Brad Hoylman-Sigal

David Sigal

​

(m. 2013)​

Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Hoylman-Sigal in 2023
Member of the New York State Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2013
Children	2
Education	West Virginia University (BA) Exeter College, Oxford (MPhil) Harvard University (JD)
Website	Campaign website Official website

Brad Madison Hoylman-Sigal (born October 27, 1965) ^[1] is an American Democratic politician. First elected in 2012, Hoylman-Sigal represents the 47th District in the New York State Senate, covering much of the west side of Manhattan in New York City. ^[2] He is chairman of the state senate Judiciary Committee.

Early life and education

Hoylman-Sigal was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up in rural Lewisburg, West Virginia. ^[1] He was the youngest of six children of Audrey Kennedy Hoylman, a public elementary school teacher, and James M. Hoylman, a process systems analytics analyst. ^{[3] [4] [5]} He is a former Eagle Scout in Troop 70, Lewisburg, West Virginia. ^[6] He attended Greenbrier East High School in West Virginia. ^[7]

He attended West Virginia University (WVU; BA in political science and English literature, 1989), where Hoylman-Sigal was elected president of student administration and graduated summa cum laude with honors. ^{[8] [4] [9] [10]} At WVU he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and received a Truman Scholarship and a Marshall Scholarship. ^{[10] [11]}

Hoylman-Sigal then attended Oxford University (Exeter College) on a Rhodes Scholarship. He received a master's degree in political science (M.Phil., 1992). ^{[12] [9] [13]}

Afterward, he attended Harvard Law School. He graduated with a JD in 1996. ^{[11] [9]}

Early career

Hoylman-Sigal was an associate at law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from 1996 to 1998. He was an associate at Frankfurt, Garbus, Klein & Selz from 1998 to 2000. ^{[14] [10]}

From 2000 to 2012, Hoylman-Sigal served as executive vice president and general counsel of the Partnership for New York City, which represents New York City's business leadership and its largest private-sector employers. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]}

Hoylman-Sigal was also the chairperson of Community Board 2 in Manhattan, ^[19] and the Democratic District Leader of the New York 66th Assembly District, Part A. ^[20] He is also Trustee of the Community Service Society of New York, ^[21] a former president of the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats, and a former board member of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Tenants & Neighbors, Class Size Matters, and Citizen Action. ^[22]

In 2001, Hoylman-Sigal ran for the New York City Council in the first district, ^[16] which includes Governor's Island and a portion of Lower Manhattan. He placed second in a seven-candidate race, losing to Alan Gerson. ^[23]

New York Senate

2012–19

New York's 27th State Senate district before 2023

On June 11, 2012, Hoylman-Sigal declared his candidacy for the 27th District of the New York State Senate, running for the seat of retiring state senator Tom Duane. He won Duane's endorsement, ^[24] as well as the support of numerous local politicians and unions. ^[25] In the Democratic primary election held on September 13, 2012, he won 68% of the vote in a three-candidate field. ^{[26] [27]} Hell's Kitchen activist and bar owner Tom Greco was his closest competition, winning 24% of the vote. ^[28] In the general election in November he was unopposed. ^[29]

Hoylman-Sigal won the Democratic primary and general election (with 80% of the vote) in 2014, ^[30] 2016 (with 96% of the vote), ^[31] and 2018 (with 99% of the vote). ^{[26] [32]} As of 2019, Hoylman-Sigal was the only openly gay member of the New York State Senate. ^[33]

In December 2016, Hoylman-Sigal sponsored legislation known as the Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public (T.R.U.M.P.) Act, prohibiting New York State electors from voting for a presidential candidate who has not publicly released at least 5 years worth of tax returns no later than 50 days prior to a general election. ^[34] Lawmakers in 25 other states followed suit in producing legislation to compel presidential candidates to release their tax returns. ^[35] The idea was praised by the editorial board of The New York Times . ^[36]

After the 2018 midterm elections, Hoylman-Sigal was appointed Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ^[37] In the majority, Hoylman-Sigal passed multiple pieces of legislation including the Child Victims Act, ^[38] the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act ^[39] (or GENDA), and a ban on so-called 'gay conversion therapy.' ^[33] Hoylman-Sigal also sponsored the TRUST Act, which was passed by the state Senate. ^[40] The bill would allow certain Congressional committees to perform oversight by reviewing the New York State tax returns of senior government officials; members of Congress suggested this could allow Congressional committees to review Donald Trump's tax returns. City & State , a New York-based political news organization, characterized Hoylman-Sigal as "the person behind state Senate’s progressive bills." ^[41]

In 2019, the Child Victims Act that Hoylman-Sigal sponsored was adopted. ^[42] It extended New York's statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse and created a one-year lookback window within which survivors would be able to initiate claims against their abusers in cases where the statute of limitations had expired, and allowed them to bring a civil lawsuit against their abuser or institutions that enabled or protected their abuser by the age of 55 (up from the age of 23). ^[43] Over 9,000 lawsuits have been filed under that law, including against the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, and other groups that cared for children. ^[44]

