Brian P. Kavanagh

Brian Patrick Kavanagh (born January 18, 1967) is an American politician who represents the 27th district in the New York State Senate, representing Lower Manhattan since December 2017. Before the redrawing of legislative districts in January 2023, Kavanagh represented the west part of Brooklyn. He previously served in the New York State Assembly representing the East Side of Manhattan. Kavanagh is a Democrat.

Life and career

Kavanagh is a lifelong resident of New York City. He was born and raised on Staten Island and graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan. Kavanagh tutored students at the Lower East Side Nativity Mission Center. He graduated with a B.A. in politics from Princeton University in 1989. He then received a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. He worked as an attorney at the New York law firms Kaye Scholer and Schulte Roth & Zabel.

Since moving to Manhattan, Kavanagh lived in different neighborhoods including the Lower East Side, Murray Hill, NoMad, and Turtle Bay.

He was an aide to former New York City Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins. He served as chief of staff to New York City Council member Gale Brewer.

Kavanagh began government service as an aide to Mayor Ed Koch and has served in three mayoral administrations. After the Happy Land Social Club fire claimed the lives of 87 people in 1990, Kavanagh helped coordinate the city's response to the tragedy on behalf of Mayor David Dinkins, co-designing a task force that shut down the most grievous fire code offenders. At the Mayor's Office, Brian also played a key role in launching the New York City Department of Homeless Services and he then served as the agency's first Policy Director.

As Chief-of-Staff for then-New York City Council member Gale Brewer, Kavanagh negotiated enactment of the Domestic Worker Protection Act, promoting the rights of housekeepers and caregivers. With then-Councilmember Bill Perkins, Councilmember Brewer, and dozens of their colleagues on the Council, Kavanagh helped to draft and secure passage of Council Resolution 549, opposing the imminent invasion of Iraq.

Kavanagh has served as a counselor, volunteer, and board member at the Lower East Side's Nativity Middle School and community center, and as a board member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association and has served on the Association's Election Law Committee.

Following an unsuccessful bid for the New York City Council in 2005, Kavanagh was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2006. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been endorsed by the Working Families Party. He is on the board of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, and serves as the President of the American-Irish Legislators Society.

Kavanagh has been awarded the League of Conservation Voters Eco-Star Award, the highest rating of any legislator in 2010 from Environmental Advocates of New York, the Baruch College Legislator of the Year Award, and a perfect rating from the League of Humane Voters. Kavanagh teaches a course at Columbia University.

New York State Senate

In 2017, Kavanagh announced that he would run in the special election to succeed Senator Daniel Squadron, who was resigning to found a non-profit. Not without criticism, Kavanagh was nominated as the Democratic candidate, despite representing very little of the same territory in the state Assembly that the Senate district encompassed. Despite this, Kavanagh easily won election. He was easily re-elected to a full first term in 2018.

Kavanagh has been a proponent of election reform. Stating New Yorkers "have some of the worst election laws in the country," Kavanagh introduced a bill "that would allow voters to cast ballots before Election Day". Until New York enacted early voting in 2019, it was the largest state with no advance voting regime.

With Democrats taking the majority in the Senate in 2019, Kavanagh was named Chair of the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development. In his first year as Chair, Kavanagh led the effort to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA), which became law. Early into the COVID-19 pandemic, Kavanagh advocated to stop evictions and foreclosures, extending the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium for almost two years. He enacted New York's Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Homeowner Assistance Fund. In 2024, New York State adopted Good Cause Eviction legislation, which had been a priority of Kavanagh's since 2019.

Kavanagh was a co-sponsor of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), enacted in 2019, and has served on the Environmental Conservation Committee in each of his years in the legislature. One of Kavanagh's priorities has been the introduction of extended producer responsibility legislation, which would required producers to be responsible for products from the beginning to end of life. He has introduced legislation in this area for rechargeable batteries, lamps, mattresses, and textiles, among others.

Kavanagh authored the "All-Electric Building Act," which became law in 2023, requiring the state energy construction code to halt the use of fossil fuels in new construction in the state.

Kavanagh has pursued legislation that would curb gun violence in New York. As the founder and chair of the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention, Kavanagh prioritized working across the aisle to curb access to illegal guns. He is the sponsor of New York's red flag law, which would prevent those who may be a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing a firearm.

Election results

* September 2006 Democratic primary election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2006 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2008 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2010 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* September 2012 Democratic primary election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2012 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2014 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2016 general election, NYS Assembly, 74th AD
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* November 2017 special election, NYS Senate, 26th SD
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*November 2022 primary election, New York State Senate
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Personal life

Kavanagh is one of six children of an Irish-immigrant police officer and a community leader in Staten Island who worked at a local newspaper. Kavanagh currently lives in his district in the East Side of Manhattan.

See also

* List of members of the New York State Assembly

References

Further reading

* Paterson, David ''" Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."'' New York, New York, 2020

External links

New York State Senate: Brian Kavanagh

Vote Smart: Senator Brian P. Kavanagh (NY)

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanagh, Brian P.
1967 births
Living people
Regis High School (New York City) alumni
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
New York University School of Law alumni
Princeton University alumni
Kaye Scholer
21st-century members of the New York State Legislature