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Phillips, of Auburn, is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Assemblyman John Lemondes, a Republican, in the 126th Assembly District. The district includes parts of Cayuga and Onondaga counties. 

In an interview with Ë®¹ûÅÉAV/auburnpub.com, Phillips said there two key moments that led to his decision to run for state Assembly. 

He recalled traveling to Albany with a group of educators and students to meet with state leaders about education funding for the Auburn Enlarged City School District. There were meetings with state Sen. Rachel May, who represents all of Cayuga County, and members of Gov. Kathy Hochul's staff. 

There was also a meeting with Lemondes. Phillips didn't think the assemblyman listened to the district's concerns about state funding. 

"He was focused on other issues that were important to him and maybe were important to other people," Phillips said. "Walking out of that meeting, it made me feel like we needed better representation." 

The other factor was seeing press releases sent by Lemondes' office. Phillips thinks those statements did not focus on issues of local importance. 

"I have this strong belief that the problems that we face, while significant, can be overcome by the solutions within us if we work together," he said. "I feel like extremism and divisiveness and kind of placing the blame on marginalized groups is getting in the way of solving real issues." 

Phillips, an Alfred University graduate, began his career as a community organizer in Philadelphia. While there, he was drawn to teaching after seeing students struggle with math. They were three or four years behind, he said, and it was because they didn't have a certified math teacher. 

He joined Teach for America, a two-year program that encourages educators to teach in low-income areas. He taught middle school English and social studies in Detroit. He also taught summer school on Chicago's South Side.

"It is very eye-opening," he said. "You take for granted what you have growing up here. I tried to get through to the students that I had and build a rapport with them. I definitely feel like I learned as much from those students as they learned from me." 

When Phillips returned to Auburn, he worked as an aide to U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei and ran the congressman's district office in the city. He has been active in local politics — he is a past chair of the Cayuga County Democratic Committee. Now, he works as a regional political organizer for New York State United Teachers, one of the most influential unions in the state. 

Phillips was elected to the Auburn school board in 2018. He was reelected to another three-year term in 2021. His final term expires at the end of this school year. Instead of seeking a third term, he opted to run for Assembly. 

Education is his "bread and butter," he said. It's one of the top issues on his platform as he campaigns for state Assembly.

"I believe education is our investment in the future and making sure we do that in a smart way is really the most critical thing to me," Phillips said.

His other priorities include protecting the lakes and advocating for an affordable economy in central New York. 

Republicans have an enrollment edge in the 126th district, but it's not as large as it has been in the past. Active GOP voters outnumber Democrats by about 4,400. 

Lemondes, who was elected to succeed the late Gary Finch in 2020, hasn't faced any difficulties in winning the past two elections. In 2022, he won reelection by a 9,000-vote margin. When he was first elected nearly four years ago, he won by a similar total. 

Despite Lemondes' past success, Phillips sees a path to victory. 

"I think that there's a hunger for somebody who is willing to get things done, who is not going to be an extremist, who wants to hear everybody out, collaborate with each other and try to find solutions to our problems and not talk about the national topic of the day," he said.