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Shekar Krishnan (born June 5, 1985)[1] is an American attorney and politician who is a member of the New York City Council for the 25th district, which covers the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, parts of East Elmhurst, and a small piece of Woodside.[2]
Shekar Krishnan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 25th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Dromm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 5, 1985 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Cooper Union (BS) University of Michigan (JD) |
| Website | Official website Campaign website |
Early life
editKrishnan was born to immigrant parents from Kerala, India.[3]
He received a Bachelor of Sciences in engineering from The Cooper Union and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.[4]
Career
editKrishnan worked as an associate for law firms Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.[5] He was also an attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, directing the organization’s fair housing and tenant advocacy divisions.[4] He is the co-founder of Communities Resist, a legal services organization that represents tenants and neighborhood coalitions in fair housing litigation and anti-displacement advocacy in gentrified neighborhoods.[6][7]
2021 City Council campaign
editKrishnan announced his candidacy in the 2021 Democratic primary for the 25th District of the New York City Council on November 17, 2020.[6][8] Incumbent Councilmember Daniel Dromm was term-limited and could not run for reelection. He was endorsed by Dromm, U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, and State Senators Julia Salazar and John Liu.[9] He centered his campaign on immigrant rights, the taxi medallion crisis, affordable housing, and climate justice.[10]
Krishnan won the ranked-choice primary with 53.4% of all votes cast.[11] He won the general election with 60% of the vote.[12] Along with Shahana Hanif, Krishnan is one of the first South Asians to serve in the New York City Council.[13][10] Days after being elected, Krishnan was arrested along with Hanif and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani for protesting alongside taxi drivers.[14]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Maximum round |
Maximum votes |
Share in maximum round |
Maximum votes First round votesTransfer votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shekar Krishnan | 7 | 6,352 | 53.4% |
| |
| Democratic | Yi Chen | 7 | 5,549 | 46.6% |
| |
| Democratic | Carolyn Tran | 6 | 3,045 | 23.6% |
| |
| Democratic | Alfonso Quiroz | 5 | 1,986 | 14.5% |
| |
| Democratic | Fatima Baryab | 4 | 1,687 | 11.8% |
| |
| Democratic | Liliana Melo | 3 | 1,041 | 7.1% |
| |
| Democratic | Manuel Perez | 2 | 513 | 3.4% |
| |
| Democratic | William Salgado | 2 | 282 | 1.9% |
| |
| Write-in | 1 | 35 | 0.2% |
| ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ @voteshekaar (June 3, 2021). "Come for the cupcakes, stay for the canvass! Come through this Saturday!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Council Members & Districts". New York City Council. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Prakash, Priyali (October 29, 2021). "Meet lawyer Shekar Krishnan, who hopes to be among the first South Asians on the NYC council". Scroll.in. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Barsamian, Nicollette (February 22, 2017). "Local Express: Shekar Krishnan". Queens Gazette. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ "New Staff at Brooklyn A: Help us welcome these great new additions to our team!" (PDF). Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Parry, Bill (November 20, 2020). "Shekar Krishnan announces candidacy for western Queens City Council seat". QNS.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Ponce de Léon, Gabe (July 29, 2021). "Meet the nonprofit candidates likely to join New York's City Council". NYNMedia. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Dorgan, Michael (December 2, 2020). "PODCAST: We Talk To Shekar Krishnan, Candidate For the 25th Council District". Jackson Heights Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Griffin, Allie (June 8, 2021). "Council Member Daniel Dromm Endorses Shekar Krishnan for District 25 Seat". Jackson Heights Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Wang, Claire (November 3, 2021). "NYC Council has 5 new Asian Americans, a record that mirrors city more accurately". NBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Songalia, Ryan; Murray, Christian (June 22, 2021). "Shekar Krishnan Likely to Win Primary for Jackson Heights/Elmhurst Council Seat". Sunnyside Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Donlevy, Katherine (November 4, 2021). "Say hello to your new city leaders". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Kumar, Arun (November 3, 2021). "Shekar Krishnan, Shahana Hanif make history winning New York City council races". American Bazaar. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Venugopal, Verun (November 6, 2021). "Wins For NYC Council Seats & Taxi Debt Relief Deal Showcase Political Might Of South Asians". Gothamist. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ "DEM Council Member 25th Council District". Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.