Upper Manhattan City Council Results: Shaun Abreu Wins

Last updated 11 p.m.

HARLEM, NY — Shaun Abreu has been elected to the City Council, defeating two challengers to win Tuesday's general election in Upper Manhattan's District 7.

With nearly all votes recorded as of 11 p.m., Abreu was way ahead, with nearly 89 percent of the vote. Opponents Carmen R. Quinones and Jomo Manual Williams trailed with 7 percent and 3 percent, respectively, and NY1 called the race in Abreu's favor.

Abreu, a 30-year-old tenants' rights attorney, is the Democratic nominee in District 7, which covers West Harlem and Hamilton Heights as well as parts of Morningside Heights and Washington Heights.

His opponents were Williams, running on the "Black Live Matter" party line, and Quinones, of the "Black Women Lead" party. Quinones ran in the June Democratic primary, but has recently aligned herself with Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.

For more Harlem news, subscribe to the email newsletter from Harlem Patch.

Abreu had been the heavy favorite in the overwhelmingly Democratic district, and enjoyed the backing of its current member, Mark Levine. Levine, who has represented District 7 since 2014, was term-limited from running again — instead, he ran for Manhattan Borough President, where he won the Democratic nomination and prevailed in Tuesday's general election.

The results are in, my friends!

With over 18,000 votes, it is official: I will have the privilege of representing District 7 on the City Council.

I am immensely grateful to have started this journey with all of you. I can't wait for the real work to begin. pic.twitter.com/QpFu4XpDLU
— Shaun Abreu (@ShaunAbreu) November 3, 2021

Abreu formerly worked as a deputy campaign manager for Levine's first City Council run, and also served on Community Board 9 before running for City Council himself. A Manhattan Valley resident, he has said his top priorities are improving the neighborhood's affordable housing stock, investing in public housing improvements, preventing evictions and funding community schools.

He advanced to the general election only after defeating 11 other candidates in the June Democratic primary. During that crowded race, five of Abreu's rivals formed a ranked-choice alliance against him, and also knocked him for the large sums of money that his campaign received from real-estate-aligned groups. (Abreu said the donations would not influence his "commitment to housing justice.")

Abreu is also one of several Upper Manhattan politicians who paid thousands of dollars to a local Spanish-language blogger in exchange for favorable news coverage, without any disclosures that the posts had been paid for. The arrangement was legal, as was recently reported by THE CITY, but nonetheless triggered some ethics concerns.

After taking office in January, Abreu's first term will last only two years instead of the usual four, due to a quirk in the city charter related to the recent census and the redistricting process that follows it.

In Harlem's other City Council races, Democrats also won easily on Tuesday. Newcomer Kristin Richardson Jordan prevailed in Central Harlem's District 9, while incumbent Diana Ayala was re-elected unopposed in East Harlem's District 8.

Previous coverage:

• NYC Council District 7 Election: Shaun Abreu Seeks Uptown Seat
  
• Shaun Abreu Wins Upper Manhattan City Council Race
  
• Harlem Council Candidate Paid Blogger For Favorable Coverage
  
• Harlem Council Candidates Attack Rival Over Outside Spending