Congratulations to Council Member Kevin C. Riley, MPA’17!
January 2021, Mr. Kevin C. Riley started in his newly elected role as Council Member for the 12th district of the Bronx representing the communities of Wakefield, Olinville, Edenwald, Eastchester, Williamsbridge, Baychester and Co-op City.
Kevin Riley was born and raised in the Bronx’s 12th Council District. As a lifelong Bronxite, he wanted to bring together the community to which he feels indebted because it took this village to raise this child. Sharing an emotional moment, Kevin said, “When my Dad got locked-up, my mother locked-in on being a single parent. Her sacrifices will never be in vain. I WILL repay my debt by giving my all and making her proud of calling me her son.”
To the 65 percent of voters in his district that decided to take a chance on this young man to represent them in City Hall, he says, “Thank You. Please understand that I will work hard with purpose, to advocate and prove to you that I am the best person for this job. As we continue to fight COVID-19, many issues have been brought to the forefront including food insecurity, job instability, lack of adequate housing and insufficient resources for our public education system. We need transparency and accountable leaders.“
No stranger to public service, Kevin has served as Community Relations Director for NYS Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, Constituent Liaison for NYS Assembly and District Leader and Vice President for the Bronx Democratic Committee. He also worked for New York Foundling as a Skills Coach where he mentored young men on life skills.
Kevin is the father of two beautiful daughters, Brooke V. Riley and Kate C. Riley. Kevin’s kids inspired him and his fraternity brothers to create The Dad Gang, a nationwide organization that works toward eliminating the stereotype that black men are not a part of their children’s lives. Kevin also spends his time as a mentor for President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. As a caring, active member of his community, Kevin wanted to create an outlet to help de-escalate the violence in his community. He co-founded Music Over Violence, designed to bring together youth, strengthen familial bonds, and bring awareness to and prevent gun violence.
Kevin received his B.A. in Politics, Economics and Law from SUNY Old Westbury and a Master’s of Public Administration from Metropolitan College of New York’s School for Public Affairs and Administration. He graduated from MCNY with a 3.91 GPA and was invited to join the Pi Alpha Alpha honor society. His Constructive Action Plan, a source of pride and accomplishment, titled “Establishing a Better Relationship between Constituents and Elected Officials of the 83rd Assembly District of New York State” has been a blueprint to strengthening relationships within his community, the city and state.
At City and State’s Bronx Power 100 event in 2019 – Kevin C. Riley with Bronx Deputy Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden, MCNY Vice President of Academic Affairs Humphrey Crookendale and MCNY Bronx Campus Director John Edwards. Kevin, Marricka and John were all honored and are graduates of the MCNY MPA program and former students of V.P. Crookendale.
In addition to his responsibilities as City Council Member, Kevin C. Riley will also be appointed to serve as chair of the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, and Dispositions. “As a newly-elected Council Member representing the Bronx’s 12th district, I am honored to be chair of the Council’s Landmarks, Public Sitings, and Dispositions Subcommittee. Thank you to Speaker Johnson for this opportunity. I know that the year ahead will be one of great challenges, and I am eager to begin working with affordable housing advocates and the preservation community to advance an agenda that helps all New Yorkers. Together, we can achieve great things,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley.
