack! From the issues that affect taxpayers and business owners to the history of the budget process in New York, Jack has the knowledge and depth of experience to cut through the rhetoric and tell you what’s really going on.
Summary of this Episode
Guests
- Kevindaryan Lujan: Orange County Legislator
- Alec Lewis: Vice President and Director of Campaigns at O’Donnell and Associates
- Joanna Pasceri: Director of Communications at O’Donnell and Associates
Major Topics Covered
• Kevindaryan Lujan, an Orange County legislator, discusses how his Colombian immigrant background shapes his approach to politics and public service.
• Kevindaryan highlights his experience in human services and how it informs his work on issues like affordable housing, mental health, and substance abuse in the legislature.
• The importance of grassroots campaigning, including door-knocking and absentee ballot outreach, is emphasized based on Kevindaryan’s close election victories.
• Despite being in the political minority, Kevindaryan describes achieving progress on issues like affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and diversity initiatives through bipartisan efforts and community partnerships.
Full Transcript of the Episode
Note: This is a generated transcript. Please excuse any typos.
Joanna Pasceri 00:07
Hi everyone. We’re back from the lobby with Jack O’Donnell, a podcast that gives listeners the inside track on state and federal politics with Jack atop New York lobbyist and the managing partner of O’Donnell and Associates. I’m Joanna Pasceri, Director of Communications at O’Donnell and Associates. We are continuing our series profiling New York’s local elected leaders. And at the mic once again for Jack is our Alec Lewis, Vice President and Director of campaigns. Alec came to O’Donnell and Associates after spending the past decade with New York Senate Democrats and as a key player on campaigns that led to consecutive super majorities in the Senate. Alec has a special guest Kevindaryan Lujan, Orange county legislator representing portions of the city and town of Newburgh, a position he’s had since January of 2018. Alec is going to talk to Kevindaryan about his diverse background as a Colombian American, and how he’s working to revitalize Newburgh through his work in the Orange County Legislature. Hi, Alec and Kevindaryan. Welcome to the podcast.
Kevindaryan Lujan 01:15
Good morning.
Alec Lewis 01:17
Joanna, thank you and Kevindaryan it’s great to have you on. You’re the son of Colombian immigrants, and while you’ve lived in Newberg and worked in the Hudson Valley for many years, I know your educational journey has taken you all over the world. You studied at the Anglo American University in Prague, and the American University in Dubai, while eventually getting your bachelor’s from Florida International University in international relations and Political Science, graduating with honors. And you would then go on to get your Master’s from Central European University and International Relations in European Studies, which for our listeners, has campuses and Vienna, Budapest and New York, all that leading to this question. How do you feel for you growing up as the son of Colombian American immigrants and your global education has really shaped you into the person that you are today?
Kevindaryan Lujan 02:09
First of all, thank you so much for having me. It’s always a pleasure to be here with you. Alec, I, you know, as you said, we’ve known each other for several years. And it’s always it’s always a great experience. I think that’s such an important question. You know, when I think about how I lead and how I try to be, how I try to show up as representative. My heritage, my upbringing is very much rooted in a lot of the things I decide, you know, how I would decide to lead, right? So, I’ve always tried to be a bottom-up approach to politics. So, trying to think or think about, like, how are the decisions I’m going to make going to impact the communities that are the most vulnerable amongst us, as a Colombian American, you know, my grandmother came here when I was, you know, when my mother was 10 years old, she was, you know, probably about 30. You know, what my grandmother left everything that she knew everything that she, to a foreign country, with only what you could carry in her pockets. And, you know, she she was really acquainted with very much one as American stories. She was the first one to own a home and her family, my mother, who had me at the age of 16, was the first person to go to college. And they were both these amazing stories about immigrants who came to this country, they’ve been trailblazers. It’s not only them, but also many other immigrants, and so many other Colombian Americans, and just, you know, so many immigrants in general that come here and strive for that American dream, but also the struggles that they face when they arrive here. And also, the struggle that so many others, so many Americans face every single day. And so, I think about that as really my guiding compass. But when I talk about things like affordable housing, it’s when I think about, you know, the challenges that people have with utility, you know, paying their utilities, those things are very personal. They’re not talking points, they’re very much rooted in what I know and recognize are the concerns that people are facing. I always think back at, you know, my single mother facing some of these things on me seeing her facing these things. And so, it really transcends not only our culture, but also just the upbringing that I had. And, and so I feel very fortunate to have been given so much in this community and to be able to give back has truly been an honor.
