Shekar Krishnan
Member of the New York City Council
from the 25th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byDaniel Dromm
Personal details
Born (1985-06-05) June 5, 1985
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCooper Union (BS)
University of Michigan (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Shekar Krishnan (born June 5, 1985)[1] is an American attorney and politician who is a member of the New York City Council for the 25th district, which covers the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, parts of East Elmhurst, and a small piece of Woodside.[2]

Early life

Krishnan was born to immigrant parents from Kerala, India.[3]

He received a Bachelor of Sciences in engineering from The Cooper Union and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.[4]

Career

Krishnan worked as an attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, directing the organization’s fair housing and tenant advocacy divisions.[4] He is the co-founder of Communities Resist, a legal services organization that represents tenants and neighborhood coalitions in fair housing litigation and anti-displacement advocacy in gentrified neighborhoods.[5][6]

2021 City Council campaign

Krishnan announced his candidacy in the 2021 Democratic primary for the 25th District of the New York City Council on November 17, 2020.[5][7] Incumbent Councilmember Daniel Dromm was term-limited and could not run for reelection. He was endorsed by Dromm, U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, and State Senators Julia Salazar and John Liu.[8] He centered his campaign on immigrant rights, the taxi medallion crisis, affordable housing, and climate justice.[9]

Krishnan won the ranked-choice primary with 53.4% of all votes cast.[10] He won the general election with 60% of the vote.[11] Along with Shahana Hanif, Krishnan is one of the first South Asians to serve in the New York City Council.[12][9] Days after being elected, Krishnan was arrested along with Hanif and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani for protesting alongside taxi drivers.[13]

Electoral history

2021 New York City Council District 25 Democratic primary results[14]
Party Candidate Maximum
round		 Maximum
votes		 Share in
maximum
round		 Maximum votes
First round votesTransfer votes
Democratic Shekar Krishnan 7 6,352 53.4%
​​
Democratic Yi Chen 7 5,549 46.6%
​​
Democratic Carolyn Tran 6 3,045 23.6%
​​
Democratic Alfonso Quiroz 5 1,986 14.5%
​​
Democratic Fatima Baryab 4 1,687 11.8%
​​
Democratic Liliana Melo 3 1,041 7.1%
​​
Democratic Manuel Perez 2 513 3.4%
​​
Democratic William Salgado 2 282 1.9%
​​
Write-in 1 35 0.2%
​​

See also

References

  1. ↑ @voteshekaar (June 3, 2021). "Come for the cupcakes, stay for the canvass! Come through this Saturday!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ "Council Members & Districts". New York City Council. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Prakash, Priyali (October 29, 2021). "Meet lawyer Shekar Krishnan, who hopes to be among the first South Asians on the NYC council". Scroll.in. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Barsamian, Nicollette (February 22, 2017). "Local Express: Shekar Krishnan". Queens Gazette. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Parry, Bill (November 20, 2020). "Shekar Krishnan announces candidacy for western Queens City Council seat". QNS.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ Ponce de Léon, Gabe (July 29, 2021). "Meet the nonprofit candidates likely to join New York's City Council". NYNMedia. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ Dorgan, Michael (December 2, 2020). "PODCAST: We Talk To Shekar Krishnan, Candidate For the 25th Council District". Jackson Heights Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Griffin, Allie (June 8, 2021). "Council Member Daniel Dromm Endorses Shekar Krishnan for District 25 Seat". Jackson Heights Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Wang, Claire (November 3, 2021). "NYC Council has 5 new Asian Americans, a record that mirrors city more accurately". NBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Songalia, Ryan; Murray, Christian (June 22, 2021). "Shekar Krishnan Likely to Win Primary for Jackson Heights/Elmhurst Council Seat". Sunnyside Post. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ Donlevy, Katherine (November 4, 2021). "Say hello to your new city leaders". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ Kumar, Arun (November 3, 2021). "Shekar Krishnan, Shahana Hanif make history winning New York City council races". American Bazaar. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ Venugopal, Verun (November 6, 2021). "Wins For NYC Council Seats & Taxi Debt Relief Deal Showcase Political Might Of South Asians". Gothamist. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ "DEM Council Member 25th Council District". Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
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