Ky Velez
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Ky Velez ran for election for Mayor of Orlando in Florida. She did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 7, 2023.
Velez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ky Velez was born in Orlando, Florida. She earned a high school diploma from University High School. Her career experience includes working as a technician.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: Mayoral election in Orlando, Florida (2023)
General election
General election for Mayor of Orlando
Incumbent Buddy Dyer defeated Steve Dixon, Samuel Ings, and Tony Vargas in the general election for Mayor of Orlando on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Buddy Dyer (Nonpartisan) | 72.8 | 18,670 |
 | Steve Dixon (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 3,812 | |
 | Samuel Ings (Nonpartisan) | 8.6 | 2,193 | |
 | Tony Vargas (Nonpartisan)  | 3.8 | 974 | |
| Total votes: 25,649 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ky Velez (Nonpartisan)
- Safraaz Alli (Nonpartisan)
- Moliere Dimanche (Nonpartisan)
- Gertrude Pierre (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Velez in this election.
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ky Velez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Velez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Hello, I'm Ky. I am a candidate for the Orlando Mayoral Seat in the 2023 election season. I am your average everyday worker who has lived through many of the struggles people face in society such as hunger, homelessness, and poverty. From my experience, I have gained perspective on just how prominent these issues are. I would like to be the voice of the working class, women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community as I am part of these underrepresented groups. I hear you, I care, and I understand the struggles you're being faced with. I am running so I can make a significant difference in Orlando residents' lives. I will always listen to what you have to say regarding policies, especially those that are unjust.
- With rent prices skyrocketing, many Orlando residents are facing high rates of homelessness. My mission is to create access to affordable housing and creating rent control laws within Orlando to meet the needs of residents. Together we can end the saga of inflation on a basic human need.
- With the rising cost of food, I offer a solution for our city. I would like to establish and expand access to community gardens so people will continue to have access to food at little to no cost for Orlando residents. Many other cities and states have incorporated this into their infrastructure and have seen the rates of hunger drop within those areas. I would like these gardens to be operated by residents in the area. My plan includes plots where families can plant their own food to feed their household if they don't have a lawn that they can turn into a garden.
- As an average worker, I have seen so many shady practices take place in the workplace. I have even seen cases where experienced workers are paid the same rate as new workers while carrying extra responsibilities like training new staff. My mission is to expand workers rights and give workers the confidence necessary to report serious offenses at work to the proper authorities without fear of retaliation in the workplace. I will hold corporations responsible for the mistreatment of staff. I also plan to establish a living wage in Orlando that will be reviewed yearly and increase as inflation rises so workers no longer fall victim to stagnant wages and the severe consequences associated with it such as hunger, homelessness, and poverty.
Orlando is a diverse place to live. When we come together as one people beyond labels, we can create a better future for everyone. I believe laws and policies should be unbiased and represent everyone. As your mayor, I promise to always listen to your concerns and speak up for you. My top priority is representing what it's like being a part of the working class and creating policies that protect workers rights. Another area of public policy I am so passionate about is protecting our basic human rights. With our rights coming under attack by our representatives, we need someone who is willing to stand up for what's right for everyone regardless of labels. As mayor, I will ensure that everyone is protected and equally represented in our city.
Most people will think I'm silly and ask what this person has to do with inspiring me to run for office, but the person I look up to is Nikola Tesla. The reason why I look up to him is because against all odds, this man successfully created the Tesla coil and wanted to provide free electricity for the world. He was a kind, intelligent, and compassionate human being who used his smarts to create projects that benefited all of humanity. He wanted these inventions to be accessible to the world. I admire him because many people were against him and at some point the federal government took interest in his work which meant he was on the right track. I also admire him because he spoke so much about consciousness and he started to delve into researching it. I myself am a spiritualist and his work into consciousness was revolutionary. He was truly a man ahead of his time. I wish I could go back in time and meet him because to me, he is the most important man in history. I am no scientist but I do aspire to follow in his footsteps by leading with compassion for my people while in office and creating policies that benefit all the residents in my city.
I would like people to look into the Venus Project as this project is one of the many things that inspired me to run for office. Seeing how the Venus Project targets many of the issues people face, I feel that they have a solid solution that could benefit all of society. I love how they are asking that experiments be done on how a city is developed directly affects society. They call for changes to be made within cities based on data driven responses from citizens residing within those cities. They want to focus on creating an abundance of resources and using those resources in an effective manner that benefits everyone. This relates to my political philosophy because I believe that society should benefit everyone, not just the rich and protect our environment.
