By Gus Saltonstall
The entire 51-member New York City Council is up for re-election in 2025, including the seats on the Upper West Side and in Morningside Heights now held by Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu. The city will also hold elections for mayor, comptroller, and borough presidents, with Democratic and Republican primaries for all elected positions scheduled for June 24.
As of January 8, there is no declared challenger against Brewer in District 6, which includes a large chunk of the Upper West Side.
In District 7, which stretches from West 92nd to 165th streets, Councilmember Abreu currently has two declared challengers: Edafe Okporo and Tiffany Khan.
Abreu, a former tenant’s rights attorney, has held the City Council position since 2022. On Tuesday, Abreu announced a slew of establishment Democratic endorsements for his re-election campaign, including longtime U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and Assemblymember Micah Lasher.
“Shaun Abreu embodies the best of the Upper West Side—its values, its resilience, and its deep sense of community,” Nadler said of Abreu. “As someone who grew up here, he understands the challenges families face and brings that experience to his leadership. Whether he’s protecting tenants from eviction, improving our schools, or fighting for a cleaner city, Shaun is a relentless advocate for a better future for all of us.”
Abreu lists his major platform issues as housing, education and youth, sanitation and sustainability, worker and consumer protections, quality of life, and health.
You can find out more about Abreu on his campaign website — HERE.
Challenging Abreu for the District 7 seat, which includes part of the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights and Harlem, is Okporo, a first-time candidate who has been endorsed by former Assembly District 69 candidate Eli Northrup and Marti Allen-Cummings, a former candidate for the City Council 7 seat.
Okporo, originally from Nigeria, arrived in the United States in 2016 as an asylum seeker. He got his citizenship, earned a master’s degree from New York University and published a memoir titled “Asylum: a Memoir and Manifesto.” According to his personal website, Okporo founded a nonprofit, Refuge America, dedicated to “strengthening America as a place of welcome for displaced LGBTQ people.”
“I came to New York fleeing violence and persecution, and this city embraced me as one of its own. Now, I’m running to give back to the community that we all call home,” Okporo told West Side Rag. “Our campaign is powered by everyday New Yorkers—without a single dollar from developers—and is committed to bold, progressive leadership that puts people before profits.”
Okporo lists his major platform issues as housing, health care and older adults, constituent services, community safety, immigration, education, transportation, and business.
You can find out more about Okporo on his campaign website — HERE.
West Side Rag could not find a website, announcement, or contact information for Khan, who is also a candidate in the 2025 City Council District 7 race, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
As the campaign period progresses, the Rag will follow the candidates and their platforms, including any further endorsements, campaign finance reports, and their policy positions.
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Finally, a new face on the UWS! Edafe Okporo is a fighter who’s not only made it here but is now advocating for older adults. Endorsed by the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, he’s a champion for the issues we care about. We’re lucky to have him!
Is there a more coddled constituency than older adults? Retirees are the ones with time on their hands to attend all these local community board meetings while the rest of us are working or busy taking care of our families.
The biggest issue facing NYC is the high cost of housing, which retired folks aren’t as impacted as they (likely) bought when it was cheap or are rent stabilized.
Wow UWS Dad,
I’ll be sure to relay to my older relatives the need for them to make way for folks from Scarsdale, Greenwich and Palo Alto.
I only wish he’d move south a few blocks and take on, and defeat, Ms. Brewer.
May be, Edafe Okporo can actually start a business or get a private sector job and pay taxes rather than live off the taxpayers?
It’s nice to see a fresh face emerge who is a progressive candidate that can go up against Adam’s and Trump. I’ll be supporting Edafe Okporo and more progressives like him going forward.
Yes because we all know that what is missing in the UWS is a lack of progressivism…
Yeah, Trump will be trembling…the newbies on the all-go, no-quit, super-powerful City Council are such a threat to him…
I think the point is that the MAGA effect will not defeat the United States. Trump and his minions can try but four years is all he has, and then he’s toast, whether he thinks he’ll change the Constitution or not. He won’t.
Oh, not at all! He could simply shoot them all with impunity. See Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593 (2024).
I am most excited about the new mayors race, that can’t come fast enough.