Alec Lewis 04:18
Well, your path has been about giving back a lot to your community, and let’s talk a little bit more about that. Our paths really meant working together on a state Senate race in 2016. You were an advocate that encouraged communities in the Hudson Valley and across New York, to really become quote, fair and welcoming, really to adopt municipal ID programs to serve undocumented individuals and families. Now, you also volunteered for many community based organizations, you worked with people incorporated in Poughkeepsie, where you focused on hospital in jail diversion, and tackling the stigma around mental health and substance abuse, and that work carry you into parole reentry services and as a medical assistant treatment or MAT coordinator, you work with individuals with drug addiction, and you actually do the work of helping to keep people out of jail and reducing recidivism. Your life path has obviously always prioritized real public service. Not I asked this question because you have a unique perspective. So Kevindaryan, how do you feel this actually informed your work in the Orange County Legislature?
Kevindaryan Lujan 05:21
I would say that it’s it really gives me again, you know, I talked about the guiding kind of guiding principles or the compasses, this is an extension of that, you know, working in human services for over a decade, you know, when I’m talking about affordable housing, when I’m talking about mental health, when I’m talking about people struggling with substance abuse, or developmental disabilities, I’m talking from a position of I work with these clients, I see what they go through every single day. And so, to be able to, you know, my nine to five, be able to work with some of the most challenging populations in our communities, and then be able to vote on the budgets that support those agencies and the organizations that are actually helping, I know where that money is going. I know where those tax dollars are going, I know where they had the greatest impact, I know where we could be doing better. I see so often, so regularly, unfortunately, where it’s where things fall through the cracks. And so, to be able to go back and say, hey, listen, there’s one single thing that we could be doing that could really impact you know, so many people, let’s do this. Anyone who works in Human Services, what is the issue they face the most? It’s always housing. And so, to be able to say, hey, listen, you know, this is the it’s not just about the data, it’s about what we’re seeing in the trenches. And so, to be able to say, you know, this is what’s working, this is what’s not, this is what our community members are saying they need, you know, those are not again, those are not just dollars in a budget, it’s not a line in a budget. These are, these are people that I am, so many of us associate names to, and agencies to and we know the work that they do, because we work beside them. Whether it’s during a pandemic, whether it’s during a housing crisis, whether it’s during a tornado ripping through our communities, we know how those communities are supported, and so I know firsthand, having worked with, you know, a lot of our health workers during the pandemic, I know how much they sacrificed. I know how hard they worked, because I was there with them. And so, I believe that working in Human Services has really allowed me to be a more effective leader.
Alec Lewis 07:20
So can you comment on our work together on the 2017 race? And what have you learned being a data driven person and just being a more veteran campaigner now from both of your successful runs in 2017 and 2021?