I believe the most important thing is relating to your voters and their experiences. They are the reason why officials are in office in the first place, and if officials can't have compassion and empathy when passing policies that will directly affect citizens, then they're not worthy of a political seat.
Many politicians list facts on certain issues but no one ever stands up and gives a solid solution that would benefit everyone. So I feel another important characteristic is the ability to problem solve on issues citizens face.
I'm strong, passionate, charismatic, relate to the people, and truly understand the struggles my people face in every day life. I experienced many of the struggles myself, and I empathize with my fellow residents. This makes me a strong politician because my passion for the people drives my policies. I will always put my people first and will strive to communicate with residents so that my policies reflect what they want for Orlando. I believe that food, shelter, access to healthcare, and a living wage are all basic human needs and should be our basic human rights. I am also very passionate about animal rights and protecting our environment. As mayor, I feel I would lead Orlando into the modern age and ensure that changes will be made as new issues arise to protect the quality of life for every Orlando resident.
I believe that the mayor is mainly responsible for uniting their city as one people without labels. They're also responsible for updating infrastructure, creating policies that protect and benefit citizens, ensuring freedoms are protected at all costs, and communicating with representatives to target issues that affect residents.
If there is one thing I wish to be my legacy, it would have to be igniting the flame within people that has been dormant for so long, so that we can unite as one people to pressure representatives to pass policies that solve the issues our society faces such as hunger, homelessness, and poverty.
The first historical event I remember is 9/11 but the memories are very hazy. I was 4 years old and I remember being sent home from daycare and seeing the towers fall on the news.
Now if you want to know about the first historical event I remember happening that impacted me the most, that would have to be the shooting that occured at Pulse in 2016. I was 18 years old when it happened and one of my friends died. I remember receiving a call from one of my friends about it right after it happened and he told me my friend was in the club when it happened. We didn't know for hours whether he was alive or dead and it was gut wrenching. I remember crying so much to the point where tears were no longer coming out. This impacted me so much that I want to address all anti LGBT legislation when I'm in office and ensure that LGBT history is taught just like how every other historical event is taught in schools. This is a community that faces so many hardships and we don't deserve it. Our children should know historical events that occured for the LGBT community so that they never repeat that history again.
Now if you want to know about the first historical event I remember happening that impacted me the most, that would have to be the shooting that occured at Pulse in 2016. I was 18 years old when it happened and one of my friends died. I remember receiving a call from one of my friends about it right after it happened and he told me my friend was in the club when it happened. We didn't know for hours whether he was alive or dead and it was gut wrenching. I remember crying so much to the point where tears were no longer coming out. This impacted me so much that I want to address all anti LGBT legislation when I'm in office and ensure that LGBT history is taught just like how every other historical event is taught in schools. This is a community that faces so many hardships and we don't deserve it. Our children should know historical events that occured for the LGBT community so that they never repeat that history again.
My very first job was a Crew Member at McDonald's. It only lasted 6 months because I didn't like being treated horribly by customers for $9 an hour. Especially because my wage was not enough to survive, much less be treated with such disrespect.
Breaking Night: Homeless to Harvard
I myself have faced the struggle of homelessness. This book was very important to me during that hard time in my life. It is a very emotional story about a girl who was homeless at a very young age and worked her tail off to end up at Harvard on a scholarship. This book made me cry and it's not for those with a faint heart. It goes into details about many of the struggles the woman faces in her life and some of it is gut wrenching.
I myself have faced the struggle of homelessness. This book was very important to me during that hard time in my life. It is a very emotional story about a girl who was homeless at a very young age and worked her tail off to end up at Harvard on a scholarship. This book made me cry and it's not for those with a faint heart. It goes into details about many of the struggles the woman faces in her life and some of it is gut wrenching.
If I could be any fictional character, I'd be Senku from Dr. Stone. It's an anime about people who were frozen in stone by some Earthwide event and humanity has to basically start all over building technology. It's a really awesome show and gets into the science behind engineering some of the tech with a character called Senku-bot. I'm highly obsessed with this anime and highly recommend it for my fellow science geeks! I'd want to be Senku because he is a natural born leader and helps advance the village he finds. He is a bold character and speaks his mind about everything. He tries to save everyone from the stone because he genuinely cares about people. Plus he's also extremely smart and attractive. And who wouldn't want to be smart, attractive, and connected to the community?
