David Carr (born August 28, 1987)[citation needed] is an American politician serving as Council Member for the 50th Council District of the New York City Council. He is a Republican.[2]
David Carr | |
|---|---|
 Carr in 2023 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 50th district | |
| Assumed office November 30, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Steven Matteo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 28, 1987 Staten Island, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Georgetown University (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
His district was formerly located only on Staten Island but now also encompasses part of Brooklyn.[3]
Life and career
editDavid Carr was born on Staten Island and is a lifelong resident of the Grasmere section of the borough. He attended local schools including the former St. John Villa Academy and Monsignor Farrell High School. Carr went on to earn a B.A. from Georgetown University. His first senior role in local government was as Chief of Staff to then-Assemblyman Joe Borelli and later in the same position for Council Member and later New York City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo.[4]
Elections to Council
editCarr became a candidate for the 50th Council District in 2020 and sought to be the latest in a continuous line of representatives for that seat going back to its creation in 1991 when John Fusco was first elected. Since then, each new Council Member had been the Chief of Staff of his immediate predecessor.[5] Carr was endorsed by the Staten Island Republican Party.[6]
As one of five candidates in the primary, Carr made his campaign about public safety by calling for 6,000 new police officers to be hired over the ensuing five fiscal years and the restoration of qualified immunity to New York City Police Department officers.[7] The contest became contentious as Carr accused an opponent, Marko Kepi, of illegal ballot harvesting including the registering of a dead person to vote and of forging signatures to get absentee ballots.[8] This in turn led to recriminations of racism and vote manipulation.[6] After losing a manual recount, Kepi took the matter to court where the presiding judge noted disturbing patterns in the signatures on the absentee envelopes.[9] Ultimately, Carr prevailed in all court challenges, sustaining his win of the GOP nomination.[10]
In the general election, Carr defeated Sal Albanese (Democrat) and George Wonica (Conservative).[11] He was sworn in early to take over the for the unexpired term of Matteo after the latter left to lead a Staten Island not-for-profit.[2] Carr became the only openly gay elected representative for Staten Island and the first openly gay Republican on the City Council.[12]
Carr was unopposed for re-election in 2023 as the nominee of the Republican and Conservative Parties.[13]
Council tenure
editCarr passed two pieces of legislation in his first term. The first required the New York City Department of Buildings to give fee waivers for those seeking permits to build back after a fire after caused by a defect and to give permit fee waivers for those seeking to correct that same defect before a fire would happen in their homes.[14] The second allowed the City to set a different interest rate on unpaid property taxes for individuals and families that entered into a repayment plan with the New York City Department of Finance in order to give them a lower interest payment.[15]
As chair of the Italian Caucus Chair, Carr has strongly supported the retention of Columbus Day as a holiday.[16] He is a member of the Common Sense Caucus,[17] and the LGBTQIA+ Caucus.[18]
In 2024, amid a housing shortage in New York City, Carr voted against a proposal (City of Yes) to permit construction of 80,000 new housing units across the city over a 15-year period.[19] He argued that the environmental effects of new housing had not been studied.[19]
Electoral history
edit| Election history | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election | Final Results | Round 2 Results | Round 1 Results | Round 0 Results |
| NYC Council District 50 |
2021 | Republican primary [20] | √ David M. Carr 50.29% Marko Kepi 49.71% |
Marko Kepi 37.47% David M. Carr 36.03% Sam T. Pirozzolo 26.50% |
Marko Kepi 33.51% David M. Carr 31.86% Sam T. Pirozzolo 22.98% Kathleen Sforza 6.98% Jordan Hafizi 4.67% |
Marko Kepi 33.58% David M. Carr 31.40% Sam T. Pirozzolo 22.86% Kathleen Sforza 6.87% Jordan Hafizi 4.78% Write-Ins 0.50% |
| NYC Council District 50 |
2021 | General[21] | √ David M. Carr (R) 59.77% Sal F. Albanese (D) 33.07% George S. Wonica (C) 7.03% Write-Ins 0.14% | |||
| NYC Council District 50 |
2023 | General[22] | √ David M. Carr (R,C) 95.65% Write-Ins 4.35% | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ DeSantis, Kelli. "Know your candidates: David Carr is running for Mid-Island City Council seat". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ a b Liotta, Paul (2021-11-30). "David Carr sworn in as new NYC Councilman representing Staten Island's Mid-Island". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
- ^ "NYC Council David Carr Homepage". Retrieved 2021-12-14.
- ^ Kashiwagi, Sydney (28 July 2020). "Matteo throws his support behind his Chief of Staff David Carr, who is running for his City Council seat". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Murphy, Jarrett (18 May 2021). "It's Insider Vs. Outsiders in Republican Council Primary on Staten Island". City Limits.
- ^ a b Liotta, Paul (22 February 2021). "Local political committees announce endorsements ahead of Staten Island's June primaries". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Bascome, Erik (14 May 2021). "Staten Island Republicans talk need to bolster NYPD". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Calder, Rich (12 June 2021). "Staten Island DA investigating alleged election fraud in City Council race". New York Post.
- ^ Ostapiuk, Joseph (25 August 2021). "Judge slams 'deeply concerning, disturbing' patterns in Kepi ballots in court decision". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Liotta, Paul (15 October 2021). "Appellate judges reach decision bringing Carr-Kepi saga to an end". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Feldman, Ari Ephraim (2 November 2021). "David Carr holds Staten Island Council seat for GOP". NY1.
- ^ Dalton, Kristin F. (4 November 2021). "'I'm a friend, brother, son, and I happen to be gay,' said Ron Castorina, S.I.'s first openly gay Republican judge". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Liotta, Paul (7 November 2023). "Election 2023: Full results for Staten Island". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Liotta, Paul (1 June 2022). "NYC Mayor Adams signs bill waving fees linked to massive 2020 Huguenot fire". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ Liotta, Paul (2 March 2023). "Past due on your property taxes? A new NYC law may be able to help". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ McDonough, Annie (7 October 2023). "Council's Italian Caucus will celebrate 'Columbus Day' this Monday". City & State.
- ^ "Common-Sense Caucus". New York City Council. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Caucus". New York City Council. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ a b "New York City Is Set to Approve a Plan to Create 80,000 New Homes". New York Times. 2024.
- ^ 2021 Primary: REP Council Member 50th Council District
- ^ General Election 2021: Member of the City Council (50th Council District)
- ^ General Election 2023: Member of the City Council (50th Council District)