Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published May 23, 2019.

Where are you originally from? How did you end up in Rochester at this time in your life?

I’m from Rochester. My mom lived in the city and my dad lived in Brighton, so I went to Brighton schools. I went to SUNY Binghamton for undergrad and studied history. I traveled for a few years after college; I always knew I wanted to do social justice work, so as I traveled and saw parts of the world in turmoil, I considered where I could be the most effective, and concluded that it would be in Rochester. I came back to Rochester and started working with Action for a Better Community as a Headstart teacher, and have stuck around ever since.

What inspired you to get a PhD in history?

Even when I finished my undergrad in history, I was always motivated to learn. When I was at Action for a Better Community, I was a 22 year old kid teaching and felt like I was struggling to make progress. One of my daily frustrations was throwing away tons of food. I called up Foodlink and asked if there was a way for me to solve this problem. They said no, not exactly, but come work for us. I left Headstart to work at Foodlink. I was enthusiastic and energetic, but I didn’t really understand the problems—I only understood the symptoms.

While pursuing my PhD at the University of Rochester, I was glad I could use what I was learning and put it into practice in my work at Foodlink. I believe that you can’t begin to solve social issues without diagnosing them, and to do that, you need the history. My degree taught me to think critically, problem solve, and work independently. If I’m successful as a City Councilmember, it’ll be because of those skills.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

High Falls still feels like a hidden gem. When I give tours of Rochester, I always start with High Falls. It’s where we start historically. Genesee Brew House has activated that area, but we could still do more to harness it. We’re not there yet.

Troup Street Park in my neighborhood is incredible—it has all the diversity of Rochester in one place. There are new Americans playing soccer and basketball, there’s a playground, and people are always barbecuing. It’s a little slice of everything.

For years, Foodlink has been running the biggest urban farm in Rochester. It’s an old subway bed on Lexington Ave that’s been infilled. It’s more than one acre! 70 refugee families have their own plots, and they get to keep what they grow. It’s this dynamic space hidden in the northwest part of our city.

Tell me a little bit about your work at Foodlink over the years.

The Curbside Market is one of the things I’m proudest of. It’s like a farmers’ market on wheels. It has made me really familiar with our city. I’ve learned that no matter what part of the city you’re in, people are proud of their community. If you just read the news, you don’t get the whole picture of what these communities are like. People and community leaders are proud, and that’s part of the fabric of our city. Curbside Market is literally the vehicle that has taken me there and helped me get to know it.

What's the best place to get a garbage plate? 

Nick Tahou’s. Anyone who argues with that is on the wrong side of history! It’s the OG for a reason.

If you had $100 and a whole day to enjoy Rochester, what would you do? 

It would be a Saturday. I’d go to the Public Market; it’s unquestionably my favorite place in Rochester. I got married there, and my dissertation centered on it. The Market is an outlier in Rochester—it’s a diverse, integrated space. You can get a $12 loaf of artisanal bread or two week old strawberries for 25 cents. Afterwards, I’d head to lunch at Swan’s. That place is so special; you can’t build that new. Cities that don’t have history like Rochester can’t have spaces like that. Finally, I’d head to Genesee Brew House and have a drink up on the rooftop looking out at the falls.

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

I believe winter is what gives this city grit. We have four seasons and their sharpness leads to a lot of dynamism, and a sense of urgency. You just deal with winter and remember that we’re a four seasons place.

What is your favorite Rochester memory? 

On April 15th, 1994, I was in second or third grade, and my mom picked me up from school in the middle of the day to take me to the Red Wings opening day. What a cool mom, right?! It was 84 degrees out, and the stadium was packed! I felt like we lived in the biggest city in the world. It was an amazing day.

What makes Rochester unique? 

It’s a vibrant city that is surrounded by amazing country. We have lakes, woods, trails all not far from here. The proximity to nature within the city is pretty amazing too—like Low Falls, and other parts of our city that are so peaceful. I took a walk in Durand with my wife in the fall, and we found it remarkable to think that we were still in the city. You can feel claustrophobic in other, larger cities with less access to nature. What we have here is special.

What do you see as some of the most pressing issues facing our city?

Poverty—all the major issues we face as a community link back to that. There’s a lack of opportunity for people. People of color were deliberately left out of our economy during the best times that Rochester has experienced. Our biggest employers were not open to people of color, and they were prohibited from purchasing homes, for a long time. Our Golden Age was very exclusive. Huge swaths of the community were left out. It manifests in health, education, and so many different ways.

There needs to be a community-wide effort to address these issues. The real challenge is that these are not city problems and city solutions—they are regional problems that need regional solutions.

How can people start getting involved in giving back to the community?

People need to get involved in issues that motivate them. For me, the issue of food equity has always motivated me. I want people to be able to afford to live a healthy life and eat a healthy diet. I encourage people to consider what motivates them and get started there. There are so many ways to approach the larger problems of poverty and inequity. Pick one, get to know a community leader, and start helping.

In your own words, what does a City Council member do?

We are the legislative body, stewards of city dollars and city land—we have to vote on anything the city administration wants to do.

What's it been like to hold public office for the first time?

There’s no operating manual, and it’s a steep learning curve. Another challenge is that I’m relatively young and energetic. I want to meet with all constituents and stakeholders, but I can’t be everything to everyone. The upside of that is that we have so many people who are passionate about our city—everyone is really fighting for the best version of Rochester.

What would a successful term in City Council look like to you?

That’s something I’m thinking about all the time. I ran because I wanted to ensure that new eyes and new voices were part of the decision-making apparatus at City Hall.

We have, as a city, been without a comprehensive plan for almost a decade. In 1999, they launched Renaissance 2010 to get us to 2010. We have a draft comprehensive plan right now, and 3-4 public events coming up for the community to weigh in on it. There will be multiple opportunities for public feedback on the draft. If we adopt a powerful comprehensive plan and start making headway towards it, that will be a success in my book.