Gale Arnot Brewer (born September 6, 1951) is an American
Democratic politician from the state of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
who has represented the 6th
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
district since January 2022, a position she previously held from 2002 to 2013. From January 2014 to December 2021, she served as the 27th
Borough President of the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
Education
Brewer graduated from the
Winsor School in Boston in 1969, and then obtained a bachelor's from
Bennington College
Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont, United States. Founded as a women’s college in 1932, in 1973 and a
Master of Public Administration
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
in 1990. She then earned a second bachelor's from the
Columbia University School of General Studies
The School of General Studies (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, Borough (New York City), New York City. GS is known prima ...
in 1997.
Career in government
From 1975 to 1978, Brewer served as director of scheduling for
Mary Anne Krupsak, the former
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...
. From 1978 to 1990, she was chief of staff to then-
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
member
Ruth Messinger
Ruth Wyler Messinger (born November 6, 1940) is a former American political leader in New York City and a member of the Democratic Party. She was the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City in 1997, losing to incumbent mayor Rudy Giulian ...
. From 1990 to 1994, Brewer was director of the New York City Office of Federal Relations in New York in the administration of
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.
Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...
. From 1994 to 1998, she was Deputy Public Advocate for Intergovernmental Affairs under
Mark Green.
Brewer then served as Project Manager for the NYC Nonprofits Project and worked with the
Telesis Corporation, a private firm that builds affordable housing. She was a member of Manhattan's
Community Board 7 and Chair of the New York State chapter of the
National Women's Political Caucus
The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) is an organization which was founded in 1971 by leaders of the women's liberation movement to promote women's participation in government. The group describes itself as a multi-partisan grassroots or ...
.
[ In 2000, she was cited by the '']New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' as #20 of "50 New Yorkers to Watch".
Political career
New York City Council (2002–2013)
Brewer began serving on the New York City Council in 2002. She represented the 6th district. In each re-election vote in 2003, 2005, and 2009, she received over 80% of the votes cast.[
Brewer has helped to pass legislation protecting ]domestic worker
A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
s, establishing the New York City Broadband Advisory Committee New York City Broadband Advisory Committee (NYBAC) was brought into existence in 2005 by New York City Local Law 126. The law was introduced to the New York City Council by (then) city council member Gale Brewer and signed by (then) Mayor Bloomber ...
, establishing an electronic death registration system and requiring New York City publications to be made available via the Internet, as well as two bills aimed at eliminating graffiti and unwanted stickers.[
Brewer chaired the Select Committee on Technology in Government (now the Committee on Technology) from 2002 to 2009][ In June 2004, in conjunction with a graduate student Digital Opportunities Team at CUNY Hunter College departments of Urban Affairs and Planning supervised by Professor Lisa Tolliver, the committee published a study and recommendations titled ''Expanding Digital Opportunity in New York City Public Schools: Profiles of Innovators and Leaders Who Make a Difference''.] The report was one of numerous initiatives and events implemented by the Select Committee, which included roundtables, conferences, hearings, and collaborative partnerships
Collaborative partnerships are agreements and actions made by consenting organizations to share resources to accomplish a mutual goal. Collaborative partnerships rely on participation by at least two parties who agree to share resources, such as f ...
.
Manhattan Borough President (2014–2021)
Ineligible to run for re-election to the City Council in 2013 because of term limits, in February 2013, Brewer announced she would run for Manhattan Borough president. On September 10, 2013, Brewer won the Democratic primary, taking nearly 40% of the vote in a four-way race. Brewer won the general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, and assumed office in January 2014.
Brewer was re-elected Manhattan Borough President in 2017. Due to term limits for borough presidents, she was ineligible to seek re-election in 2021.
In the 2020 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
, Brewer served as an alternate elector, replacing Christine Quinn
Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she was the first female and fi ...
.
New York City Council (2022–present)
In December 2020, Brewer announced her candidacy for her former City Council seat in the 2021 New York City Council election. She lost the Jim Owles Club endorsement to another Democrat Sara Lind and requested a second endorsement vote from the organization prior to the June Democratic Primary in 2021. On November 2, 2021, Brewer defeated Republican Nancy Sliwa (wife of Curtis Sliwa
Curtis Sliwa (; born March 26, 1954) is an American activist, radio talk show host, and founder and chief executive officer of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit crime prevention organization. Sliwa was the Republican Party (United States), Republ ...
) with over 82% of the vote. Brewer's main progressive Democratic primary challenger in 2021, Sara Lind, was not reappointed to Manhattan Community Board 7 when her position came up for renewal in 2023.
Brewer chairs the City Council's Committee on Oversight and Investigations. She is a member of the Committees on Consumer and Worker Protection, Finance, Governmental Operations, Higher Education, and Rules, Privileges, and Elections. In addition, she is a member of the Manhattan Delegation, the Women's Caucus, and sits on the Budget Negotiating Team.[
Brewer is running for the City Council's new 6th district in 2023.
Brewer is a member of the Vote Blue Coalition, a progressive group and federal PAC created to support Democrats in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania through voter outreach and mobilization efforts.
]
Honors and awards
In 2018, the Metropolitan College of NY awarded Gale Brewer an honorary doctorate citing her "long career on critical issues facing New York City from affordable housing and land use to health care and workers rights".
Personal life
Brewer is married to Cal Snyder. Their son, Mo Sumbundu, works for Empire State Development
Empire State Development (ESD) is the umbrella organization for New York's two principal economic development public-benefit corporations, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the New York Job Development Authority (JDA). ...
. In 2023, Sumbundu was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul
Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...
to the Buffalo State University
The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college, public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of ...
Council. Brewer has had several foster children.[
]
Electoral history
2013
2017
2021
References
External links
Gale Brewer Facebook Page
Gale Brewer Twitter Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Gale
1951 births
21st-century New York (state) politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Bennington College alumni
Columbia University School of General Studies alumni
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Living people
Manhattan borough presidents
New York City Council members
New York (state) Democrats
Place of birth missing (living people)
Winsor School alumni
Women New York City Council members