Ben Kallos

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Ben Kallos
Ben Kallos 2015.jpg
Kallos in 2015
Member of the New York City Council
from the 5th district
In office
January 1, 2014 – January 1, 2022
Preceded byJessica Lappin
Succeeded byJulie Menin
Personal details
Born (1981-02-05) February 5, 1981 (age 40)
Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity at Albany (BA)
University at Buffalo (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Benjamin Kallos (born February 5, 1981) is an American attorney and politician who represented the 5th district of the New York City Council. He is a Democrat. The district includes East Harlem, Midtown, Murray Hill, Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Early life and education[]

Kallos was born in Florida.[1] He attended Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School.[2] He then attended Bronx High School of Science, SUNY Albany as an undergraduate, and SUNY Buffalo School of Law.

Career[]

Kallos has served as a Manhattan Community Board 8 public member and statewide coordination committee chair for the New York Democratic Lawyers Council.[when?] He was also chief of staff for New York State Assemblymember Jonathan Bing, director of policy for then New York City Public Advocate Mark J. Green, and executive director of New Roosevelt.[when?]

New York City Council[]

On September 10, 2013, Kallos won the Democratic primary for the 5th New York City Council District, receiving 46% of the vote to Micah Kellner's 39% and Ed Hartzog’s 15%.[3] He won the general election on November 5, 2013 and assumed office on January 1, 2014.[4] On December 7, 2015, Kallos introduced legislation to create an affordable housing internet portal.[5][6][7]

On November 5, 2017, Kallos won reelection to another term with 81% of the vote.[8] On March 22, 2018, Kallos introduced legislation to raise the cap on public funds received by participating candidates to establish a full public matching system that matches every small dollar donated by New York City residents at a rate of 8 to 1.[9][10]

Kallos was ranked as the seventh-best lawmaker in New York City in 2020 by City & State.[11] He chaired the Committee on Contracts and was a member of the committees on Education, Governmental Operations, Oversight and Investigations, and Women and Gender Equity.[12]

Kallos has advocated against the construction of new housing in New York City, arguing "New Yorkers are exhausted by overdevelopment."[13][14][15] He has pushed for changes to zoning laws in New York that would make zoning more stringent.[13]

Campaign for Manhattan Borough President[]

Kallos ran in the primary for the Democratic nomination in the 2021 Manhattan borough president election, finishing fourth. In the first round, Kallos received 13% of votes, putting him in third place. He was eliminated in the sixth round of the ranked-choice voting process.[16]

Election history[]

New York City Council: District 5
Election Candidate Party Votes Pct Candidate Party Votes Pct Candidate Party Votes Pct
2013 Primary election Ben Kallos Dem 7,513 45.92% Michah Kellner Dem 6,420 39.24% Ed Hartzog Dem 2,429 14.85%
General election Ben Kallos Dem 18,135 57.06% David Paul Garland Rep 10,518 33.09% Michah Kellner WFP 3,118 9.81%
2017 Primary election Ben Kallos Dem 7,156 75% Gwen Goodwin Dem 1,411 15% Patrick Bobilin Dem 947 10%
General election Ben Kallos Dem 22,514 81% Frank Splotorno Rep 5,419 19%

References[]

  1. ^ Mark Strong Shinozaki (September 23, 2018). "Council Member Ben Kallos on the Joys of Being an Outsider in NYC Politics". The Main Street Wire.
  2. ^ "Rising Stars 40 Under 40: Ben Kallos". City&State. September 19, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  3. ^ Daniel Fitzsimmons (September 18, 2013). "The Education of Ben Kallos". New York Press. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Campbell, Colin (April 25, 2012). "The Redistricting Lawsuit's Lawyer Discusses Its Impact in Harlem and More". New York Observer: Politicker.
  5. ^ "The New York City Council - File #: Int 1015-2015". New York City Council.
  6. ^ "NYC Bill Targets Landlords Who Get Tax Breaks, Duck Rent Limits". ProPublica.
  7. ^ "Landlords Fail To List 50,000 N.Y.C. Apartments for Rent Limits". ProPublica.
  8. ^ "Election Results: De Blasio Wins Second Term as New York City Mayor". Retrieved 5 January 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ "The New York City Council - File #: Int 0732-2018". New York City Council.
  10. ^ "City Council Expected to Pass Bill - with Controversial Amendment". Gotham Gazette.
  11. ^ "The Best & Worst New York City Lawmakers". City & State NY. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  12. ^ "New York City Council, Ben Kallos". Retrieved 23 March 2020 – via council.nyc.gov.
  13. ^ a b Bagli, Charles V. (2017-07-11). "Development-Weary Neighborhood Tries to Block a New Luxury Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  14. ^ "New York NIMBYs Protest the 'Manhattanization' of Manhattan". Reason.com. 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  15. ^ Spivack, Caroline (2021-05-13). "The UES Battle Over a Blood Lab Is Not About Blood". Curbed. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  16. ^ "DEM Borough President New York". vote.nyc. Retrieved 2021-10-21.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by New York City Council, 5th district
2014–2020 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""