Brian Kavanagh | |
---|---|
Member of the New York State Senate | |
Assumed office December 7, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Daniel Squadron |
Constituency | 26th District (2017-2022) 27th District (2023-Present) |
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 74th district | |
In office January 3,2007 –December 6,2017 | |
Preceded by | Sylvia M. Friedman |
Succeeded by | Harvey Epstein |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Staten Island,New York,U.S. [1] | January 18,1967
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | East Side,Manhattan |
Alma mater | Princeton University (AB) New York University (JD) [2] |
Profession | lawyer,politician |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Brian Patrick Kavanagh (born January 18,1967) [1] is an American politician who represents the 27th district in the New York State Senate,representing Lower Manhattan since December 2017. [3] Before the redrawing of legislative districts in January 2023,Kavanagh represented the west part of Brooklyn. He previously served in the New York State Assembly representing the East Side of Manhattan. Kavanagh is a Democrat.
Kavanagh is a lifelong resident of New York City. He was born and raised on Staten Island and graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan. [4] Kavanagh tutored students at the Lower East Side Nativity Mission Center. He graduated with a B.A. in politics from Princeton University in 1989. [5] He then received a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. [2] He worked as an attorney at the New York law firms Kaye Scholer and Schulte Roth &Zabel.
While living in Manhattan,Kavanagh lived in many different neighborhoods:the Lower East Side,Murray Hill,NoMad,and Turtle Bay. [6]
He was an aide to former New York City Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins. He served as chief of staff to New York City Council member Gale Brewer. [2]
Kavanagh began government service as an aide to Mayor Ed Koch and has served in three mayoral administrations. After the Happy Land Social Club fire claimed the lives of 87 people in 1990,Kavanagh helped coordinate the city's response to the tragedy on behalf of Mayor David Dinkins,co-designing a task force that shut down the most grievous fire code offenders. [7] At the Mayor's Office,Brian also played a key role in launching the New York City Department of Homeless Services and he then served as the agency's first Policy Director. [8]
As Chief-of-Staff for then-New York City Council member Gale Brewer,Kavanagh negotiated enactment of the Domestic Worker Protection Act,promoting the rights of housekeepers and caregivers. [7] With then-Councilmember Bill Perkins,Councilmember Brewer,and dozens of their colleagues on the Council,Kavanagh helped to draft and secure passage of Council Resolution 549,opposing the imminent invasion of Iraq. [8]
Kavanagh has served as a counselor,volunteer,and board member at the Lower East Side's Nativity Middle School and community center, [9] and as a board member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association and has served on the Association's Election Law Committee. [8]
Following an unsuccessful bid for the New York City Council in 2005, [10] Kavanagh was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2006. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been endorsed by the Working Families Party. [2] [11] He is on the board of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, [12] and serves as the President of the American-Irish Legislators Society. [13]
Kavanagh has been awarded the League of Conservation Voters Eco-Star Award,the highest rating of any legislator in 2010 from Environmental Advocates of New York, [14] the Baruch College Legislator of the Year Award, [15] [16] and a perfect rating from the League of Humane Voters. [17] Kavanagh teaches a course at Columbia University. [18]
In 2017,Kavanagh announced that he would run in the special election to succeed Senator Daniel Squadron,who was resigning to found a non-profit. [19] Not without criticism,Kavanagh was nominated as the Democratic candidate,despite representing very little of the same territory in the state Assembly that the Senate district encompassed. [20] Despite this,Kavanagh easily won election. [21] He was easily re-elected to a full first term in 2018. [22]
Kavanagh has been a proponent of election reform. Stating New Yorkers "have some of the worst election laws in the country," Kavanagh introduced a bill "that would allow voters to cast ballots before Election Day". Until New York enacted early voting in 2019,it was the largest state with no advance voting regime. [23]
With Democrats taking the majority in the Senate in 2019,Kavanagh was named Chair of the Committee on Housing,Construction and Community Development. [24] In his first year as Chair,Kavanagh led the effort to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA),which became law. Early into the COVID-19 pandemic,Kavanagh advocated to stop evictions and foreclosures,extending the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium for almost two years. He enacted New York's Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Homeowner Assistance Fund. In 2024,New York State adopted Good Cause Eviction legislation,which had been a priority of Kavanagh's since 2019.
Kavanagh was a co-sponsor of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), [25] enacted in 2019,and has served on the Environmental Conservation Committee in each of his years in the legislature. [26] One of Kavanagh's priorities has been the introduction of extended producer responsibility legislation,which would required producers to be responsible for products from the beginning to end of life. He has introduced legislation in this area for rechargeable batteries,lamps,mattresses,and textiles,among others. [27]
Kavanagh authored the "All-Electric Building Act," [28] which became law in 2023,requiring the state energy construction code to halt the use of fossil fuels in new construction in the state.
