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Corey Johnson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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(council.nyc.gov) Corey Johnson

On January 28, Corey Johnson, the New York City Council speaker, announced that he was considering a run for mayor of New York. Johnson, a Democrat, told the New York Times that he was making the announcement way ahead of time to give himself plenty of time to prepare for the 2021 race. New York’s current mayor, Bill de Blasio, will be stepping down at the end of his current term, and the city’s term limit rules mean that de Blasio can’t run again, leaving the 2021 mayor race wide open.

Johnson, who is 36 years old, represents New York City’s Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Flatiron, West SoHo, Hudson Square, the Meatpacking District, Columbus Circle, Times Square, the Theater District, the Garment District and part of the Upper West Side. He lives in Chelsea.

Here’s what you need to know about Corey Johnson:

1. He Came Out as Gay While He Was the Captain of His High School Football Team

Johnson grew up in a working class family in Middleton, Massachusetts. His father struggled with alcoholism and abandoned the family when Johnson was a baby. His mother, Beverly, remarried, and Johnson has said that both his mother and his step father taught him the values of community service and political engagement. His mother worked providing services for the homelss, while his step father was a teamster.

Corey was a star athlete in high school, excelling at lacrosse and at football. He eventually became co-captain of the football team. In 1999, when he was a senior, Corey finally decided to “come out” as a homosexual to his team members. His story — and the story of the acceptance he found from his team members and from the wider community — made it into the New York Times. After graduation, Corey began traveling around the country, telling young people his story.

Years later, during his campaign for City Speaker of New York, Corey Johnson told a room full of voters about the day he came out to his Irish Catholic grandfather. “I said, ‘Grandpa, I have something to tell you,’ ” Mr. Johnson told his audience. “ ‘I told Mom and Dad that I’m gay.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I thought you were going to tell me you were a Republican!’ ”

2. He is the Only Openly HIV-Positive Elected Official in New York

Johnson was diagnosed as H.I.V. positive when he was just 22 years old. He wrote about his experience dealing with the diagnosis — and the “shame” and “anxiety” he felt when he first learned about it — in a series of tweets. Johnson said he hesitated before putting up the tweets. But he said he wanted to make sure that other young people knew that it’s possible to live a full life even after being diagnosed with H.I.V. After puting up the thread on Twitter, Johnson told the New York Post that he was “blown away” by the response.

“I am blown away by the positive reaction and all the retweets,” he said in a statement Monday. “It’s important for people who are in the place I was in 14 years ago to hear my story and know that there is life – a full, happy, wonderful life – after diagnosis. I am grateful every day and take nothing for granted.”

Johnson has also spoken openly about his struggles with alcohol and with cocaine. He has been sober since 2009.

3. He Wants to Fix the Subway System & Legalize Marijuana

Corey Johnson often talks about the need to protect the ordinary people of New York, who are suffering because of gentrification and the rising cost of living. He routinely lists rent reform as one of his key issues. The Council Speaker also says that fixing the city’s mass transit system is a key issue. He has suggested introducing “congrestion pricing” as a way to raise money for the struggling MTA. Johnson has also suggested legalizing marijuana and using the revenue from sales to help the MTA. He told Metro,

“For me [the key issues] includes congestion pricing and other ways to fund Andy Byford’s Fast Forward plan, rent reform to protect tenants, voting reforms to make New York a leader in democracy (as opposed to the straggler that we are currently),” he continued, “plus marijuana legalization and decriminalization and using the revenue to help communities harmed by years of unjust enforcement, and possibly to help fund the MTA.”

4. He Lives in Chelsea With His Cat

Johnson describes himself as “single but in an LTR with NYC.” He lives in a studio apartment with his cat, Mousse (he says he named the cat Mousse “because he’s fat and sweet”). He claims to live on a diet of iced coffee from his local deli and chinese food which he orders on Seamless. Johnson, a night owl and news junkie, describes his life as busy and hectic, with many demands on his time, but says he always manages to call his mother in Boston on Sundays.

5. He Has Pledged Not to Accept Any Donation Larger than $250

When Corey Johnson announced that he was considering running for mayor of New York, he also made a pledge: he won’t accept any donation larger than $250. He also promised not to take money from lobbyists, PACs, or real estate developers. Johnson’s full pledge said,

I will not accept more than $250 in total contributions from anyone (even though NYC allows individuals to donate up to $2,000).
– I will not accept contributions from real estate developers or anyone employed at their firms.
– I will not accept contributions from anyone employed at a lobbying firm.
– I will not accept contributions from corporate political action committees (PACs).

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