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Ari Kagan

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Ari Kagan
Member of the New York City Council
from the 47th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byMark Treyger
Personal details
Born
Arkady Kagan

1967
Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus)
Political partyRepublican (2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (after 1999, until 2022)
EducationLvov military political college
Baruch College

Ari Kagan (born in 1967) is an American politician who is a member of the New York City Council from the 47th district. Elected in November 2021, he assumed office on January 1, 2022.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

Kagan was born in Minsk in 1967.[1] His parents were survivors of the Holocaust. His paternal grandmother Sofiya was killed in the Minsk Ghetto in 1942 while his father Mikhail survived.[5][6]

After graduating Secondary School No. 20 in Minsk, in 1984, he was admitted to the Journalism Department at Lvov Military Political College, from which he graduated in 1988.

In 1991, Kagan left the Soviet Army and the Soviet Communist party. He said he "became disillusioned with the Soviet-Communist ideology".[2] He immigrated to the United States with his family in May 1993. In the U.S., he attended Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and graduated with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Advertising in 1999.[7][4]

Career

Journalism

As a journalist, he worked in the Independent Baltic Newspaper, Byelorussian Enterprener and other commerical papers in Latvia and Belarus.

In Brooklyn, Kagan worked as a writer for the Russian-language newspapers Yevreiski Mir and Vecherniy New York.[8][9][10][1] He also presented a weekly television program on the Brooklyn-based Russian Television Network of America (RTN).[11] He also worked as a host of the morning radio program "City News" on Davidzon Radio (620 AM).

Democratic Party politics

In 2012, he was elected as a Democratic District Leader in the 45th New York State Assembly District and founded the local moderate political club Bay Democrats in 2014.[12][13] In December 2022, Kagan switched parties from Democratic to Republican in December 2022, giving up his District Leader post.[14][15]

Work for Elected Officials

Kagan worked as a community liaison for Comptrollers John Liu and Scott Stringer, as an assistant to Congressman Michael McMahon and later as Director of District Operations to Council Member Mark Treyger, before succeeding Treyger in the City Council.[16][17]

City Council

In November 2021, he was elected to the New York City Council, succeeding Mark Treyger and successfully defeating multiple Democratic opponents as well as Republican opponent.[18][19]

After switching his party affiliation to Republican due to his strong disagreements with Democrats on public safety and many other issues, Kagan joined Republican minority conference in City Council. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams suggested Kagan may lose his position as Chair of the Council's Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts. "Voters sent Council member Kagan to the Council as a member of the majority conference and this drastic about-face seriously calls into question his commitment to the policy priorities of our conference that will impact his committee roles, particularly his chairmanship given the fact that he is joining a party that denies climate change," Adams said. Kagan resigned from the Committee Chairmanship shortly after, telling the Daily News that "I resigned rather than to wait until being expelled by the Council leadership."[20] In 2023, he will run for the re-election as Republican in his 47th Council District against another Councilman Justin Brannan who is a Democrat.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c Prince, Cathryn J. "When it comes to supporting the US president, former Soviet Jews say Israel trumps all". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Кандидат Ари Каган: для Горсовета маленьких проблем не бывает". Golus Ameriki (Voice of America) (in Russian). Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Who's Behind KGB Claims in Brooklyn City Council Race?". Tablet Magazine. August 16, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "J5048". NY State Senate. October 2, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Russian American journalist Ari Kagan: "Hard work pays everywhere"". Citizens Magazine. April 4, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "NARA – AAD – Display Full Records – Application (SS-5) Files, 1936 – 2007 (Last Names K through L)". aad.archives.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ari Kagan, 55, City Council member from Brooklyn". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "Sandy a Big Issue in Crowded Council Race". City Limits. August 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Black Firebrand Vies in Heavily Jewish District". The Forward. June 13, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  10. ^ Worlds, Feet in 2. "Podcast: Doubts about Obama – A Better Life? Podcast". Retrieved December 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "To this Russian-American community, Russia has become a political scapegoat". PBS NewsHour. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Guedes-Reed, Caleb. "Ari Kagan, 55, City Council member from Brooklyn". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  13. ^ "Dem District Leader Ari Kagan Finally Gets His Club". Bklyner. January 27, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  14. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Brooklyn Councilman Ari Kagan expected to switch parties from Democrat to GOP". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  15. ^ Stark-Miller, Ethan (December 5, 2022). "Brooklyn Council Member Ari Kagan switching to GOP, challenging Justin Brannan in 2023 general election | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "2013 NYC Voter Guide: Ari Kagan". www.nyccfb.info. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  17. ^ Adams, Rose (February 9, 2021). "Who's running for City Council in the 47th District". www.brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  18. ^ "Councilman Ari Kagan fights to save Coney Island's wooden boardwalk". New York Post. November 27, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  19. ^ "Ari Kagan eyes seats on multiple committees after City Council win". www.ny1.com. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "NYC Councilman Ari Kagan steps down as committee head after Dem-to-GOP flip". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
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