MAHOPAC – Zack Couzens hopes to become one of the youngest members of the New York State Legislature next January 1.
The 21-year-old resident of Mahopac, an Eagle Scout and senior at Boston College, is challenging Republican 94th District State Assemblyman Matt Slater this fall to represent constituents in five of Putnam’s six towns—Carmel, Kent, Patterson, Putnam Valley and Southeast in addition to the Village of Brewster and the towns of Somers and Yorktown in Westchester.
Couzens, majoring in political science, expressed hope that his candidacy will “bring more young voices into politics” while reversing the trend of Republican officeholders resulting in “Democratic representation in Putnam allowing us to get things done by improving housing affordability for seniors and young families, fighting for improved school funding, protecting the environment and supporting women’s reproductive freedom.”
Politics has always been in Couzens’ blood. Couzens recalled being the “only Democrat in my fourth-grade class. I wanted Obama to win re-election which wasn’t particularly popular among my classmates.”
In the summers of 2021 and 2013, Couzens interned with State Senator Peter Harckham, which provided him with behind-the-scenes experience needed to become a state legislator.
Politics has become nasty on the national, state and local levels. Why does a young man want to expose himself to such animosity?
Couzens forecast “new voices will change that. I was 13 years old when Trump was elected and this is the only brand of politics that I have been exposed to. Change is needed.”
Couzens realizes despite a slim 1,300 difference between registered Republicans and Democrats in Putnam, he has his work cut out for himself since Putnam remains as a GOP stronghold. “My opponent attends every Burger King ribbon cutting but as a Republican in a Democratically controlled State Legislature that’s about all he can achieve. He espouses to be bi-partisan but the record speaks for itself. If you are at the decision-making table in Albany in the minority caucus, he cannot deliver for Putnam County which is the reality of the race.”
