Caribbean L 18 ife, JUNE 18-24, 2021
Small business owner, Trisha Ocona. Joel Stewart, Sr.
Trisha Ocona releases
Ranked Choice Voting video
By Nelson A. King
On the first day of early voting in New
York City, Brooklyn Borough Presidential
candidate Trisha Ocona released an
instructional video for Ranked Choice
Voting.
Since ballots can often seem overwhelming,
Ocona said she wants to
make sure that instructions are clear
and that everyone in Brooklyn understands
how to cast their ballot correctly.
“There are already so many obstacles
to voting,” said Ocona, a community
strategist and educator with over
20 years of experience in the housing
industry.
“Confusion over a new style of ballot
should not be one of them,” she added.
“I want to make sure everyone in Brooklyn
understands ranked choice voting,
so that they make their vote count.
“As Brooklyn Borough President, I
strive to increase transparency, collaboration
and education when it comes to
leadership,” Ocona continued.
Ocona, whose mother is Jamaican
and her father Venezuelans, told Caribbean
Life that she was “prompted by
the need for representation and advocacy
for all Brooklynites and having the
experience to fight for the people.”
Ocana, a registered Democrat, said
her team comprises “a council of professional
and community experts.”
“As a Brooklyn girl, I want to preserve
Brooklyn’s brand as one of the greatest
cities in the world,” she said. “Many
people are leaving Brooklyn due to gentrification,
high rent, crime, loss of jobs,
poor housing. The success of Brooklyn
is as important to my family and me as
so many others.”
Ocona said she has dedicated her life
to improving others’ lives, adding that
she is using what she has learned over
the years from the Brooklyn Chamber
of Commerce and knowledge gained,
with over a decade of experience on the
Community Board.
She said her main agenda is combating
predatory housing practices.
Ocona said she has already created
“councils” within her cabinet to address
issues ranging from clergy to mental
health, the New York City Housing
Authority (NYCHA) and the pandemic,
to the aging, prison reform and racial
equity.
Ocona said she grew up in Brooklyn
in a multicultural household, and that,
as a mother to school-aged children,
with senior citizen parents, she understands
“the importance of amplifying
the underserved voices.”
As one of the youngest people on the
Community Board, when she started,
Ocona said she established “real connections
early in life.”
She said she leads “with compassion”
and helps by sharing available
resources.
In addition to her tenure on Brooklyn
Community Board 17, she also served as
chairwoman for the Housing Committee
and committee member for Land
Use and Youth.
Ocona said the Brooklyn Borough
president role positions her “to
address problems and create actionable
change.”
With her experience working with
city agencies and nonprofit organizations,
paired with the ability to influence
diverse representation on appointed
community boards, Ocona said she
is “well equipped to navigate neighborhood
level projects and initiatives.”