2020–present

In early 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill, sponsored by Hoylman-Sigal, to repeal New York's ban on paid gestational surrogacy. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin introduced the bill in 2012. As of the bill's passage, only two other states (Louisiana and Michigan) retained laws explicitly banning paid surrogacy. ^[45]

In June 2021, Mark Levine defeated Hoylman-Sigal in the Democratic primary election for Manhattan Borough President. ^[26] Levine won by 7.4 percentage points. This was the first year that ranked-choice voting was implemented for most New York City election and primary contests. ^[46]

In June 2021, the New York Senate passed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which was sponsored by Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. ^[47] The bill failed to pass the Assembly in 2021. However, Rosenthal and Hoylman-Sigal introduced the ASA again the following year. ^[48] This time, the legislation was enacted: it unanimously passed the Senate in April 2022, passed the Assembly on a 140–3 vote in May 2022, ^[49] and was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. ^[50] The bill established a one-year "lookback period" that allowed adult victims of sex abuse or sex crimes to bring civil lawsuits that were previously barred due to the statute of limitations. ^[49]

In 2021, Hoylman-Sigal asked U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, engage in oversight of the United States Center for SafeSport, and step in to ensure that SafeSport is adequately conducting investigations. ^[51] He referred to what he called SafeSport's failure to carry out impartial and thorough investigations and ensure the safety of athletes it is charged with protecting. ^[51] He highlighted serious outstanding allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual coercion, and other violent behaviors by former friends, peers, and current teammates, and an ongoing investigation, and criticized SafeSport's decision to allow fencer Alen Hadzic to Tokyo as an alternate for the 2021 U.S. Olympic fencing team. ^[51]

In 2021, City & State ranked Hoylman-Sigal #11 on its annual list of the 100 most powerful people in Manhattan. ^[52]

In 2021, Hoylman-Sigal proposed legislation to ban landlords convicted of criminal activity from doing business with state-chartered banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Signature Bank and New York Community Bank are not state banks. Steven Croman, a landlord notorious for harassing his tenants in New York, was the inspiration for this bill. ^[53]

In 2021, to address New York's housing crisis, Hoylman-Sigal proposed legislation to remove a number of zoning regulations in New York that he viewed as onerous. The legislation would eliminate parking requirements; prohibit localities from requiring large lot sizes for homes; and allow for the construction of up to four housing units on lots that were previously exclusively zoned for single-family housing. ^[54]

In 2023, Hoylman-Sigal became the New York State Senator for the 47th district, which was redistricted from the 27th district. While Hoylman-Sigal's old district included Chelsea, Midtown, and the East Village, up to north of Columbus Circle, the new and more compact 47th district excluded the East Side, and covered the West Side, from Chelsea through the Upper West Side. ^[55]

Personal life

Brad Madison Hoylman married David Ivan Sigal, a filmmaker, at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in Manhattan, New York City, in February 2013. ^[56] They live with their two daughters, Silvia and Lucy, in Greenwich Village. ^[57] Hoylman-Sigal is Jewish. ^[58]

Electoral history

Election history
Office	Year	Election	Results
New York State Senate	2012	Primary, Democrat	√ Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) 63.5% Tommy Grecio(D) 23.7% Tamika Inlaw (D)8.9%
	2014	General	√ Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) 80.0% Frank Scala(R) 13.6%
	2016	Primary, Democrat	√ Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) 80% Rabbi Steven Roberts (D) 20%
	2018	General	v Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) 67.4%
	2020	General	V Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) 69.0%
Manhattan Borough President	2021	Primary, Democrat	v Mark Levine 53.7% Brad Hoylman-Sigal 46.3%
State Senate	2022	Primary,Democrat	v Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D)72.7% Maria Danzilo (D)26.9%

See also

• LGBT culture in New York City
• LGBT rights in New York
• List of LGBT people from New York City

