The 5* Solutions

Politicians talk about solutions. I build them. Elect me and I’ll deliver real products and services that improve New Yorkers lives and accelerate the modernization our city’s government agencies.

A Searchable Safety Net

Most American cities have a 2-1-1 system that provides residents with information about every nonprofit health, human and social services available in the area. New York City doesn’t have one and that’s a travesty. We’ll build it.

Digital Transformation Services

Best practices have emerged for reforming government agencies by establishing “digital service organizations.” Our city is dragging its feet on making these reform. We’ll put their feet to the fire by helping civil servants do it themselves.

Civic Engagement Oversight

In 2017 NYC voters demanded more opportunities for civic engagement. We’ll make sure their wishes, and not the politicians’, are fulfilled by providing oversight of and support for city agencies with public engagement processes.

Regional Coordination Hub

As the beating heart of a 23-million person metro-region, New York City can’t effectively tackle issues like transit, housing and employment without improving our region’s ability to coordinate. We’ll do that organizing.

Open Government Interface

City agencies publish lots of data about themselves on the city’s open data portal. As Public Advocate, I will create a unified interface that help you use that data to better understand the city, its budgets, expenses, capital projects, social services, performance indicators and more.

*Your Solutions Here

New Yorkers are passionate, brilliant, hard working people who know better than anyone how to solve our cities problems. That’s why I want to hear from you about the problems facing you and your community, and how you think we can best solve them.

Read the Platform

Hi, I'm Devin

I’m a nonprofit executive, technologist and lifelong New Yorker who believes we can break the two-party duoopoly on politics by bringing people together around RESULTS NOT RHETORIC.

More About Devin

News & Media

DEVIN BALKIND RUNS FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE. PROMISES TO DELIVER 5 SOLUTIONS.

Contact the Candidate: [email protected]; 646.883.8048. Date:  October 17, 2019 DEVIN BALKIND RUNS FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE. PROMISES TO DELIVER 5 SOLUTIONS. New York City:  Devin Balkind is a technologist who spent the last decade working with nonprofits, governments and businesses to improve people’s lives.  He says: I’m concerned that the Public Advocate’s office has become a […]

5 Solutions the Public Advocate Should Deliver for New York City

This post and image originally appeared July 23rd on Gotham Gazette. The New York City Public Advocate is a poorly defined position that, over its 30 years of existence, has often been used to advance the political interests and status of career politicians. I’m running for Public Advocate because I want to do something very […]

It’s Time for a “Participatory” Democracy Instead of our “Consumer” One

Democracy in the United States was established nearly 250 years ago when news traveled at the speed of a horse and real-time collaboration required sharing a physical location. Today, ubiquitous internet access, smartphones, social media, and online collaboration tools have transformed how we work, play and consume, but the basic structure of our politics remains the same.

OpEd: Disaster Preparedness Requires a 211 System; New York City Still Doesn’t Have One

Over the last few years, New Yorkers have watched with great anxiety as Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, among many other places, were pummeled by massive hurricanes. Whenever we see storm destruction, memories of Sandy re-enter our consciousness; as does the question: Is New York City significantly better prepared for the next big one? My […]

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