Preceded by Sylvia M. Friedman Name Brian Kavanagh Political party Democratic Role Attorney at law | Profession lawyer, politician Party Democratic Party Website Official website Residence East Side | |
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Born January 18, 1967 (age 57)
Staten Island, New York ( 1967-01-18 ) Alma mater Princeton University
NYU School of Law Education New York University School of Law, Princeton University, New York University, Regis High School | ||
Brian P. Kavanagh (born January 18, 1967) is a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 74th Assembly District, which is located on the East Side of Manhattan and includes parts of the Lower East Side, Union Square, Gramercy Park, Stuyvesant Square, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, East Midtown Plaza, Waterside Plaza, Kips Bay, Murray Hill, Tudor City, and Turtle Bay.
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Kavanagh is a lifelong resident of New York City. He graduated from Regis High School and holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a law degree from New York University School of Law. He worked as an attorney at the New York law firms Kaye Scholer and Schulte Roth & Zabel. 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 was first elected to the State Assembly in November 2006. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been endorsed by the Working Families Party. Kavanagh is the co-chair of the New York chapter of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns. He is also the Chair of the New York State Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a non-partisan coalition of over 30 members of the NYS legislature.
Committees
Awards
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.
Election results
Career
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 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, on advisory boards of several other schools and nonprofits, and as a board member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, which places college graduates in full-time volunteer positions promoting social justice and community empowerment. He has also worked as an attorney and advocate at Demosthenes, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, on a nationwide effort to secure the voting rights of low-income citizens. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association and has served on the Association's Election Law Committee.
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. He currently lives in his district in the East Side of Manhattan.