Tanmay Shah

Tanmay Shah

Nonpartisan

Cleveland City Council Ward 12

Tenure

2026 - Present

Term ends

2030

Years in position

0

Predecessor: Rebecca Maurer (Nonpartisan)

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2025

Education

High school

Copley High School

Bachelor's

Kent State University, 2018

Law

Case Western Reserve School of Law, 2021

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Tanmay Shah is a member of the Cleveland City Council in Ohio, representing Ward 12. He assumed office on January 5, 2026. His current term ends on January 7, 2030.

Shah ran for election to the Cleveland City Council to represent Ward 12 in Ohio. He won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Shah completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tanmay Shah earned a high school diploma from Copley High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Kent State University in 2018 and a law degree from the Case Western Reserve School of Law in 2021.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Cleveland, Ohio (2025)

General election

General election for Cleveland City Council Ward 12

Tanmay Shah defeated incumbent Danny Kelly in the general election for Cleveland City Council Ward 12 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tanmay Shah (Nonpartisan)	50.2	1,485
	Submit photo	Danny Kelly (Nonpartisan)	49.8	1,476

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,961
= 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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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Cleveland City Council Ward 12

Incumbent Danny Kelly and Tanmay Shah defeated Andrew DeFratis in the primary for Cleveland City Council Ward 12 on September 9, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Danny Kelly (Nonpartisan)	49.4	680
✔		Tanmay Shah (Nonpartisan)	31.0	427
		Andrew DeFratis (Nonpartisan)	19.6	270

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,377
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Shah in this election.

Campaign themes

2025

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released April 10, 2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tanmay Shah completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shah'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.

I am a union organizer, housing attorney, and truck driver. I am a proud immigrant from India who has called Northeast Ohio home for over 15 years. I have always been committed to fighting for the working class in Cleveland — from defending tenants against unethical landlords in housing court to organizing a union at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

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?

• My policy priorities are affordable housing, affordable groceries, affordable childcare, and reliable city services. Instead of investing in housing, food access, and city services (such as composting or public transit) for working class families, Cleveland City Hall has prioritized stadiums, tax breaks, and luxury development for the wealthy. I believe our city government can improve our lives and help our neighborhoods prosper.
• My community organizing experience demonstrates that I will fight for you in City Hall. I have attended, spoken at, and organized protests for BLM, reproductive rights, trans healthcare, Palestinian liberation, for immigrant rights, and to resist the Trump presidency. I will bring this energy to office as I advocate for the residents of Ward 12 to get the resources and support they deserve.

• I am committed to building the power of the labor movement. While at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, I helped organize a union bringing almost 100 people into the labor movement. In City Hall, I will be a pro-active voice for our unions and our working families in a time where building worker power is more important than ever.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a housing attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, I saw families being evicted because they couldn't afford $600 in rent. Children in Ward 12 have some of the highest levels of lead poisoning in the country. As Councilperson I will expand tenant protections and continue to fight for lead remediation.

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

The core responsibility of a city councilperson is to represent their residents and advocate for their needs.

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

My first job was as a Sandwich Artist at Subway. Since then, I’ve worked in the legal field at the state and federal levels, protecting consumers and prosecuting abuse of power cases.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, A Better Cleveland For All, The Working Families Party, Run For Something

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

2025 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Cleveland City Council Ward 12

Website

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Rebecca Maurer	Cleveland City Council Ward 12 2026-Present	Succeeded by -