Kevindaryan Lujan 07:32
So I must say that, that 2017 election will forever be crystallized in my mind is one of the best experiences and campaigns I’ve had, and it was very much thanks to you, and so many other volunteers that that knocked on doors that helped us, you know, really target our, you know, where we want to, you know, reach to voters, but also our message and really narrowing down what it is we wanted, you know, to focus on. This was a unique campaign. You know, I had worked, as you said, on many campaigns in the past, local, county, state federal campaigns, and this very different when you’re helping and volunteering campaign versus being the actual candidate. And, you know, you learn that very quickly. What I would say is, what was their unique and different was, I knew in this campaign, I wanted it to be very much about the team, the team of individuals who are who are part of this, they were people who I knew were leaders in their own right. And I wanted to make a campaign that was very inclusive of what our vision for our community was. And we spent months talking to thousands of people and asking those community residents, what did they want to see in their leaders what they want to see in their county legislators? And we knocked on thousands of doors. And in the primaries, you said we won by four votes. So, when people think that their vote does not matter, I can tell you, there were four votes from having a different legislator and a different history. And I’ve gone on from then to work on, you know, not only campaigns for myself, but also supporting others running for office. And, you know, the things that I’ve learned across that time is, you know, the importance of petitioning. You know, I remember when I first got into politics, I knew nothing about petitioning. Today, I probably have a PhD in petitioning. And it’s so important because you have to learn from those in the realm about how to do this process. I learned so much about targeting and trying to find ways that we can find, you know, support, whether it’s for graphic design, whether it’s for it’s just trying to find, you know, innovative ways to find people that can be supportive, and how much that matters, right. Because, you know, that’s one of the biggest things that we face sometimes is that we’re, you know, we’re in the middle of a campaign and we’re trying to figure things out and you know, it’s organization is so, so pivotal, and the best campaigns are those that are very, very organized and that have a team that is that trusts each other. So you know, that was that something I really, really loved and appreciated, I mean, in you underplay that, that your role. I mean, you were absolutely amazing. I mean, had, you know, we targeted a campaign that has, unfortunately, some of the worst voter turnout in Orange County, and, you know, it was it was your targeting your support your, you know, your understanding of our district and your real like, you know, you took a very, very personal touch to this, and, and I remember still sitting in our in, you know, looking at the numbers and saying, you know what, we got this, we can do this, but we’re gonna have to follow this roadmap. And we did. It was, you know, it was it was a tough, tough race. But it was it was one that we were very happy to be to win. The night, I think you probably remember, the night of the election, we were actually losing on primary night, we were losing by five votes. So, two weeks later to be in Orange County Board of election speech coming out by for absentee ballot is very, very, very significant. And I think that that’s the other big important thing is the importance of absentee ballots, right. So, making sure that people have every way possible to be able to vote and utilizing every avenue to get out, get out the vote to voters is so so important. So, I think I’d say that’s one of the other big things that’s that I learned throughout these last couple of years is make sure that you get, you work on those absentee ballots, make sure that you get out the vote, make sure that you’re targeting. But more importantly, remember that you, you know, you’re going to look back at the last couple of days before the election, you’re going to think about all the time that you wish you had, use that time early, because you know, either you’re looking you can’t get time back. So, you know, I definitely I definitely loved that election. I have learned so much over the last couple years because of that specific year.
Alec Lewis 11:48
I’m all about that absentee chase, and you are the perfect example of why that’s so important. But let’s transition back into your role as a county legislator to close out our program. So, you are one of six Democrats in the Orange County Legislature, I believe currently. With the Republicans having a supermajority, and you’re also more openly proud of your progressive credentials and your philosophies compared to maybe some of your other colleagues.