“Progressive” is a four letter word to me. It means weak on crime, reckless spending, and identity-based politics. I think NYC needs to do a lot more to help the needy among us but the “progressive” way of doing this does not work. And their refusal to tackle crime by instead making excuses is not cool.
Similarly, I am getting increasingly alarmed that the mayoral election is fast approaching and there isn’t a decent candidate in sight. It is either sketchy people, super progressives, or those without the experience to run a big city like New York. Not good.
Don’t ruin the never ending “feel good” effect on our UWS folks of being good virtue signaling progressives! How dare you!
New York has been run by liberal Democrats for the last ~20 years and crime has come down massively. Maybe, maybe they are doing something right? “Tough” on crime feels good but the numbers aren’t on it’s side. When it comes to my family’s safety, I want numbers not feelings.
San Francisco has moved away a lot from its progressive politics of several years back. Virtue signaling does not yield public safety or, pretty much, anything concrete.
I do like what seems to be Okporo’s desire not to be beholden to RE developers.
I avidly look forward to voting for the super progressives, as well as the super liberal/progressives, assuming we’re still around by June.
Sandro and Ella — I think that’s a joke
Why?
Why?
So excited to support Edafe Okporo in this race! He not only represents the values of this district but he lives by them and acts on them. Refusing money from developers is exactly what we need from our representative so that they can truly represent the people and our interests, as opposed to the interests of corporations looking to exploit and profit.
We need moderates reps, not the progressives, who represent only marginalized groups but don’t address the major issues faced by the majority on the daily basis.
We need someone tough on crime, more police, more surveillance, more cameras.
Correct. And contrary to the beliefs of the super progressives, being tough on crime does not mean being heartless. One of the first steps is efficiently providing services to the many New Yorkers who cannot take care of themselves. Get them off the streets and get them help. Too many of them snap and do damage to others. Letting them rot away is not protecting their civil rights – it is rude and insulting to them.
But too many progressives deny this is even an issue. Which is sad. It is not a binary.
We also need to invest in schools in poorer neighborhoods but not at the expense of schools that are working. Let’s raise all ships rather than sinking all to mediocrity.
And create a business friendly environment as guess who pays the bills for all of this?
I wonder how often the “advocates,” who oppose involuntary psych hospitalization etc etc, are in fact making money by running agencies that aim to help manage the dysfunction of mentally ill people and addicts living on the street or in the subway system.
Being tough on crime on the UWS to many means it is okay to scapegoat Muslims on the UWS for whatever problems there are. I have seen this even among self described progressives.
Had the great pleasure of speaking with Okporo at a block association event in the fall. He’s very passionate about the neighborhood with regards to safety, beautification, business revitalization, etc. Abreu could care less about the west 90s and you can’t blame him since his hands are full with the bulk of his district being in the Heights. The redistricting was not good for the west 90s and Okporo seems determined to fix some of that so he has my vote!
Shaun Abreu has had years to do something about the miles of scaffolding, especially the scaffolding at 104th and Broadway, and I haven’t seen him take any action on it. I want someone in office who makes out streets safer and doesn’t allow buildings to turn entire blocks into blighted areas.
We’re doomed.
Let’s make it easier.
Lock up the law-abiding citizens and let the criminals run free.
As an UWSer with young children, I really appreciate Councilmember Abreu’s efforts to make our streets cleaner and safer, our public schools even better, and our city more affordable. I wholeheartedly support his reelection!
As a parent with kids at P.S. 145 on West 105th street and Amsterdam and part of the PTA association, I can tell you firsthand—Abreu is not where to be found.
For years, we’ve been working hard, and now alongside Ansche Chesed synagogue on West 100th Street, to raise funds for our student library.
I recently attended the District 3 Education public hearing, and spoke with other parents. We are still learning about Edafe platform.
His priority is to listen to constituents with school-aged children and that’s a good first step.
He donated to our fundraiser and has been checking to see how he can help with the school side walk that has been broken and our council man refused to address. He’s ignoring our emails, messages, and phone calls.
We have written on his social media post and yet we get no response. I have pictures, if you want and I can send you all our record.
Anyone can listen…….
