He’s a thespian and not a politician, but Da’Shawn Luckey wants to become Manhattan’s next borough president this year.
“I feel like I can offer something New York City hasn’t had in a long time,” Mr. Luckey, a southern-born actor whose personal website beckons visitors to “Enter Here to Share My Love” told Politicker. “We need someone who can show integrity and get their hands dirty … we can always try to look at what we have and try to improve upon that.”
Mr. Luckey, who filed an exploratory committee to run for the seat this week, declined to outline his campaign platform, and instead spoke generally about why he wanted to fill the shoes of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who’s leaving the position to campaign for comptroller. When asked how he expected to compete with well-funded and established candidates in the race, Mr. Luckey, a Washington Heights resident, promised a grassroots effort.
“The way I look at it, actors pretty much know how to navigate through all platforms and that’s pretty much my background,” Mr. Luckey said. “I come from a world of theater, a world of entertainment, and I’m sure the New York community knows it’s very important in terms of navigating through tough decisions.”
According to his IMDB page, Mr. Luckey has portrayed a “mug shot criminal” in the television show The Good Wife and a “hippie” in Across the Universe, the Beatles movie musical, among other roles. He also co-founded a theater and film production company, Diversity Players of Harlem. Along with his acting career, Mr. Luckey is currently enrolled in George Washington University’s graduate program in security and public safety, something which he said gives him a “certain edge” in the race. Mr. Luckey also promised his approach would be very different than the other candidates in the race, who he did not name.
“I’m a student of life,” Mr. Luckey said. “That itself puts me in a different category of a lot people. It’s not always a bad thing to be the underdog or not the top contender.”
And he doesn’t think having lived in the city less than a decade will make him ill-prepared to run against his top-tier opponents, Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, Councilman Robert Jackson, Community Board 1 Chairwoman Julie Meinin and Councilwoman Gale Brewer.
“Listen, I think six months in this city surviving gives you enough experience,” he explained.
