Second Avenue Subway Construction

Second Avenue Subway Construction is slated to continue through at least December 2016, we must maintain quality of life for residents and keep our storefronts open. Read More

NYC Applied Sciences & Engineering School on Roosevelt Island

Responsible development on Roosevelt Island will require infrastructure improvements to better support the existing 12,000 residents as well as 2,780 new students and faculty Read More

Opposing the UES Marine Transfer Station

Marine Transfer Stations must not be placed in residential neighborhoods or existing public parks. Read More

Suggest Your Own Solutions

Why settle for broken laws that no longer serve the community? Join the campaign in coming up with new solutions to old problems. Read More

About Benjamin J. Kallos

A third generation Upper East Sider, Benjamin is an activist, lawyer, and entrepreneur running to represent the Fifth District. He is a product of the City’s public high schools and a graduate of the SUNY system who has used his education to work in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government taking that experience to found or lead several groups whose goal it is to improve our government.  Benjamin has a record of success demonstrating his personal investment in seeing the District, the City, and the State, thrive.

As a member of the City Council, he will represent you in the Fifth District, be open and accountable to you, and put the focus back on issues of utmost importance to the community, succeeding Councilmember Jessica Lappin as she runs for Manhattan Borough President.

New York City taxes the incomes of almost a quarter million low and moderate income households that the Federal and State governments do not. We join New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the Drum Major Institute in calling for the repeal of income taxes on households that do not owe Federal or State Income tax or earn less than $40,000 a year. To make up for the $100 million shortfall, we should investigate a miniscule income tax increase of eight and a half one-hundredths of a percent (0.085%) from 3.2% to 3.285% on households earning more than half a million dollars a year. While Mayor Bloomberg has argued that our City’s richest would leave in mass exodus over any increase, many question whether someone earning $600,000 a year would leave over having to pay the $97 more a year in income taxes under the proposed option.
Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.

Seed money to build a start-up business usually involves an investment of a quarter million dollars or more. But NYC Seed was recently appropriated only $2 million, which led it to announce that their smallest investment would be $200,000 or more, meaning that only 10 companies or fewer would benefit. In this economic crisis, we should offer micro-seeds of $50,000 or less to as many creative entrepreneurs as possible. Instead of seeding 10 companies, that $2 million would seed 40 companies or more. While $50,000 may not be much for most small businesses, it is just enough for the ICE sector where someone already has a career but might need additional capital to turn their art or website into a full time job and the next big thing. Additionally, micro-seeds would gain access to shared conference rooms and presentation spaces along with technical services for business plans, formation and first round investors. By lowering our initial investment, increasing their number and providing support, New York City is likely to generate many more jobs.

Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.

Job and Business Centers can be made more widely available to New Yorkers through a commitment to being multi-lingual, extended hours, expansion of child care availability, and the use of new technology. They should also help applicants gain access to other benefits like a free interview suit offered by a not-for-profit, or pre-kindergarten programs throughout the City to alleviate socioeconomic pressures that might otherwise hinder the jobseeker

Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.

Especially in an economic crisis, the City needs all the talent within the five boroughs to spur economic growth. A new “Senior Service Corps” (SSC) is one way to tap into one of our City's major "natural" resources, the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of experience and intelligence held in the brains of the tens of thousands of retired business leaders who could work with City agencies and companies to assist with workforce and business development. Economic development programs like incubators would benefit from the life-long experience of senior business people who volunteer as chief financial officer, accountant, attorney, or other technical advisor, working with the a start-up firm once every week or two. Companies would gain valuable technical services and SSCs would develop a ground floor relationship with what might be the next Google or Amazon. Active SSCs who have become knowledgeable about City, State and Federal programs could be called upon to serve as economic ambassadors to attract or keep talent or companies in the New York City marketplace.

Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.
Megan Finnegan Bungeroth
04/04/2012
 

This all seems as obvious a lifestyle to Kallos as his decision to run for Jessica Lappin’s seat in the City Council in 2013. He’s positioning himself as a young voice, a progressive choice, someone who has worked tirelessly, frenetically even, on so many civic issues it makes the résumés of some sitting council members seem paltry by comparison.

 
City and State News
Chris Bragg
03/27/2012
 

* Cynical pols deliver conventional wisdom that voters don’t care about redistricting, but don’t tell that to New York City Council candidate Benjamin Kallos. The East Side aspirant for Councilwoman Jessica Lappin’s seat is holding a fundraiser next month featuring Mark Favors, lead plaintiff in the Favors v. Cuomo lawsuit challenging the state’s method of drawing new lines. It’s a natural issue for Kallos, executive director ofBill Samuels’ New Roosevelt Initiative, though he acknowledged it’s an unusual draw for an event with a top ticket price of $1,000. Kallos said he’s trying to run “a substantive campaign about the issues that not only affect the district but the city as a whole.”

 
City and State News
Chris Bragg
03/26/2012
 

I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a campaign fundraiser themed quite like this before, but New York City Council candidate Ben Kallos is holding a fundraiser (donation for co-chairs, $1,000) centered around a discussion of the redistricting lawsuit Cuomo v. Favors.

 
New York Observer's PolitickerNY
Colin Campbell
03/01/2012
 

Speaking before a crowd in the back of the Off The Rails bar, Mr. Kallos particularly demonstrated some passion for government transparency in his speech. In addition to touting his efforts to get New York voting records online, he cheered the Council’s recently passed Open Data Bill and presented a “Suggest Your Own Solution for a Better City” worksheet for the crowd to fill out or submit online.

 
DNAinfo.com
Amy Zimmer
02/02/2012
 

 

Kallos, a lawyer who is now the executive director at the New Roosevelt Initiative focusing on government-transparency projects, told DNAinfo that he hopes to bring his progressive bent to the council. A self-avowed wonk, Kallos has worked on open source and other campaigns to make government more responsive.

He, for instance, would like to see the city’s text message alert system not only send missing person notices, but also send reminders for Election Day.

He envisions using the office not only for passing legislation, but also, perhaps, like Bronx state Senator Gustavo Rivera, for conducting community civics classes.

“I’ve spent all this time asking for elected officials to do all these things,” Kallos, a former Community Board 8 member, said. “At a certain point, you have to put up or shut up,” he said of his rationale to run.