Ben Kallos
Ben Kallos (Democratic Party) was a member of the New York City Council, representing District 5. Kallos assumed office in 2014. Kallos left office on December 31, 2021.
Kallos (Democratic Party) ran for election for Manhattan Borough President in New York. Kallos lost in the Democratic primary on June 22, 2021.
Biography
Kallos earned his B.A. from State University of New York at Albany in 2002. He later received his J.D. from State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 2005. Kallos was a union-side lawyer with Gorlick Kravitz & Listhaus from 2004 to 2007. He was the executive director for New Roosevelt from 2010 to 2013. Kallos previously served as the chief of staff for state Rep. Jonathan Bing (D) from 2007 to 2009 and the policy director for Public Advocate Mark Green in 2009.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: Municipal elections in New York County, New York (2021)
General election
General election for Manhattan Borough President
Mark Levine defeated Louis Puliafito and Michael Lewyn in the general election for Manhattan Borough President on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Levine (D) | 85.0 | 223,248 |
 | Louis Puliafito (R) | 13.0 | 34,163 | |
 | Michael Lewyn (L)  | 1.9 | 4,874 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 435 | ||
| Total votes: 262,720 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Manhattan Borough President
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Mark Levine in round 7 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 237,730 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Louis Puliafito advanced from the Republican primary for Manhattan Borough President.
2017
New York City held elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and all 51 seats on the city council in 2017. New Yorkers also voted for offices in their boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Primary elections were scheduled for September 12, 2017, and the general election was on November 7, 2017. Under New York law, candidates who run unopposed in a primary or general election win the nomination or election automatically, and their names do not appear on the ballot.[2] Incumbent Ben Kallos (D) defeated Frank Spotorno (R) in the general election for the District 5 seat on the New York City Council.
| New York City Council, District 5 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ben Kallos Incumbent |
80.18% | 23,434 | |
| Republican | Frank Spotorno | 19.43% | 5,679 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.39% | 114 | ||
| Total Votes | 29,227 | |||
| Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 General Certified Election Results," November 28, 2017 | ||||
Incumbent Ben Kallos defeated Gwen Goodwin and Patrick Bobilin in the Democratic primary election for the District 5 seat on the New York City Council.[3]
| New York City Council, District 5 Democratic Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ben Kallos Incumbent |
74.61% | 7,847 |
| Gwen Goodwin | 15.04% | 1,582 |
| Patrick Bobilin | 9.93% | 1,044 |
| Write-in votes | 0.43% | 45 |
| Total Votes | 10,518 | |
| Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 Primary: Certified Results," accessed September 28, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ben Kallos did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Kallos participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[4] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| " | Government can and must do better to serve our working families. My top priority remains making government work directly for and collaboratively with my constituents. By opening my office and working together with my constituents, we have built grassroots coalitions to fight for: a world class education for all with a school seat for every child in their neighborhood – expanding upon the 400 pre-kindergarten seats we’ve already won; affordable housing – protect our tenants with the law I sponsored providing a right to an attorney in housing court; parks that are beautiful and well maintained – adding to the $150 million already secured for our parks; improved commutes through public transportation – expanding off-board fare payment and ferry service to Roosevelt Island this summer and the Upper East Side next year. Democracy only works when people participate and I hope you will join me at my district office on the First Friday of every month or I can come to you for Ben In Your Building.[5] | ” |
| —Ben Kallos (August 15, 2017)[1] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| K-12 education | Crime reduction/prevention | ||
| Housing | City services | ||
| Transport | Civil rights | ||
| Recreational opportunities | Homelessness | ||
| Government transparency | Unemployment | ||
| Environment | Public pensions | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Local | |
| Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform | |
| New York City is the best city in the world. It is a beacon of hope and sanctuary for those fleeing hate and welcomed my grandparents and my wife who fled anti-Semitism in Europe and the Soviet Union. New York City benefits from being the most diverse city in America, which brings with it the greatest minds and incredible opportunities for employment and collaboration, not to mention the best shopping and food. I grew up in New York City and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I am most proud of the New Yorkers who make New York, New York. | |
