James G. Van Bramer (born August 19, 1969) is an openly gay American politician. A Democrat, who served in the New York City Council and represented the 26th district from 2010 to 2021, which includes Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside in Queens. Van Bramer is a progressive who was one of the few members of the City Council to endorse Cynthia Nixon's campaign in the 2018 New York gubernatorial election.[1]
Jimmy Van Bramer | |
|---|---|
 Van Bramer in 2014 | |
| Majority Leader of the New York City Council | |
| In office January 8, 2014 – December 31, 2017 | |
Speaker | Melissa Mark-Viverito |
| Preceded by | Joel Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Laurie Cumbo |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 26th district | |
| In office January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Gioia |
| Succeeded by | Julie Won |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 19, 1969 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Dan Hendrick |
| St. John's University (BA) | |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editVan Bramer was born and grew up in the New York City borough of Queens, the son of retired active union members. His father, William Van Bramer, was a lifelong member of Printers' and Pressman's Union Local 2.[citation needed] His mother, Elizabeth, helped support the family by taking a variety of jobs in their neighborhood. She was a member of Local 1893 of the International Brotherhood of Painters.[citation needed]
Van Bramer graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School.[2] In 1994, he graduated from St. Johns University. He majored in criminal justice and a minor in sociology.[3]
Career
editBefore joining the City Council, Van Bramer served as the Chief External Affairs Officer of the Queens Public Library. In this capacity, he was the library's link between community members and government.[citation needed]
He worked as a reporter for Lesbian and Gay New York (now Gay City News) a community newspaper, where he brought attention to the AIDS epidemic and bias/hate crimes. He represents his neighborhood and the 37th Assembly District on the New York State Democratic Committee.[citation needed]
In September 2007, he was named one of City & State's "40 under 40" for being a young influential member of New York City politics.[4] Van Bramer currently lives in Sunnyside Gardens with his husband, Dan Hendrick. They married on July 28, 2012.[5] Van Bramer is one of four openly LGBTQ+ members of the New York City Council, alongside Corey Johnson, Daniel Dromm and Carlos Menchaca.
In 2016, Van Bramer voted against a 100% affordable housing apartment building that would have had 209 homes affordable to people of low and moderate incomes [6]. Van Bramer felt that preserving neighborhood character outweighed affordable housing as a priority for the site. The site is used as a surface parking lot, which would have disappeared if the project had been approved. [7]
New York City Council
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2022) |
Van Bramer was first elected to the New York City Council to represent the 26th district on November 3, 2009. He was re-elected in 2013. On January 22, 2014, Van Bramer was chosen to be the New York City Council's Majority Leader, the second-most powerful position in the body. He was also named to serve as co-chair of a budget negotiating team set up by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
He was elected to a third 4-year term on November 7, 2017, and reappointed to the budget negotiating team by Speaker Corey Johnson. Van Bramer was appointed to chair the council's Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations Committee. He has served as chair of this committee throughout his tenure as a council member.
| Election history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election | Results |
| NYC Council District 25 |
2001 | Democratic primary | √ Helen Sears 31.56% Jimmy Van Bramer 22.52% Rudolph E. Greco 21.76% Maqdalena U. Schultheis 13.50% Louis M. Chan 10.66% |
| NYC Council District 25 |
2001 | General | √ Helen Sears 82.68% Magdalena U. Schultheis (I) 7.46% Jimmy Van Bramer (WF) 7.12% Barton Goft (Green) 2.73% |
| NYC Council District 26 |
2009 | Democratic | √ Jimmy Van Bramer 45.99% Dierdre A. Feerick 37.29% Brent O'Leary 16.73% |
| NYC Council District 26 |
2009 | General | √ Jimmy Van Bramer (D) 70.38% Angelo Maragos (R) 23.72% Dierdre A. Feerick (I) 5.90% |
| NYC Council District 26 |
2013 | General | √ Jimmy Van Bramer (D) 99.70% |
| NYC Council District 26 |
2017 | General | √ Jimmy Van Bramer (D) 85.0% Marvin Jeffcoat (R) 14.60% Write-ins 0.30% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ @CynthiaNixon (28 June 2018). "Thrilled to be endorsed by Councilman..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Van Bramer kicks off a week of 'Respect'". QNS.
- ↑ "BRADLEY HIS CHOICE, ALL THE WAY". New York Daily News.
- ↑ "Rising Stars 40 Under 40: James Van Bramer". City & State. September 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01.
- ↑ Broverman, Neal (2012-07-29). "NYC Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer Marries Longtime Partner". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ↑ https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2016/09/phipps-houses-withdraws-controversial-rezoning-application-in-queens-105599
- ↑ "Phipps Houses abandons rezoning application for controversial Sunnyside project". The Real Deal.
External links
edit- Official website Archived 2021-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Gazette