BK's Chi Ossé, 1st Gen-Z City Council Member, Reflects On 100 Days

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — City Council's youngest member Chi Ossé wasn't without his doubts when he stepped into the legislature this past January at the age of 23 years old.

"I was honestly feeling this notion of imposter syndrome — like, 'Oh my god, what am I about to do,'" said Ossé, who made history both as the first Gen-Z city council member and first queer representative for Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights' 36th District.

Opponents on the campaign trail had long challenged whether Ossé, now 24, had enough experience to take on the role, his first swing at public office.

But the local organizer — who co-founded a Black Lives Matter movement youth collective — said it didn't take long for doubts to dissipate.

"The biggest surprise for me was how doable this job was," Ossé said. "Since day one ... seeing how far our work was going [for constituents] really affirmed my confidence in being there."

Patch caught up with Ossé as he celebrates his 100th day in office (marked last Wednesday) and looks ahead at the rest of his record-making first year in office. Here's what he had to say:

What are you most proud of in your first 100 days in office?

Ossé's office put together a list of 100 accomplishments from his first four months in office, but there are several that struck a particular chord for the council member.

Among them are closing more than 1,000 constituent service requests, expanding his predecessor's "Wellness Wednesday" giveaways, a new Small Business Sunday series promoting local businesses, bringing Participatory Budgeting back to the district and introducing a bill that would train and provide overdose reversal kits to nightlife staff. The bill is expected to pass in the next month or two, Ossé said.

For Ossé, the through line in what he considers his biggest accomplishments has been a direct connection with constituents he fought to represent.

"One of the pillars of my campaign was implementing this idea of co-governance — there’s a lot of rightful distrust people have with their government that stems from a lack of transparency," Ossé said. "We want to include with everything I do this level of co-governance so everyone can have a say in many of the decisions that we make."

What are the biggest needs in District 36 moving forward? What are your goals for addressing these?

Neighbors in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights have reached out to Ossé's office most often about housing problems, whether it be issues with landlords or rampant pressure on homeowners to sell in the rapidly-changing neighborhoods, he said.

The concerns aren't unique to District 36. Affordable housing was marked as the top priority in a citywide survey funded by allies of Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year.

The NYC Speaks poll — said to be one of the city's largest ever civic policy surveys — found 44 percent of adult New Yorkers believe affordable housing and homelessness prevention would best keep their neighborhoods safe.

Ossé said his plan for the housing problems includes advocating Bed-Stuy be included in a "cease-and-desist zone" the state is considering adding to Brooklyn, which would prevent pushy real estate agents from harassing homeowners.

He also has spoke out about putting more money in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in the city budget and hopes to increase the price of fines for landlords, particularly those with a history of mismanaged properties.

"These summonses can be about $500, or even less — this doesn’t break the bank of these landlords or management companies that are making millions of dollars," Ossé said, noting it is often cheaper to pay the fines than make the needed repairs.

Related to the dilapidated buildings, Ossé said he also plans to fight for more money in the city's sanitation budget given trash and rodent problems made worse through the pandemic, when street cleanings were cut.

His office has set up an online forum where neighbors can report trash or sanitation problems that either the department or a local organization commissioned by Ossé's office can address. The local clean-up crew, ACE, has cleaned up 25,000 pounds of trash throughout District 36 so far, Ossé said.

What is it like to be the youngest council member? Are there challenges or benefits you've faced so far?

As he did in his campaign, Ossé rejects the idea that his age has been a hinderance to representing Brooklyn.

"This job has been challenging, but I do not believe my age has anything to do with that challenge," he said.

Instead, Ossé told Patch that so far his youth, and the youth of his staff, has proved a benefit to the work of a council person.

The council member specifically noted his "tech savvy" office's ability to use social media to distribute information to constituents and his brand of youthful progressive views. Ossé is one of several newly-elected council members that sit on the legislature's progressive caucus.

All told, that imposter syndrome seems 100 days in the past, Ossé said.

"I’m really proud with the work I have done," he said. "Thus far, it feels right to be where I am."