Kevindaryan Lujan 12:15
Yes, so being in the minority is, you know, always going to be a challenge. I mean, you know, and it’s and it’s and it’s the reality that we face, right? So, unfortunately, we have a county executive that that’s Republican, we have the majority that’s Republican I, as you said, I’m not only a Democrat, but I’m a progressive Democrat. So, I might even buttheads even with my own party at times, especially around things that really truly, that feel like they have to be uncompromising. And so, I would say that in the last couple of years, despite that we’ve been able to accomplish so much. And it’s not just because of you know, what’s going on in the legislature, it’s the partnership between local leaders in municipalities County, working with county department heads, working with activists, working with our state and federal partners, recognizing that you have to really think outside of what does democracy look like, right? It also looks like our media, working with the media to be able to highlight issues that really matter. Despite, you know, being in the minority, we have been able to do things that had never been done before, even when we had, you know, more numbers. I can tell you that never before had you ever heard Republicans talk about affordable housing, the way that they are talking about it today, they don’t talk about, you’ve never heard people talk about harm reduction when it comes to individuals struggle with drug addiction in our jails. Five years ago, that was not something that we even heard of. And today, you see that happening in our jails, harm reduction and other ways to support our individuals struggle with drug addiction. But finding the areas where party doesn’t matter, like mental health and substance use has been really, really critical. And we’ve been able to do really great things. Because we all recognize that there is areas where we were there’s great overlap. Many of us work in these fields and know that, again, we’re data driven people who really care about what’s actually going to help and support people. But more than that, again, I go back to the you know, working with our commissioners and our department heads, we have never had a more diverse workforce than we do today. Whether you’re looking at our sheriffs, our probation, or our whether you’re looking at our mental health, whether you’re looking at our Department of Health, every single department is significantly more diverse than it was five or six years ago. And we have more diversity training, diversity, equity inclusion training than we’ve ever had before. We’re seeing criminal justice reform we saw we now see more body cameras than we’ve ever seen. So now we have our sheriff and our probation officers using body cameras. So, there’s more transparency, those things didn’t exist six years ago. We’re seeing a lot more investment in a community that that has almost the highest poverty level in the region. And I can tell you that we’ve been able to reduce crime, we’ve been able to increase investment, we’ve been able to make some make some inroads into lowering our unemployment. And the reality is, is that while the challenges are still numerous, and there’s still a deep need to invest in cities like the City of Newburgh and others, what we’ve been able to accomplish, despite being in the minority, and including more investments, and bringing more developers here is been because we, myself and many others, we take a very personal touch to speaking to people who are interested in coming here and speaking to our advocates. We recognize that our power is not in one singular vote of 21. But it’s really making sure that our population, our community members are activists, and so many others are aware of their power, when they’re making a noise, when they’re calling or their representatives, when they’re making sure that that that they’re moving forward, we’re able to accomplish great things. And so, you asked me, you know, what are some of my favorite accomplishments? Greenlight. You know, I, long before being a long before I was a legislator, I was an advocate who, who was inspired and found his voice, you know, fighting for immigrants’ rights, fighting for individuals who I felt were concerned, in the post-Trump era that maybe they were taking their child to school that they might get stopped by the police and arrested. That’s what I saw. That’s what I was concerned about, I was concerned about an individual or mother, or a person, feeling that they did not want to share a report a rape, or an assault because of their status. And that seemed unfair. And so, I fought for municipal IDs, I fought for fair and welcoming communities, but really was always about driver’s licenses. And so, for us to be able to, you know, advocate for that, and then now as a legislator, and at the time, also as a candidate for assembly, to be able to push for these this kind of agenda and to not only see it get so much tension, but to pass was significant, and probably amongst one of the most amazing, amazing experiences of my career. I remember being in the assembly and the senate chambers when those votes happen. And it was truly profound, because it was a moment where I knew so many individuals who never felt that they had a voice felt heard.
Alec Lewis 17:15
I was just gonna mention the story about you being in the Senate chamber as an example of your dedication. And you were so concerned about the outcome of the vote that you were texting me in real time on us reassured that we had the votes and I was doing my best to assure you that we did indeed. But hey, KD, KevinDaryan, thank you for joining us today from the lobby. Appreciate all the great work you’re doing in Orange County. And let me transition to Joanna to close out our program. Thank you so much.
Joanna Pasceri 17:42
Thank you, Alec and Kevindaryan, for that great conversation on Orange County campaigning and how you’re able to put a face to all the issues you address every day in the legislature. Thank you so much, again for joining us. And if you’d like to tap into Alecs’ campaign expertise, you can reach out to him on our website odonnellsolutions.com. That’s odonnellsolutions.com. And for more great political insight. Be sure to sign up for our Monday morning memo, Jack’s weekly newsletter on what’s really happening in politics. You can have it sent right to your inbox. Subscribe again on our website, odonnellsolutions.com. And for daily updates. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and threads at O’Donnell and Associates. Thanks for listening, everyone. We’ll be back.
