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Join the roomGale Arnot Brewer is an American Democratic politician from the state of New York who has represented the 6th New York City Council district since January 2022, a position she previously held from 2002 to 2013. From January 2014 to December 2021, she served as the 27th Borough President of the New York City borough of Manhattan.
Gale Arnot Brewer (born September 6, 1951) is an American Democratic politician from the state of New York who has represented the 6th New York City Council district since January 2022, a position she previously held from 2002 to 2013. From January 2014 to December 2021, she served as the 27th Borough President of the New York City borough of Manhattan.
Brewer graduated from the Winsor School in Boston in 1969, and then obtained a bachelor's from Bennington College in 1973 and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1990. She then earned a second bachelor's from the Columbia University School of General Studies in 1997.
From 1975 to 1978, Brewer served as director of scheduling for Mary Anne Krupsak, the former Lieutenant Governor of New York. From 1978 to 1990, she was chief of staff to then-New York City Council member Ruth Messinger. From 1990 to 1994, Brewer was director of the New York City Office of Federal Relations in New York in the administration of David Dinkins. From 1994 to 1998, she was Deputy Public Advocate for Intergovernmental Affairs under Mark Green.
Brewer then served as Project Manager for the NYC Nonprofits Project and worked with the Telesis Corporation, a private firm that builds affordable housing. She was a member of Manhattan's Community Board 7 and Chair of the New York State chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus. In 2000, she was cited by the New York Daily News as #20 of "50 New Yorkers to Watch".
Brewer began serving on the New York City Council in 2002. She represented the 6th district. In each re-election vote in 2003, 2005, and 2009, she received over 80% of the votes cast.
Brewer has helped to pass legislation protecting domestic workers, establishing the New York City Broadband Advisory Committee, establishing an electronic death registration system and requiring New York City publications to be made available via the Internet, as well as two bills aimed at eliminating graffiti and unwanted stickers. In 2010, Brewer introduced the first Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) bill. Ranked Choice Voting was later passed in New York City in November 2019 when the Charter Revisions Commission put forth a referendum before NYC voters, which passed with nearly 75% of the vote. Ranked Choice Voting was first used in a New York City election in February of 2021. New York State is one of a minority of states that allow Rank Choiced Voting in local elections in some jurisdictions.
Brewer chaired the Select Committee on Technology in Government (now the Committee on Technology) from 2002 to 2009 In June 2004, in conjunction with a graduate student Digital Opportunities Team at CUNY Hunter College departments of Urban Affairs and Planning supervised by Professor Lisa Tolliver, the committee published a study and recommendations titled Expanding Digital Opportunity in New York City Public Schools: Profiles of Innovators and Leaders Who Make a Difference. The report was one of numerous initiatives and events implemented by the Select Committee, which included roundtables, conferences, hearings, and collaborative partnerships.
Ineligible to run for re-election to the City Council in 2013 because of term limits, in February 2013, Brewer announced she would run for Manhattan Borough president. On September 10, 2013, Brewer won the Democratic primary, taking nearly 40% of the vote in a four-way race. Brewer won the general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, and assumed office in January 2014.
Brewer was re-elected Manhattan Borough President in 2017. Due to term limits for borough presidents, she was ineligible to seek re-election in 2021.
In the 2020 United States presidential election, Brewer served as an alternate elector, replacing Christine Quinn.
In December 2020, Brewer announced her candidacy for her former City Council seat in the 2021 New York City Council election. She lost the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club endorsement to Democrat Sara Lind and requested a second endorsement vote from the organization prior to the June Democratic Primary in 2021. On November 2, 2021, Brewer defeated Republican Nancy Regula (wife of Curtis Sliwa) with over 82% of the vote. Brewer's main progressive Democratic primary challenger in 2021, Sara Lind, was not reappointed to Manhattan Community Board 7 when her position came up for renewal in 2023.
Brewer chairs the City Council's Committee on Oversight and Investigations. She is a member of the Committees on Consumer and Worker Protection, Finance, Governmental Operations, Higher Education, and Rules, Privileges, and Elections. In addition, she is a member of the Manhattan Delegation, the Women's Caucus, and sits on the Budget Negotiating Team. She left the Progressive Caucus in 2023, and returned in 2026.
Brewer successfully ran for the City Council's new 6th district seat in 2023.
In May 2026, Brewer opposed a bill that would ban 24-hour "live-in shifts" by workers caring for disabled people, agreeing with the goal of the bill, but saying she was concerned about its unintended effects.
In July 2026, Brewer headed a committee hearing to authorize a raise in salary for all citywide elected officials by 18 percent. She said other major cities in the United States have raised their officials' salaries with smaller budgets and there are New York City government staffers who get paid more than the mayor.
Brewer is a member of the Vote Blue Coalition, a progressive group and federal PAC created to support Democrats in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania through voter outreach and mobilization efforts.
In 2018, the Metropolitan College of NY awarded Gale Brewer an honorary doctorate citing her "long career on critical issues facing New York City from affordable housing and land use to health care and workers rights".
Brewer is married to Cal Snyder. Their son, Mo Sumbundu, works for Empire State Development. In 2023, Sumbundu was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Buffalo State University Council. Brewer has had several foster children.
