A New Look for New York’s City Council

New York’s 51-seat City Council passes laws, votes on the city budget, has a major voice in land-use decisions and provides checks on the mayor’s power.

But the legislative body has not always reflected the diversity of the millions it represents.

This week’s primary election results offer a clearer window into what shape the incoming Council is poised to take, and they signal a change: Women are expected to hold a majority of the body’s seats for the first time in city history, and several L.G.B.T.Q. people of color are likely to serve on the Council.

“Across the board, you were seeing a group of candidates that more clearly reflected the people that needed to be represented,” said the progressive candidate Tiffany Cabán (shown above), a queer Latina who won her Council primary in Queens.

Here’s what to know, according to my colleague Michael Gold’s full dive into the races.The more representative Council

Fourteen women currently hold seats on the Council. Female candidates have won 26 races where Democrats are favored. Three others are leading in races that have not yet been called.

No person of South Asian descent, Muslim woman or openly gay Black woman has ever served in the legislative body. But each first is now expected to be achieved.

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There are also activists from working-class backgrounds and at least six foreign-born New Yorkers poised to hold seats. If elected, Chi Ossé, who is 23, would also be the youngest person to serve on the next Council.

The progressive push

Several candidates further to the left faltered in the mayor’s race, and Eric Adams is poised to become the next mayor. Still, many of the expected Council members are left-leaning candidates who were supported by progressive groups and politicians.

The Working Families Party endorsed 30 candidates; 14 are on track to take office. Progressives also scored a victory in the race for city comptroller, where Brad Lander, who was endorsed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was victorious, according to The Associated Press.

Several races, however, underlined challenges facing the city’s political left. Six candidates were backed by the Democratic Socialists of America; only two are now poised to win.