Shekar Krishnan

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Shekar Krishnan
Shekar Krishnan.jpg
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 (age 36)
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Jackson Heights, Queens
EducationThe Cooper Union (BS)
University of Michigan Law School (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 and Elmhurst.[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]


Before his election to City Council, Shekar Krishnan was a long-time community activist in Jackson Heights/Elmhurst and civil rights lawyer fighting housing discrimination and neighborhood displacement.

Shekar co-founded Communities Resist, a legal services organization highly acclaimed citywide for its community-rooted, intersectional approach to housing and racial justice in North Brooklyn and Queens. He represented tenants and neighborhood coalitions in fair housing litigation and anti-displacement advocacy in some of the most gentrified neighborhoods in NYC. Shekar began his legal career with the landmark Broadway Triangle fair housing struggle against the City of New York, a successful case challenging a rezoning under the Fair Housing Act. He also co-founded Friends of Diversity Plaza. Located on the border of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, Diversity Plaza has become a national symbol of how public space can bring people together.


2021 City Council campaign[]

See also: 2021 New York City Council election

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 re-election. 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 will be 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%
​​

Personal life[]

Shekar is the son of immigrants from South India who made enormous sacrifices and worked tirelessly to build a life for their family in this country. He is also a father of two small children, who can often be seen biking or scooting up and down the open 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, and husband to Zoe, an immigration public defender and reproductive justice advocate. Krishnan lives in his District 25 of Jackson Heights with his family.

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. ^ a b Barsamian, Nicollette (February 22, 2017). "Local Express: Shekar Krishnan". Queens Gazette. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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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