Akm Shehabuddin Kisslu: Democratic nominee Shahana Hanif won a City Council races as the first Bangladeshi American in New York City on Tuesday. the City Council has never had a person of South Asian descent — or a Muslim woman — among its membership.
Shahana Hanif will represent Brooklyn’s 39th District that includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, the Columbia Waterfront District, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park and Kensington neighborhoods.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Ms. Hanif said that she was “humbled and proud” to be the first Muslim woman on the Council — and the first woman of any faith to represent District 39. She cited volunteers and endorsements from community and progressive groups, including the left-leaning Working Families Party.
“Together we are building an anti-racist, feminist city,” she said. “We deserve a city that protects its most vulnerable, a city that has equitable education, a city invested in climate solutions that are local and driven by communities, a city where our immigrant neighbors feel at home and heard and safe. This work requires all of us to keep showing up even though the election is over.”
Bottom of Form
“I was born & raised in Brooklyn. I’m the daughter of Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants, a Lupus survivor, & an activist. I’m humbled to be the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council and the first woman to represent my district,” she tweeted after the results.
“We are building an anti-racist, feminist city. We deserve a city that guarantees equitable education, invests in climate solutions, and makes our immigrant neighbors heard and safe. I’m ready to move our city forward in service of our progressive vision every day.”
Challenger Brett E. Wynkoop held around 8 percent of the vote, according to the results. Matthew Morgan held just under 3 percent, Board of Elections results show.
The three candidates were running to replace term-limited Council Member Brad Lander, who becomes the city’s next comptroller.
Hanif worked as Lander’s director of organizing and community engagement, which includes running the Participatory Budgeting program.
A Gowanus resident, Matthew Morgan ran under the Libertarian party. Wynkoop — who made headlines for his role in a “right-wing extremist group” tied to the Jan. 6 riots — ran as a Conservative.
Brooklyn’s 39th Council District includes
Bangladeshi American Shahana Hanif held almost 90 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting, according to the city’s Board of Elections. The percentage is a combination of Hanif’s votes on the Democratic Party and Working Families Party line. She appeared under both on Tuesday’s ballot.The New York Time projected the winner as early as the poll closed.
Shahana Hanif beat out seven other candidates in a crowded Democratic primary ticket.
She was one of two history-making South Asian candidates to win as well; the other, Shekar Krishnan, won a seat representing Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens. (A third, Felicia Singh, another South Asian candidate, lost to her Republican opponent in a closely watched Queens race.)
The City Council will also have its first out gay Black women serve as members next year: Kristin Richardson Jordan scored an overwhelming victory in a Harlem district, as did Crystal Hudson in a Brooklyn district that encompasses parts of Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
A number of other L.G.B.T.Q. candidates clinched victories, including Tiffany Cabán and Lynn Schulman in Queens. Chi Ossé in Brooklyn and Erik Bottcher in Manhattan had run in uncontested races.
