Kamillah Hanks - Ballotpedia

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Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Predecessor

Debi Rose

Report an officeholder change

Kamillah Hanks (Democratic Party) is a member of the New York City Council, representing District 49. She assumed office on January 1, 2022.

Hanks (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New York City Council to represent District 49. She won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Hanks attended CUNY-College of Staten Island.^[1]

Hanks' experience includes work as the founder and president of the Historic Tappen Park Community Partnership, the executive director of the Staten Island Youth Build Program, and the executive director of the Downtown Staten Island Council. She has served as the interim president of the Van Duzer Street Civic Association, a representative to the New York City Panel for Education Policy, and a member of the City Council Redistricting Commission.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2025)

General election

General election for New York City Council District 49

Incumbent Kamillah Hanks defeated John Shea and Sarah Blas in the general election for New York City Council District 49 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kamillah Hanks (D)	55.2	19,601
	Submit photo	John Shea (R)	34.4	12,220
		Sarah Blas (Working Families Party / New North Shore Party)	10.4	3,685

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 35,506
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 49

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Kamillah Hanks in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,348
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for New York City Council District 49

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: John Shea in round 1 .

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Working Families Party primary election

Working Families Primary for New York City Council District 49

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Sarah Blas in round 1 .

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hanks in this election.

2023

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2023)

General election

General election for New York City Council District 49

Incumbent Kamillah Hanks defeated Ruslan Shamal in the general election for New York City Council District 49 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kamillah Hanks (D)	79.2	6,859
	Submit photo	Ruslan Shamal (Safe Streets SI Party)	16.4	1,418
		Other/Write-in votes	4.4	380

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,657
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 49

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Kamillah Hanks in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hanks in this election.

2021

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2021)

General election

General election for New York City Council District 49

Kamillah Hanks defeated Patricia Rondinelli and Jason Price in the general election for New York City Council District 49 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kamillah Hanks (D)	58.6	15,203
	Submit photo	Patricia Rondinelli (R)	38.8	10,081
	Submit photo	Jason Price (Ordinary People Party)	2.3	605
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	76

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,965
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 49

Select round:

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Kamillah Hanks in round 9 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Kamillah Hanks	25.2	3,463	0	Advanced (9)
	Submit photo	Amoy Barnes	20.5	2,818	0	9
	Submit photo	Ranti Ogunleye	11.5	1,576	0	9
		Kelvin Richards	10.2	1,399	0	8
	Submit photo	Selina Grey	9.3	1,274	0	7
	Submit photo	David Hernandez	7.4	1,023	0	6
	Submit photo	Michael Schnall	6.5	897	0	5
	Submit photo	Troy McGhie	6.1	838	0	4
	Submit photo	John McBeth Sr.	2.8	391	0	3
		Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.4	53	0

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,732
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Patricia Rondinelli advanced from the Republican primary for New York City Council District 49.

Serve America Movement Party primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nicholas Robbins (Serve America Movement Party)

2017

See also: Mayoral election in New York, New York (2017) and Municipal elections in New York, New York (2017)

New York City held elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and all 51 seats on the city council in 2017. New Yorkers also voted for offices in their boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Primary elections were scheduled for September 12, 2017, and the general election was on November 7, 2017. Under New York law, candidates who run unopposed in a primary or general election win the nomination or election automatically, and their names do not appear on the ballot.^[3] Incumbent Debi Rose (D) defeated Michael Penrose (R) and Kamillah Hanks (Reform) in the general election for the District 49 seat on the New York City Council.

New York City Council, District 49 General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Debi Rose Incumbent	59.19%	15,752
	Republican	Michael Penrose	35.48%	9,443
	Reform	Kamillah Hanks	5.17%	1,377
		Write-in votes	0.15%	40
Total Votes				26,612
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "General Election - November 7, 2017," accessed January 2, 2018

Incumbent Debi Rose defeated Kamillah Hanks in the Democratic primary for the District 49 seat on the New York City Council.^[4]

New York City Council, District 49 Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Debi Rose Incumbent	69.39%	5,895
Kamillah Hanks	30.11%	2,558
Write-in votes	0.51%	43
Total Votes		8,496
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 Primary: Certified Results," accessed September 28, 2017

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kamillah Hanks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Kamillah Hanks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Kamillah Hanks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Hanks' campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Neighborhood Preservation and Development
The North Shore faces a tremendous amount of change as developers compete for limited waterfront property. Homeowners want to protect their property values and tenants face rising rent. Right now, the wheel project meant to be the center of shoreline restoration is $300 million over it’s initial budget and a year past it’s original deadline. This consistent lack of 'know-how' in development stops when I become elected. The wheel project stalls while our current Councilwoman buries her head in the sand. I’m committed to responsible development. This means preserving the historic and unique character of our neighborhoods, demanding that developers bring sensible projects to the table, and ensuring our roadways and infrastructure are updated, so our district can adequately deal with an increasing population. I’ve watched projects fail, I’ve seen our residents left out of job sites, I’ve seen the disregard for our community, and this ends when I’m elected. It’s time for us to imagine MORE.

