Ben Kallos

Benjamin Kallos (born February 5, 1981) is the Council member for the 5th District of the New York City Council. He is a Democrat. The district includes East Harlem, Midtown, Murray Hill, Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Kallos was born in New York City. He attended Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School, and then attended public schools for high school and college.

A graduate of SUNY Buffalo School of Law, he has served as a Manhattan Community Board Public Member, and Statewide Coordination Committee Chair for the New York Democratic Lawyers Council. He was also Chief of Staff for New York State Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, Director of Policy for former New York City Public Advocate Mark J. Green, and Executive Director of New Roosevelt.

On September 10, 2013, he defeated Micah Kellner in the New York City Council election primaries. As the Democratic candidate for the 5th New York City Council District, representing Manhattan's Upper East Side in the 2013 general election, he won the general election on November 5, 2013 and assumed office on January 1, 2014.

On September 10, 2013, he won the primary for the Democratic nomination for City Council in the New York City Council election primaries, with 46% of the vote to Kellner's 39% and Ed Hartzog’s 15% and won the election on November 5.