Michael Lewyn

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael Lewyn

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 2, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

Wesleyan University, 1983

Law

University of Pennsylvania, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

Atlanta, Ga.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Associate professor

Contact

Campaign website

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Michael Lewyn (Libertarian Party) ran for election for Manhattan Borough President in New York. He lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.

Lewyn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Lewyn was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in 1983 and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. Lewyn’s career experience includes working as an associate professor at Touro Law Center.

Elections

2021

See also: Municipal elections in New York County, New York (2021)

General election

General election for Manhattan Borough President

Mark Levine defeated Louis Puliafito and Michael Lewyn in the general election for Manhattan Borough President on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Levine (D)	85.0	223,248
		Louis Puliafito (R)	13.0	34,163
		Michael Lewyn (L)	1.9	4,874
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	435

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 262,720
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Manhattan Borough President

Select round: Round 7 Round 6 Round 5 Round 4 Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Mark Levine in round 7 . 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
		Mark Levine	53.8	100,718	13,774	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	46.2	86,660	8,315	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	0.0	0	-42,446	7
		Ben Kallos	0.0	0	0	6
		Lindsey Boylan	0.0	0	0	5
		Guillermo Perez	0.0	0	0	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	0.0	0	0	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	41.9	86,944	9,691	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	37.7	78,345	8,440	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	20.4	42,446	5,859	7
		Ben Kallos	0.0	0	-35,837	6
		Lindsey Boylan	0.0	0	0	5
		Guillermo Perez	0.0	0	0	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	0.0	0	0	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	35.2	77,253	4,549	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	31.8	69,905	6,286	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	16.7	36,587	7,044	7
		Ben Kallos	16.3	35,837	3,506	6
		Lindsey Boylan	0.0	0	-28,314	5
		Guillermo Perez	0.0	0	0	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	0.0	0	0	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	32.1	72,704	3,623	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	28.1	63,619	994	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	13.0	29,543	3,978	7
		Ben Kallos	14.3	32,331	963	6
		Lindsey Boylan	12.5	28,314	1,232	5
		Guillermo Perez	0.0	0	-17,767	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	0.0	0	0	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	29.6	69,081	1,672	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	26.8	62,625	891	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	10.9	25,565	2,047	7
		Ben Kallos	13.4	31,368	590	6
		Lindsey Boylan	11.6	27,082	2,606	5
		Guillermo Perez	7.6	17,767	1,326	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	0.0	0	-13,014	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	28.4	67,409	34	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	26.0	61,734	28	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	9.9	23,518	29	7
		Ben Kallos	13.0	30,778	13	6
		Lindsey Boylan	10.3	24,476	19	5
		Guillermo Perez	6.9	16,441	31	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	5.5	13,014	36	3

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mark Levine	28.3	67,375	0	Advanced (7)
		Brad Hoylman-Sigal	26.0	61,706	0	7
		Elizabeth Caputo	9.9	23,489	0	7
		Ben Kallos	12.9	30,765	0	6
		Lindsey Boylan	10.3	24,457	0	5
		Guillermo Perez	6.9	16,410	0	4
	Submit photo	Kimberly Watkins	5.5	12,978	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.	0.2	550	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 237,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Louis Puliafito advanced from the Republican primary for Manhattan Borough President.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Lewyn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lewyn's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Since 2011, Prof. Lewyn has been an Associate Professor at Touro Law Center in Long Island. He has taught property law, land use and environmental law (among other courses). In addition, he has written extensively on land use issues. (Most of his scholarship can be found at works.bepress.com/lewyn). The Borough President's major tasks include commenting on land use decisions and appointment of community board members (who do the same, and also make recommendations on transportation issues). Thus, Prof. Lewyn's history of land use scholarship is relevant to this position.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• less restrictive zoning
• more housing
• lower rents

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Allowing more housing to be built, especially in walkable areas with lots of public transit.
2. Using the free market to reduce suburban sprawl and make it easier to live without a car.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

I actually don't think its a very important office because it has no coercive power. Having said that, the Borough President can influence land use to some extent, by 1) making nonbinding recommendations on zoning projects and 2) appointing community boards that do the same.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

It depends on the office. It seems to me that the Borough Presidency is to some extent a job for a specialist; by contrast, most elective positions require candidates to have (or pretend to have) a smattering of knowledge about a much wider range of issues.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Subject matter expertise.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To fight for more housing, or at least to stop obstructing it.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The articles I've written, which I hope will be at least somewhat memorable.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

A summer internship with the Ripon Society, a moderate Republican group.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Among general-interest books, my father's Holocaust memoir (On the Run in Nazi Berlin).
Among urban-interest books, some of the most interesting books I've read recently are Right of Way (by Angie Schmitt), Generation Priced Out (by Randy Shaw), Dead End (by Ben Ross) and Neighborhood Defenders (by Katherine Einstein et. al.)

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Learning how to be a scholar and a teacher.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Somewhat, but I think my history of writing and thinking about zoning-related issues makes up for my lack of political experience.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

An interest in land use law.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2021 Elections

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Candidate

Manhattan Borough President

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