I understand this district. Each neighborhood faces different challenges, and I promise to provide better constituent services in order to address every neighborhood’s needs. From fixing potholes to addressing environmental concerns, I will be an available and active leader, who listens to residents. I will fight to preserve our history and character, while adequately preparing for our future...all while keeping my door open to the public.

Transportation
Transportation is a major concern of our community. New developments bring more people to the North Shore, as construction disrupts traffic and parking remains scarce. In a June 30th article by The New York Times, The North Shore ranked 58th out of 59 districts in train service, 51st in bus service, 53rd in 'ease of travel', 46th in traffic, and 48th in street maintenance, making this district one of the worst across the board in terms of transportation. The status quo is unacceptable. As your city council member, I will work tirelessly to provide innovative alternatives to ease congestion, such as increased bike lanes, a successful light rail, and reliable bus services. The North Shore is the transportation hub of Staten Island, but ferry access and roadways are overburdened and inefficient. I’m dedicated to working with my Staten Island colleagues to create transportation solutions, alleviate congestion, and secure inclusion into the five-borough ferry service that is long overdue.

Education
Our public schools are in crisis and our current leadership lacks the urgency to act. P.S. 20 Port Richmond is 186% over capacity, P.S. 35 Clove Valley is 201% over capacity, while Curtis High School is 154% over capacity, and these are just a few examples of extreme overcrowding. Building one school isn’t going to alleviate the burden of 43 over-crowded schools, it’s time for major reform. I raised my four children in Staten Island, I know the challenges our students and teachers face. I am determined to increase school seats, provide additional support and resources for our educators, and give full attention to school safety. In addition to addressing this shameful capacity crisis, I’m going to ensure our children will learn in the comfortable and engaging environment they deserve.

Youth Development
Youth development is a focal point of my life. As President of Staten Island’s only YouthBuild program, I’ve helped our youth empower themselves, so they may lead productive and healthy lives. Our young men and women need to be equipped with proper resources, so they can create goals and find purpose. As Councilwoman, I will remain dedicated to growing developmental programs and employment opportunities for our young population. Some of our most at-risk youth need support like temporary housing, in order to find the stability necessary to succeed. Teaching our youth how to empower themselves is the key to unlocking our community’s full potential. Our homeless population has almost doubled over the past decade as affordable housing vanishes. Our youth are the most vulnerable, as they live on couches and streets without proper job-skills or education. We need to act now, to stop the rising homeless population and give our kids a fighting chance for decent lives.

Quality of Life
As the North Shore faces continued change and growth, our quality of life should get better, not worse. Today, residents have legitimate concerns for their safety, their health, and their environment. Pollution and debris from construction is a burden, while many residents have suffered damages to their property. It’s time to completely extinguish violent crime in our communities. The NYPD reported that murder and rape cases rose in 2016 on Staten Island, and this trend must end. Every human being deserves to have a safe, clean, and thriving neighborhood, regardless of economic standing. I envision The North Shore as somewhere to raise your children, build a home, and follow a dream. I will fight endlessly to make this vision a reality for residents of The North Shore. As Councilwoman, I will foster close relationships with both the NYPD and residents threatened by criminal activity. Our citizens do not deserve to live in fear, or find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of violence. NYCHA housing developments in The North Shore have been failed by our leaders. Across the rest of the city, there are painting programs, increased security measures, and jobs programs that our citizens are left out of, and these are only a few examples of the neglect. I will not stand for this disgraceful lack of attention.There are single NYCHA housing centers throughout the city that received more funding in 2017 than all NYCHA housing centers in The North Shore combined. Our current leadership has exploited our NYCHA communities and left them in the dark to fend for themselves. There are serious pitfalls in safety, hygiene, beautification, and attention that no American citizen should suffer in the twenty-first century, that have become norms for our NYCHA residents. It’s time to imagine MORE for The North Shore, our residents, and our future.^[5]

”

—Kamillah Hanks' campaign website, (2017)^[6]

See also

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

New York City Council District 49

Officeholder

New York City Council District 49

Personal

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 New York City Campaign Finance Board, "Kamillah Hanks," accessed September 8, 2017
↑ Kamillah Hanks - Democrat for City Council, "About Kamillah," accessed September 8, 2017
↑ New York Election Law, "Sec 6-160. Primaries," accessed July 14, 2017
↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with the New York City Board of Elections," July 14, 2017
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Kamillah Hanks - Democrat for City Council, "Issues," accessed September 8, 2017

Political offices
Preceded by Debi Rose (D)	New York City Council District 49 2022-Present	Succeeded by -

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