| I love New York. Those who live and work here make it great and the city can do more to make life better whether by building affordable housing, more parks, faster commutes, or a government that just works for the people. But as a graduate of the Bronx HIgh School of Science, I believe every child deserve to get the same world class public education that I received and that it starts with providing a school seat for every child in their neighborhood. | |
| The NYPD keeps us safe as we call upon them to put their lives in danger every day and we must do more to support our city’s finest, which includes providing the training needed to ensure the use of force is fair and just. I supported and we won an end to stop and frisk, funding for 1,000 more police officers, and funding for new bulletproof vests and vehicles to keep them safe. I support the Right to Know Act to protect New Yorkers’ from unwarranted search and seizure because the Fourth Amendment should be as accessible as the Fifth Amendment’s “Miranda Rights”. I oppose broken windows policing and instead believe in a model of community policing where officers have a chance to build relationships with their neighbors. We can best support community policing by growing the number of police officers and expanding outreach programs like Police Explorers, a program I help fund in my district, which provides at risk youth with mentorship and a pathway to a free college education and a career of public service. | |
| New York City is a sanctuary city for those fleeing hate throughout the world and must remain a beacon of hope. This city welcomed my grandparents who fled anti-Semitism in Europe two generations ago and my wife who fled anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union in this generation. As Vice-Chair of the New York City Council’s Progressive Caucus, I helped author “Resistance and Progress: 18 Progressive Policies for 2018” where our top priority was preserving New York City as a sanctuary city anchored in the right to counsel for residents facing deportation — which we funded — support for reproductive health services and providers, preserving the social safety net, and defending human rights. | |
| Since my election, my council district has gone from being a transportation desert to opening the Second Avenue Subway, new Select Bus Service with off-board payment, and even ferry service on Roosevelt Island this summer and the Upper East Side next year. But we are still faced with overcrowded subways and cuts to bus service that threaten the progress we’ve made. In 2013 the New York Times endorsed me for my “fresh ideas” that included my proposal to revisit congestion pricing by making transit improvements now borrowing against tolls in the future to reduce traffic and improve public transit commutes. As a leader in the BusTurnaround.nyc coalition I am using technology to improve bus service and hold the MTA accountable. | |
| New Yorkers should be able to afford to live in the city they helped make so great. One of the best parts of my job is when I am able to help a resident get on an affordable housing list or when we provide an attorney and beat an eviction. That is why I sponsored the Right to Counsel law that will provide every New Yorker in housing court with free consultation or representation by an attorney to fight evictions and keep them in their homes. I am leading the first of its kind grassroots rezoning of the East Fifties to fight overdevelopment by requiring height caps and affordable housing. I helped pass Mandatory Inclusionary Housing so new development must include affordable housing for very-low and middle-income New Yorkers. Working with a city employee, we blew the whistle and introduced legislation that could put hundreds of thousands of affordable apartments back on the market, for which landlords might be getting government subsidies while overcharging. I’ve also been proud to lead a coalition that has won two rent freezes for over one million rent stabilized tenants. |
Kallos provided the following additional comments with the survey:
| " |
As a Council Member he has won 400 pre-k seats, secured $150 million for the East River Esplanade, brought SBS to the M79 & M86, won 79 new M15 buses, cleaned up the neighborhood with 300 new trash cans, banned outside income and “legal bribery” in the Council, won two rent freezes, and continues to fight the Marine Transfer Station where he has moved the ramp north and reduced usage by two-thirds to keep 300 trucks out of the residential neighborhood of Yorkville. Join his open office by voting on how to spend one million dollars in the community, monthly for First Friday or Brainstorm with Ben, or he can come to you for Ben In Your Building.[1][5] |
” |
| —Ben Kallos (2017) | ||
Endorsements
2017
Kallos included the following endorsements in his candidate survey response:[1]
- Rep. Carolyn Malone (D)
- Borough President Gale Brewer (D)
- State Sen. Liz Krueger (D)
- Tenants PAC
- Planned Parenthood
- Sierra Club
See also
2021 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Ben Kallos's Responses," August 15, 2017
- ↑ New York Election Law, "Sec 6-160. Primaries," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with the New York City Board of Elections," July 14, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New York City Council District 5 2014-2021 |
Succeeded by Julie Menin (D) |
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State of New York Albany (capital) |
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