Elections to Council
Carr 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
Carr 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]
Carr was elected Minority Leader of the council's Republican caucus on January 28,2025. The vote was disputed as a quorum was not present (attendance via zoom was not factored into the numerical quorum) and the council's attorney recommended against certifying the vote. [20]
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