Selvena N. Brooks-Powers (born March 1, 1983)[1] is an American politician and community organizer serving as a member of the New York City Council from the 31st district. She assumed office on March 19, 2021. Brooks-Powers was named majority whip of the City Council in January 2022.
Selvena Brooks-Powers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 31st district | |
| Assumed office March 19, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Donovan Richards |
| Majority Whip of the New York City Council | |
| In office January 5, 2022 – January 15, 2026 | |
Speaker | Adrienne Adams |
| Preceded by | Position reestablished |
| Succeeded by | Kamillah Hanks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 1, 1983 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Wilberforce University (BA) New York University (MS) |
| Website | City Council website |
Early life and education
editBrooks-Powers was raised in Queens, New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Wilberforce University and a Master of Science in global affairs from New York University.[2]
Career
editBrooks-Powers began her career as a staffer to Democratic members of the New York State Senate. She later worked on Dennis Herrera's campaign for mayor of San Francisco. In 2012 and 2013, she worked as a communications specialist for the Service Employees International Union. She also worked as a press officer in the office of the New York City Comptroller. Brooks-Powers has since worked as an independent political consultant. She was elected to the New York City Council on March 19, 2021.[3][4][5]
The New York City Council
editIn April 2025, Brooks-Powers and Councilwoman Lynn Schulman were removed as members from the New York City Council's budget committee by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Speaker Adams ran for mayor of New York in the 2025 Democratic Primary, losing to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Both Brooks-Powers and Schulman endorsed mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo in March 2025.[6]
Councilwoman Brooks-Powers also served as the Majority Whip of the City Council and Chair of the City Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure throughout Eric Adams tenure as mayor, losing both roles in January 2026. The councilwoman came on record in March 2025 as a vocal opponent of the removal of cars from a bike lane in Downtown Far Rockaway, stating "It wasn’t supported by the community. ... In effect it’s not a bike lane quite honestly; no one uses it, they [drivers] park there. We would like to see the hard infrastructure removed."[7][8]
As Councilwoman, she's led efforts on expanding the MTA's Fair Fares program, the legalization of jaywalking in New York City, expanding outreach on flood preparedness, and transferring land ownership of a vacant lot from NYCHA to the city for the building of a trauma center in Arverne.[9][10]
Electoral history
edit2025
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Selvena Brooks-Powers (incumbent) | 26,211 | 99.0 | |
| Write-in | 254 | 1.0 | ||
| Total votes | 26,465 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2023
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Selvena Brooks-Powers (incumbent) | 8,868 | 89.2 | |
| Republican | Daniella M. May | 972 | 9.8 | |
| Mad as Hell/Parent Party | Daniella M. May | 81 | 0.8 | |
| Total | Daniella M. May | 1,053 | 10.6 | |
| Write-in | 25 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 9,946 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2021
edit| Party | Candidate | Maximum round |
Maximum votes |
Share in maximum round |
Maximum votes First round votes Transfer votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powers 4 Queens | Selvena Brooks-Powers | 9 | 3,841 | 59.0% |
| |
| Community Unity | Pesach Osina | 9 | 2,674 | 41.0% |
| |
| People Powered | Manny Silva | 8 | 1,059 | 15.2% |
| |
| The Time Is Now | Latoya R. Benjamin | 7 | 570 | 8.0% |
| |
| Time for Change | Sherwyn James | 6 | 386 | 5.4% |
| |
| Rux For Us | Shawn M. Rux | 5 | 234 | 3.2% |
| |
| Rockaway United | Nancy J. Martinez | 4 | 181 | 2.5% |
| |
| Collins 4 Queens | Latanya Collins | 3 | 120 | 1.6% |
| |
| Lee For Jobs 31 | Nicole S. Lee | 2 | 77 | 1.0% |
| |
| Write-In | 1 | 24 | 0.3% |
| ||
| Democratic hold | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Selvena Brooks-Powers (incumbent) | 10,807 | 67.4 | |
| Democratic | Nancy J. Martinez | 3,049 | 19.0 | |
| Democratic | Nicole S. Lee | 2,039 | 12.7 | |
| Write-in | 136 | 0.8 | ||
| Total votes | 16,031 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Selvena Brooks-Powers (incumbent) | 18,070 | 88.9 | |
| Republican | Vanessa Pollie Simon[a] | 1,902 | 9.4 | |
| Conservative | Vanessa Pollie Simon | 324 | 1.6 | |
| Total | Vanessa Pollie Simon | 2,226 | 11.0 | |
| Write-in | 28 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 20,324 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Notes
edit- ↑ Shared with "Save Our City" ballot line.
References
edit- ↑ "A very special happy birthday to a rising star of the @NYCCouncil, our councilwoman & dear friend Selvena Brooks-Powers! Blessings for a year of continued success, happiness & good health 🎂🎁🎉🎊🎈". Twitter. March 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ↑ "Biography". Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ↑ Lewis, Rebecca (2021-03-18). "Selvena Brooks-Powers victorious in NYC's first ranked-choice vote count". City & State NY. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ↑ Gannon, Michael (2021-03-18). "Brooks-Powers wins in 31st Council District". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ↑ "Selvena Brooks-Powers". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ↑ McDonough, Annie; Pretsky, Holly (April 10, 2025). "A couple of Cuomo endorsers in the City Council lose budget negotiation roles". City & State NY.
- ↑ "Council Member Brooks-Powers addresses concerns about DOT's bike lane implementation and community engagement | Committee on Finance | New York City Council | May 13, 2025 | citymeetings.nyc". citymeetings.nyc. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ↑ "Council Transportation Chair Asks DOT To Rip Up a Bike Lane - Streetsblog New York City". nyc.streetsblog.org. 2025-03-24. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ↑ "Biography". Selvena Brooks-Powers. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ↑ Wave, The (2025-07-03). ""An Investment in Lives" - The Wave". The Wave - Rockaway's Newspaper since 1893 | 718-634-4000. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ↑ "00401100031Queens Member of the City Council 31st Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. December 2, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "00401600031Queens Member of the City Council 31st Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. December 5, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑
- "ContestList Feb 2.23.2021 PDF Council31 SpecialElection 1.7.2021 1247pm.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. January 7, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- "Queens Member of the City Council 31st Council District 022321 RCV ResultSummary 031921.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. March 19, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "DEM Council Member 31st Council District". Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. July 20, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "00400700031Queens Member of the City Council 31st Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. November 30, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2026.