I have 3 songs that have taken over my brain and just never left:
Woman's World by Little Mix
Change Your Life by Little Mix
I have faced many struggles in my life. I've struggled with hunger, homelessness, poverty, racism, discrimination, and many other issues. I struggled with lack of access to healthcare and that was a really rough time in my life. My biggest struggle is a wage that isn't enough to provide for myself, much less my family. I want to ensure residents never face these issues again.
To me, being a mayor is all about leading with compassion, empathy, and respect for all residents. Representation matters and I feel that the mayor should be someone who relates to residents in many different areas of life. I also feel that the policies that the mayor implements should be unbiased, and protect and benefit all residents within the city. To me a leader is someone who truly understands the issues that are prominent within their city and is passionate about solving them.
The most important thing is updating our infrastructure for the digital age. This starts with cost saving alternatives for work such as remote work. During the pandemic many jobs became remote. As the pandemic is ending, many of these jobs have returned to the office. These buildings are a waste of energy and resources that could've been utilized for other purposes such as housing. I would like to push for policies to be implemented to save energy and not only that save businesses on rental and energy costs. Another aspect of infrastructure I wish to change is shifting the resources we utilize from non renewable to renewable resources such as hemp concrete. I'd also like these building to run on alternative sources of energy. The final aspect of infrastructure I wish to change is expanding access to public transit so Orlando becomes a more accessible city to live in.
I love how diverse The City Beautiful is. There are so many people here from many different walks of life and I admire that. Another thing I love about our city is our nature. Orlando has many beautiful species of plants and animals that are not found anywhere else. One of my favorite plants native to Orlando is the Pine Hyacinth which is a super light purple flower that hangs almost like a bell. It blooms in the spring and has the most sweetest yet earthy smell. It is absolutely gorgeous and grows through to the fall. I love seeing these flowers bloom because they remind me of when I was little and used to pick them when they bloomed. Unfortunately I've seen less and less throughout the years which is why I would love to fund environmental projects to restore native plants in Orlando, including our beloved oranges.
With 2 power companies monopolizing the area, I feel the greatest challenge is making the switch to alternative energy and helping residents save on electric costs. These 2 power companies will not make it easy because as a company they want to continue making large profits off of providing power to residents. Another challenge is switching to alternative resources for buildings, roads, and other forms of infrastructure. I believe hemp concrete is the future of construction, and other areas as well such as clothing, plastic, etc.
My vision for the relationship between mayor and the state is about connecting with these officials about the hardships people in my city face and providing solutions to these issues. The state of Florida has to approve policies I wish to implement as mayor in my city. By communicating with these representatives, I feel that would help these officials truly understand and empathize with the people and push for policies to be approved that benefit not only the city of Orlando, but all of Florida.
I love this question a lot. As mayor, the relationship I wish to have with the federal government includes protecting the rights stated within our constitution and pushing for rights we don't have yet such as universal healthcare and protections for workers. Again, communication with these representatives is of the upmost importance to me so they can truly understand our hardships as citizens and work to establish policies that are necessary to protect and benefit everyone.
Instead of a joke I will tell you a funny story since it's my favorite to tell and absolutely hilarious. When I was about 7 years old, my 3 younger sister's and I were playing a pretend game. We pretended that there was a soda machine in our living room. We had some coins so we would just "put it in the machine" and it would fall to the floor and we'd pretend to collect a drink. My second youngest sister put a coin in the machine and I proceeded to take her pretend soda and run. She was so into it that she began to chase me down. My mom walks out the room and my sister starts crying saying I took her soda. After that, I made the sound of a soda opening and pretended to drink it. My sister lost it. My dad walks out and my mom is clearly mad and thinks I actually have a soda. He gets us all to stop running around and asks what happened. My sister is bawling her eyes out and my dad asks for the soda. I told him it was not real. We were just pretending. He laughed so hard because I caused chaos to ensure over my imagination. It's my funniest story and I hope you enjoyed it.
I believe that the mayor should be in direct contact with law enforcement and updating policies based on what is right for the area. For example, in Orlando, many residents are subjected to bakeract laws. I feel the way this law is written is restrictive to the freedoms of residents. Anyone can make a call to bakeract someone and it's game over when someone says that person is a harm to themselves or others. There are no questions asked. I feel how police handle people in the mental health community has to change and that starts with implementing psychology courses in police training. I also feel that we must shift to non lethal use of force first when detaining residents and truly investigate police shootings. I believe the mayor should be responsible for how police are interacting with residents and work to better the trainings as new issues arise.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 1, 2022
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