References

1. Carrasquillo, Adrian (December 6, 2016). "New York State Senator Will Try to Force Trump to Release Tax Returns before 2020". New York State Senate. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
2. Julie Shapiro, Jill Colvin (November 7, 2012). "New York Elections 2012: Gillibrand, Jeffries, Meng Declare Victory As Obama Wins Reelection". Huffington Post .
3. "Meet Brad". Brad Hoylman. May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
4. "Brad Hoylman and David Sigal". The New York Times . February 24, 2013.
5. "Speaker Bios; New York Senator Brad Hoylman". menhavingbabies.org.
6. Annie McDonough (February 20, 2020). "Is Brad Hoylman declaring war on Jeff Bezos?; The state senator wants to crack down on facial recognition and pied-à-terre". City & State NY.
7. Brian Miluk (March 21, 2009). "Alumni Update". Mountain Messenger. p. 7.
8. "Archives". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. November 17, 1988. p. 20.
9. "Rhodes Speakers Bureau; Brad Hoylman". The Association of American Rhodes Scholars.
10. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
11. "History of WVU; Brad Madison Hoylman". West Virginia University. October 10, 2007. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
12. Schindler, Paul (September 14, 2012). "Brad Hoylman Wins Handily in Senate Primary". Gay City News.
13. Nick Garber (June 10, 2021). "Manhattan Borough President Race 2021: Brad Hoylman Seeks Office". Midtown-Hell's Kitchen, NY Patch.
14. "Child Sex Abuse Bill Top Priority for New NY Senate Judiciary Chair". New York Law Journal.
15. Swalec, Andrea (May 1, 2012). "Community Board Chair to Run for Christine Quinn's Council Seat". DNAinfo.com New York Neighborhood News. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
16. "New York City Campaign Finance Board: The 2001 Voter Guide". 2001 New York City Voter Guide. New York City Campaign Finance Board. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
17. "About Brad Hoylman". NY State Senate. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
18. "Partnership for New York City". pfnyc.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
19. "Members – Community Board No. 2 Manhattan" . Retrieved May 18, 2012.
20. "District Leaders". Manhattan Democratic Party. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
21. "Community Service Society of New York – Board of Trustees". Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
22. "Brad Hoylman Makes It Official". Politicker. June 11, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
23. "Election Board Nears Result For Advocate". The New York Times. October 3, 2001. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
24. "Hoylman Receives Tom Duane's Endorsement" . Retrieved February 15, 2013.
25. "Brad Hoylman Website – Endorsements Page". Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
26. "Brad M. Hoylman". Ballotpedia.
27. "Brad Hoylman Wins Primary to Replace State Sen. Tom Duane" Archived May 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . DNAinfo.com, September 14, 2012.
28. "Brad Hoylman Claims Win in Primary". Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
29. "New York State Legislature". The New York Times . Retrieved February 5, 2013.
30. Janison, Dan (June 8, 2014). "Much of New York headed for slow primary day". The New York Times.
31. "New York 27th District State Senate Results: Brad Hoylman Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
32. "Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Senate" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
33. "New York to become 15th state to ban 'gay conversion therapy'". NBC News. January 15, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
34. "New York State Senator Will Try To Force Trump To Release Tax Returns Before 2020". BuzzFeed. December 5, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
35. "More than half of states are trying to force Trump to release his tax returns". Think Progress. April 6, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
36. "An Antidote to Donald Trump's Secrecy on Taxes". The New York Times. December 12, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
37. "Hoylman is appointed chair of State Senate judiciary committee". Town & Village. December 28, 2018. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
38. "They Were Sexually Abused Long Ago as Children. Now They Can Sue in N.Y." The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
39. "Transgender anti-discrimination bill passes NYS legislature, law would ban conversion therapy". New York Daily News. January 15, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
40. "New York Senate Passes Bill To Allow Release of Trump's State Tax Returns". The New York Times. May 9, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
41. "Brad Hoylman: The person behind state Senate's progressive bills". City & State. February 6, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
42. Spector, Joseph. "Child Victims Act in New York: The window to sue expires in 2020. Why it may get extended". Democrat and Chronicle.
43. "Senate Unanimously Passes Historic Child Victims Act, Putting Full Force of Law Behind Survivors". NY State Senate. January 28, 2019.
44. McKinley, Edward (April 8, 2021). "Push for Adult Survivors Act is renewed after budget season". Times Union.
45. "No longer an outlier: New York ends commercial surrogacy ban". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
46. Moses, Dean (July 8, 2021). "Mark Levine declares primary victory in Manhattan borough president race". www.amny.com.
47. "NY Senate Passes Adult Survivors Act Sponsored by Senator Hoylman". NY State Senate. June 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
48. Kate Lisa, New York Assembly secures votes to pass Adult Survivors Act, Spectrum News (May 2022).
49. Grace Ashford, New York Will Allow Adult Victims to Revive Decades-Old Sex Abuse Claims, New York Times (May 23, 2022).
50. Governor Hochul Signs Adult Survivors Act, Office of the Governor, New York (May 24, 2022).
51. "Letter to U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell Requesting that the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation engage in oversight of the United States Center for SafeSport". NY State Senate. September 24, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
52. Saltonstall, Gus (October 5, 2021). "Meet The West Village Figures Among Manhattan's Most Powerful". West Village, NY Patch.
53. "Steve Croman-Inspired Law Would Bar Loans to Bad Landlords". December 21, 2021.
54. Lovinger, Joe (December 10, 2021). "New York State Bill Would Ban Single-Family Zoning". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
55. Abigail Gruskin, Hoylman Campaigns In West Side District With New Lines — and a New Number, West Side Spirit (July 14, 2022).
56. "Brad Hoylman and David Sigal". The New York Times. February 24, 2014.
57. Hartocollis, Anemo (February 19, 2014). "And Surrogacy Makes 3". The New York Times.
58. Benjamin, Liz (March 25, 2013). Why is tomorrow night different from all other nights? Archived May 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Capital Tonight. Retrieved April 16, 2013.

External links

• Campaign website

New York State Senate
Preceded by David Storobin	New York State Senate, 27th district 2013–2022	Succeeded by Brian Kavanagh
Preceded by Joseph Griffo	New York State Senate, 47th district 2013–present	Incumbent