Shaun Abreu | |
|---|---|
| Abreu in 2025 | |
| Majority Leader of the New York City Council | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2026 | |
| Speaker | Julie Menin |
| Preceded by | Amanda Farias |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 7th district | |
| Assumed office January 1,2022 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Levine |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 8,1991 New York City,New York,U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Columbia University (BA) Tulane University (JD) |
| Website | Official website Campaign website |
Shaun Abreu (born January 8,1991) [1] is an American politician and tenants' rights attorney from New York City. He is a member of the Democratic Party serving as the city councilman for the 7th district of the New York City Council.
Abreu was born in Washington Heights,Manhattan,the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. At nine years old,his family was evicted from their home,forcing them to stay with neighbors. [2] His mother is a clerk at Zabar's,and his father is a union member and a janitor at Port Authority Bus Terminal. [3]
Abreu graduated from George Washington High School in Washington Heights,and went on to receive a degree in political science and government from Columbia University and a J.D. degree from Tulane University Law School. After graduating law school in 2018,he became a tenants' rights attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group. [4]
While still a student at Columbia,Abreu worked as Mark Levine's deputy campaign manager during Levine's successful 2013 campaign for the New York City Council. He also served as a member of Manhattan Community Board 9 and as board director for Friends of Morningside Park. [4] [5]
In November 2020,Abreu announced his 2021 campaign to succeed the term-limited Levine in the City Council's 7th district,which covers Morningside Heights,Manhattan Valley,Hamilton Heights,and parts of the Upper West Side,Harlem and Washington Heights. [6] Garnering endorsements from Levine,U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat,and most of the city's major unions,Abreu was regarded as the frontrunner in the race. [7]
Five of Abreu's eleven opponents –Maria Ordoñez,Stacy Lynch,Marti Allen-Cur3mmings,Dan Cohen,and Corey Ortega –sought to counter this advantage through ranked-choice voting and formed a coalition,wherein each of the five candidates advised their own voters to rank the other four coalition members on their ballot. [8]
On election night on June 22,Abreu led the field with 27 percent of the vote,with four members of the opposing coalition coming in second through fifth. When ranked-choice votes and absentee ballots were taken into account two weeks later,Abreu maintained his lead,with 63 percent of the vote to Ordoñez's 37 percent;Abreu formally declared victory on July 2,and his opponents conceded in the succeeding days. In the November general election,Abreu won with over 88% of the vote. [9]
Since the beginning of 2024,Abreu has served as the Chair of the Sanitation Committee. [10] While on the committee,he worked with the New York City Department of Sanitation to create a trash containerization pilot program in West Harlem to remove trash bags off the streets and reduce the rat population. [11] Following the pilot program's success,the sanitation committee and council voted to expand on-street trash containerization citywide for larger residential buildings. [12]
Abreu sponsored a bill passed in 2023 that banned weight and height discrimination in hiring and housing New York City,adding them to a list of protected classes. [13] In 2024,the council passed a bill banning forced brokers fees which was originally co-sponsored by Abreu. [14] In 2025,Uber and DoorDash sued the City of New York over two laws introduced by Abreu that regulate food-delivery app tipping options intended to protect consumer transparency and worker pay. [15]
Abreu is a member of the Vote Blue Coalition,a progressive group and federal PAC created to support Democrats in New York,New Jersey,and Pennsylvania through voter outreach and mobilization efforts. [16] In 2024,Abreu opposed a ballot measure introduced by Mayor Eric Adams to expand the authority of the Department of Sanitation's enforcement against unlicensed street vendors in New York City. [17]
Abreu lives in Washington Heights. [18] He is a member of UAW Local 2325,an association for legal aid attorneys. [2]
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)