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 City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
who has represented the 6th
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various 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
In the Middle Ag ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
Education
Brewer graduated from the
Winsor School
The Winsor School is a 5–12 private, college-preparatory day school for girls in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1886.
It competes in the Eastern Independent League and is featured on the Boston Women's Heritage Tr ...
in Boston in 1969, and then obtained her undergraduate degrees from
Bennington College
Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...
in 1973 and
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1997. She then earned her
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
(M.P.A.) degree from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
.
Career
From 1975 to 1978, Brewer served as director of scheduling for
Mary Anne Krupsak
Mary Anne Krupsak (born March 26, 1932) is an American lawyer and politician from New York. She was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1975 to 1978. She was the first woman to hold the office.
Early life
She was born on March 26, 1932, in S ...
, the former
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a 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 governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
. 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. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
member
Ruth Messinger. 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. He was the first African American to hold the office.
Before enteri ...
. From 1994 to 1998, she was Deputy Public Advocate for Intergovernmental Affairs under
Mark J. Green
Mark Joseph Green (born March 15, 1945) is an American author, former public official, public interest lawyer, and Democratic politician from New York City. Green was New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner from 1990 to 1993 and New York Ci ...
.
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), or the Caucus, describes itself as a multi-partisan grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women who seek elected and appointed offices at all ...
.
In 2000, she was cited by the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' as #20 of "50 New Yorkers to Watch".
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 workers, establishing the
New York City Broadband Advisory Committee, 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 ...
.
Manhattan Borough President (2014-2021)
Brewer was 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
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
, Brewer served as an alternate
elector
Elector may refer to:
* Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors
* Elector, a member of an electoral college
** Confederate elector, a member of ...
, 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 first ...
.
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.
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 organization for unarmed crime prevention. Sliwa was the Republican nominee for the ...
) with over 82% of the vote.
Brewer chairs the City Council's Committee on Governmental Operations.
Other committees on which she serves include: Aging; Finance; General Welfare, Higher Education; Housing & Buildings; Mental Health; Technology; Transportation; and Waterfronts. In addition, she co-chairs the Manhattan Delegation, sits on the council's Budget Negotiating Team, and is a member of the Rules Committee Working Group.
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 New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporations, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the ...
. Brewer has had several foster children.
Electoral history
2013
2017
2021
References
External links
Gale Brewer Facebook PageGale Brewer Twitter Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Gale
1951 births
Bennington College 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)
Columbia University School of General Studies alumni
Women New York City Council members
Winsor School alumni
21st-century American women