Kelvin Richards was born in Monrovia, Liberia. He graduated from the College of Staten Island in 2008 and William Mitchell College of Law in 2012. His professional experience includes working as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society in Staten Island.[1]
Richards has been associated with the following organizations:
Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 49
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.
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.
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There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 13,732
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Patricia Rondinelli advanced from the Republican primary for New York City Council District 49.
Kelvin Richards completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Richards' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Kelvin Richards is a Public Defender with the Legal Aid Society in Staten Island. Kelvin's motivation for public service started when he was ten years old on a refugee camp in Ghana, when his family fled the Liberian Civil War. Kelvin attended the College of Staten Island. There, he worked at night and attended classes during the day, earning a bachelors degree in International Relations in 2008. He later earned a Jurist Doctorate (JD) degree in law from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul Minnesota in 2012. In college, he volunteered as a Student-Teacher at Curtis High School, mentoring and teaching youths and tracking their academic progress through his mentorship. Today, he visits Curtis High School and participates in their summer "Know Your Rights" program that teaches youths how to react during police encounters. Kelvin served as the Staten Island Liberian Community's (SILCA) youngest Vice President and lead the efforts to fight Ebola in West Africa. In 2020, Kelvin was appointed a committee’s co-chair for New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Police Reform and Racial Injustice.
Ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to truly affordable housing was one of the most pressing issues facing our communities long before this pandemic started — and now we’re at our breaking point. To start tackling this issue, we need to lower the AMI (area median income) to reflect what is actually affordable for our working families. Any new development projects that come to the North Shore need to be affordable to the families who actually live here. I lived in public housing while I was in college and I know how important it is to have access to affordable, reliable housing, especially for our working and middle-class New Yorkers. I’m committed to fighting for full funding for our NYCHA developments to address the long backlog of capital improvements and repairs — our NYCHA residents have been neglected and ignored for far too long.
Also bringing our economy back to life after this pandemic is going to be one of the biggest challenges the next Council faces. I’m committed to bringing good-paying jobs to the North Shore, supporting stronger worker protections, and creating a sustainable future for all our working families. We also need to support vocational training, local hiring, and workforce development programs to get New Yorkers back to work. And we need to be looking to the future by investing in infrastructure jobs in the green energy industry. Local businesses are the backbone of our local economy here on the North Shore and across our City.
As a public defender here in Staten Island, I have spent almost a decade fighting for justice and standing up for those without a voice. I have a deep understanding of the injustices and inequities of our criminal justice system and I’m ready to fight for real reform. As a father, longtime community advocate, and youth mentor, I’m familiar with the needs of our education system and am committed to investing in community programs and building a stronger future for our youth. I have also served as the Staten Island Liberian Community’s (SILCA) youngest Vice President. I am currently the General Counsel for the African Community Association of Staten Island (ACASI). I am also serving on the board of Modest Community Association Services Inc. Lastly, I am a committee co-chair for New York State Bar Association’s Task Force for Racial Injustice and Police Reform. My wealth of diverse experiences gives me a unique perspective.
As a public defender here in Staten Island, I have spent almost a decade fighting for justice and standing up for those without a voice. I have a deep understanding of the injustices and inequities of our criminal justice system and I’m ready to fight for real reform. As a father, longtime community advocate, and youth mentor, I’m familiar with the needs of our education system and am committed to investing in community programs and building a stronger future for our youth. I have also served as the Staten Island Liberian Community’s (SILCA) youngest Vice President. I am currently the General Counsel for the African Community Association of Staten Island (ACASI). I am also serving on the board of Modest Community Association Services Inc. Lastly, I am a committee co-chair for New York State Bar Association’s Task Force for Racial Injustice and Police Reform. My wealth of diverse experiences gives me a unique perspective.
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