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Amanda Farías
Majority Leader of the New York City Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2024
SpeakerAdrienne Adams
Preceded byKeith Powers
Member of the New York City Council
from the 18th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byRubén Díaz Sr.
Personal details
Born (1989-07-09) July 9, 1989 (age 35)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationSt. John's University, New York (BA, MA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Amanda C. Farías (born July 9, 1989)[1] is an American politician from New York City.[2][3] She is the Democratic City Council Member for the 18th district of the New York City Council,[4] which covers Soundview, Parkchester, and Castle Hill in the Bronx.[5][6] She was elected Majority Leader of the New York City Council on January 3, 2024. She is Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, and sit as a member on the following committees transportation,[7] finance, sanitation, consumer and worker protection, cultural and intergoup relations, and Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus, and a member of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus and Progressive Caucus.[8] [9] In 2024, she became the first Latina to hold the position of majority leader in the city council.

Early life

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Farías was born in Soundview in the Bronx to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents. She graduated from Preston High School in 2007, and went on to receive both her undergraduate and master's degree in political science from St. John's University in 2011 and 2012, respectively.[10]

Post-graduation, Farías worked briefly for Barack Obama's re-election campaign before joining the staff of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley of Queens, where she remained until her own bid for the City Council.[11]

Political career

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2017 City Council campaign

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In 2017, Farías ran for the 18th district of the New York City Council, which was held by term-limited Democrat Annabel Palma. Farías was one of several candidates in the Democratic primary aiming to defeat Rubén Díaz Sr., a longtime conservative and controversial state senator with the support of the Bronx Democratic Party apparatus.[12][13]

Despite Farías' endorsements from some sitting councilmembers and other groups aiming to prevent a Díaz victory, her campaign felt is would be difficult to win against the well-connected and well-funded Díaz.[11] On election night in September, Díaz emerged victorious with 42 percent of the vote; Farías received 21 percent, and three other candidates running to Díaz's left took the remainder.[14]

Inter-Council years

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Fresh off her loss for City Council, Farías successfully ran for Democratic state committee, defeating a 21-year incumbent in the process. She also worked for a series of activist and nonprofit organizations, including New American Leaders, Riders Alliance, Women of Color for Progress, and the Consortium for Worker Education.[10][better source needed]

2021 City Council campaign

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Early in 2019, Farías announced that she would seek a rematch against Díaz, now an incumbent.[15] However, Díaz surprised observers in July 2020 when, after an unsuccessful bid for Congress, he announced he would not seek re-election to a second term on the City Council.[16]

Now running for an open seat, Farías was able to consolidate support to a far greater extent than in 2017. The Bronx Democratic Party, which had supported Díaz four years earlier, endorsed Farías, as did Congressman Ritchie Torres and most other local elected officials.[citation needed] Her main opponent in the primary was Bronx Community Board 9 district manager William Rivera, who had the support of Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. and the incumbent, and who came under fire for seemingly diverting thousands of the board's dollars to his own nonprofit.[17]

Farías topped the eight-candidate field on election night with 27 percent of the vote; after absentee ballots and ranked-choice votes were counted, she defeated Rivera 52-48%, and formally declared victory on July 7.[18][19][20] She later won the general election by a wide margin[21] and took office[22] on January 1, 2022.

Personal life

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Farías was born and raised in Soundview. Currently resides in the surrounding Parkchester community.[10]

References

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  1. ^ @nyccouncil (July 9, 2019). "Please join us in wishing @CMAmandaFarias a very happy birthday! 🎉". Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "Mayor Adams Kicks off Landmark Study to Reimagine Cross-Bronx Expressway". The official website of the City of New York. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  3. ^ Michael Gartland (March 28, 2022). "Bronx councilwoman begins push for NYC jobs guarantee, critics claim it's a dead end". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  4. ^ "Young Alumna Shares Her Path to a New York City Council Seat". www.stjohns.edu. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  5. ^ Chris Smith (2022-12-23). "Eric Adams Absolutely Loves Being Mayor. Does New York Love Him Back?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  6. ^ Bergin, Brigid (2023-01-09). "Ranked-choice voting returns for 2023 Council primary elections". Gothamist. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  7. ^ Julianne Cuba (2023-01-11). "ANALYSIS: Council's Transportation Committee Has Little to Show in First Year". Streetsblog New York City. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  8. ^ "Council's Civil and Human Rights Committee Chair Nantasha Williams, Co-Sponsor of Original Salary Transparency Law Council Member Justin Brannan, and Women's Caucus Co-Chair Amanda Farias Announce Amended Legislation Supported by Advocates & Small Business Community". Press. April 15, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  9. ^ "District 18". Amanda Farías. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  10. ^ a b c "Meet Amanda Farías". Amanda Farías for the People. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Ivie Ani (July 20, 2017). "Bronx Giant Ruben Diaz Sr. Faces "Grassroots" Challenger for Council Seat". Village Voice. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Kate Pastor (September 11, 2017). "Crowded Race for South Bronx Seat Pits Party Favorite Against Fresh Faces". DNA Info. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  13. ^ Michael Benjamin (July 11, 2017). "Amanda Farias Claims Election Milestone". Bronx Chronicle. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Kate Pastor (September 13, 2017). "Ruben Diaz Sr. Rides to Victory in District 18 Council Primary". DNA Info. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Shant Shahrigian (January 29, 2020). "Controversial Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. gets challenger, Amanda Farias". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Alex Mitchell (July 13, 2020). "Bronx councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. announces retirement from politics". AM NY. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Claudia Irizarry Aponte (June 3, 2021). "Bronx Council Candidate Eyed for Diverting Community Board Fundraising Bounty". The City. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  18. ^ New York City Board of Elections (June 22, 2021). "Unofficial Election Night Results, Member of the City Council 18th Council District - Democratic". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Claudia Irizarry Aponte (July 12, 2021). "Despite Adams Boost, Progressive Wave Signals the Bronx Machine Isn't Dead — It's Rebranding". The City. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  20. ^ @AmandaFariasNYC (July 7, 2021). "I am so proud to announce we have won the Democratic Primary! I am humbled by the love, support & energy behind our race that's led to this moment. We have fought for this bc #CD18 deserves it & they showed up". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "2021 General Election Results, New York City Council District 18" (PDF). Vote.NYC. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  22. ^ "Amanda Farias Biography". Council.NYC.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
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