I am enthusiastically supporting Abreu. He is just finishing the final year of his first term. We have term limits and he cannot run again so that leaves plenty of opportunity for newcomers to earn our vote, get some experience and prove themselves. Abreu has delivered for District 7 and New Yorkers everywhere. His experience and seniority at the Council will be invaluable given that the entire body and all the other municipal offices are up for grabs. I have lived in District 7 for 50 years. I have confidence in Abreu, and oh yes, I did not support him in 2021 but he has earned my support with his service to our community..
You represent the establishment mindset that equates longevity and seniority with effectiveness, even when it neglects the majority in our community. He may have earned your vote, but he needs to earn the rest of ours—upzoning our entire neighborhood isn’t aligned with UWS values.
Hiding in developers’ pockets won’t earn my vote; as a senior housing resident on the UWS for the last four years, I’ve seen no action from him on aging services. His poor record on addressing the needs of older adults speaks for itself. I’m considering my options…
I live on West 104th, I saw Edafe at the Bloomingdale bites serving seniors last year at Hi Hostel.
Upzoning the entire neighborhood is in line with my UWS values! That’s how you get more/better housing and brings rents down over time.
What about ending historic district landmarking?
Whomever represents Morningside heights, needs to support Columbia University for a change. Knocking Columbia, our number one employer, educational and research center serves no one.
The current politicians have done nothing to decrease crime, clean streets, or decrease homeless, drugs, or mentally ill in the neighborhood. They seem to favor criminal rights over regular citizens.
Councilmember Abreu is the best. I had high hopes and he already exceeded them in his first term. Excited to see what he has in store for his second, especially on sanitation and small business support
Not one candidate spoke to the impact of Congestion pricing on our neighborhood or the essential workers that can not afford to live here but come here to work. We need light rail on all our tunnels and highways. There was no mention of the Open Street program that is closing streets, all over and detouring buses. The Col/Am BID closes Amsterdam Ave on Saturdays. This is a major artery to Mt Sinai Hospital. It leaves 5 bus stops inaccessible to the public and the #11 bus must is detoured. The activities that do happen could all take place in the three major parks, two public school playgrouns and the 5 acres of the NYCA projects.
Congestion pricing seems to have been great for the UWS so far, not to mention the improved funding it provides for the MTA which benefits the city as a whole. I hope the candidates make their support clear!
UWS Dad – seems like Congestion Pricing is great for bicyclists – more space for bicyclists
I don’t bike so can’t speak to that, but just walking around the UWS / to my kids bus stop I’ve noticed a big impact and that’s great for everyone who lives here
Why is no one challenging Gale Brewer?
Because she’s one of the best public servants in the history of New York City, that’s why.
Mr. Abreu has only promoted leave for Pet Parents, No discrimination against those with tattoos and some assistance for those with Sleep Apnea.
He did not raise his voice in opposition to Mayor Adams insistent push to shove 250,000 municipal retirees into privatized Medicare.
He didn’t reflect some of the objections of his constituents against “City of Yes”–another big bonanza for Big Real Estate in our fair city.l
We need a Council Member who will listen and respond to the members of his constituency–and reflect their concerns in the City Council.
That is NOT Abreu.
Vote him out!
All good progressive candidates, we are saved… Activists and advocates will fix our problems…
All the super leftist comments below truly explain why we are where we are today.
Our current leadership scares me. Imagine if we had to deal with a major disaster like LA is dealing with right now. Do we trust these people to be ready and prepared? I don’t think they have a slightest clue how to go about real issues. Filing DEI quotas and fighting for transgender rights seems to tick all the boxes now and is a much higher priority than a big city preparedness and overall functioning.
The current mayor is much more focused on his corruption charges than anything else you mentioned….
i am happy to see a dynamic new face stepping up as a progressive candidate ready to n make the change we need .I’m all in for Edafe Okporo and can’t wait to support more inspiring progressives like him in the future!
The number of Absolute Bagels stories exceeds any reasonable coverage.
To those who say we shouldn’t just read them – very hard to do when it is in your face every week.
People who claim it feels like an “enormous loss” apparently don’t know what true enormous loss feels like.
It really feeds unhealthy mass hysteria.