Kavanagh has pursued legislation that would curb gun violence in New York. As the founder and chair of the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention, [29] Kavanagh prioritized working across the aisle to curb access to illegal guns. He is the sponsor of New York's red flag law,which would prevent those who may be a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing a firearm. [30]
Brian P. Kavanagh | ... | 5,213 |
Sylvia M. Friedman | ... | 4,857 |
Esther Yang | ... | 1,022 |
Juan Pagan | ... | 807 |
Brian P. Kavanagh (DEM) | ... | 21,875 |
Sylvia M. Friedman (WOR) | ... | 3,855 |
Frank J. Scala (REP) | ... | 3,576 |
Brian P. Kavanagh | ... | 3,286 |
Juan Pagan | ... | 1,223 |
Brian P. Kavanagh (DEM - WOR) | ... | 81.68% (35,648 votes) |
Frank Scala (REP) | ... | 15.04% (6,562 votes) |
Scott Andrew Hutchins (GRE) | ... | 3.28% (1,432 votes) |
Brian P. Kavanagh(DEM) | ... | (58.1%) |
Vittoria Faiello | ... | (29.0%) |
Danyela Souza Egorov | ... | (12.3%) |
Kavanagh is one of six children of an Irish-immigrant police officer and a community leader in Staten Island who worked at a local newspaper. [8] Kavanagh currently lives in his district in the East Side of Manhattan.[ citation needed ]
The Green Party of New York is the affiliate of the Green Party of the United States in the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1992 and is a part of the Green Party movement. The Party has had ballot access at various points in its history.
Sylvia M. Friedman was a former New York State Assemblywoman. She was elected to fill an unexpired term on February 28,2006. Friedman was a long time community activist and a member of her local community board. Her main focus was on housing and homeless issues. She died on February 4,2013,at the age of 74.
Andrew D. Hevesi is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 28th Assembly District,which includes Forest Hills,Rego Park,Richmond Hill,Glendale,Kew Gardens,Ridgewood,and Middle Village.
Maureen C. O'Connell is the County Clerk of Nassau County,New York,an adjunct faculty member of the Adelphi University School of Nursing,and a member of the School of Nursing Advisory Boards of Nassau Community College,Molloy College,and State University of New York at Farmingdale.
Michael W. Cole was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly representing the 142nd Assembly District,covering portions of Erie and Niagara Counties,from 2006 to 2008. He served on the Assembly Committees for Tourism,Arts and Sports Development,Higher Education,Local Governments,and Government Operations. He was also the ranking member of the Ethics and Guidance Committee. He is an attorney in Alden,New York,where he lives with his family.
Patricia A. Eddington served from 2001 through 2009 in the New York State Assembly,representing District 3 which comprises Patchogue,Medford,Coram and Yaphank,among other neighboring communities within Suffolk County,New York. She stepped down from the Assembly after winning an election for Town Clerk of Brookhaven,New York in November 2009.
JoséRafael Peralta was an American politician who served in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate. A member of the Democratic Party,he last represented District 13 in the State Senate,which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona,East Elmhurst,Elmhurst,Jackson Heights,and Woodside. He previously represented District 39 in the New York State Assembly,which is located in Queens,New York and includes Corona,Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. He was elected to the New York State Senate in a landslide on March 16,2010. Peralta was a member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC),a group of Democratic senators who allied themselves with Senate Republicans. He was re-elected in 2012,2014 and 2016,but was defeated in the 2018 Democratic primary.
Linda B. Rosenthal represents District 67 as a Democrat in the New York State Assembly,which includes parts of Manhattan's Upper West Side and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods.
Matthew J. Titone is an American politician and lawyer from Staten Island,New York. A Democrat,he served as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 61st District,on Staten Island's North Shore from April 1,2007 to January 1,2019. Titone currently serves as a surrogate court judge of Richmond County.
Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins is an American politician and educator from Yonkers,New York. A member of the Democratic Party,Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since 2007 and served as Majority Leader and Temporary President of that body since 2019. She has served twice as acting lieutenant governor of New York under Governor Kathy Hochul,for 16 days in 2021 and between April and May 2022. Stewart-Cousins is the first Black woman to serve as New York's lieutenant governor,although in an acting capacity. She is the first woman in New York State history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature and the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
Micah Z. Kellner is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat,he was formerly a member of the New York State Assembly from the 76th district,which includes Manhattan's Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. Kellner was elected to the Assembly in 2007 and served until 2014,when he did not stand for reelection. In September 2013,he lost the primary election for the Democratic nomination for the New York City Council seat for the 5th District to attorney Ben Kallos. During his Assembly tenure,Kellner was admonished twice by Sheldon Silver,then the Assembly Speaker,based on findings that he had engaged in sexual harassment.
George A. Amedore Jr. is an American homebuilder,businessman,and Republican politician. Amedore formerly represented the 46th district in the New York State Senate. The district encompasses all of Montgomery and Greene Counties and portions of Schenectady,Albany,and Ulster Counties.
Kenneth Paul Zebrowski is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly. In 2020,he was re-elected to represent the 96th district of New York,which includes the communities of Clarkstown,Haverstraw,and portions of the town of Ramapo. Prior to his election to the assembly,Zebrowski served in the Rockland County Legislature.
Marcos A. Crespo is a former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 85th Assembly District,which includes the Soundview,Clason Point,Longwood,and Hunts Point sections of the South Bronx.
New York's 27th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Brian Kavanagh since 2023.
James Skoufis is an American politician of the Democratic Party currently representing the 42nd District of the New York State Senate since 2023. Skoufis previously represented the 39th District prior to redistricting from 2019 to 2022.
Brad Madison Hoylman-Sigal 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. He is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The 202nd New York State Legislature,consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly,met from January 4,2017,to December 31,2018,during the seventh and eighth years of Andrew Cuomo's governorship,in Albany
Peter Harckham is an American businessman and politician from the State of New York. A Democrat,Harckham represents Senate District 40 in the New York State Senate. He was first elected in 2018,defeating incumbent Terrence Murphy. The 40th district includes parts of Rockland,Putnam and Westchester counties in the Hudson Valley.
New York's 59th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Kristen Gonzalez since 2023.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)