Robert Holden (politician)

Robert F. Holden (born October 12, 1951)[1] is an American professor, graphic designer, and the New York City Council member for the 30th district, representing the neighborhoods of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, and parts of Woodside and Woodhaven in the borough of Queens.[2]

Bob Holden
Member of the New York City Council
from the 30th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Preceded byElizabeth Crowley
Personal details
Born (1951-10-12) October 12, 1951
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Republican (2017–present,
ballot line)
SpouseAmy Holden
Children3
EducationNew York City College of
Technology (AS)
Queens College (BA)
Hunter College (MFA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Holden was raised in Maspeth, Queens.[3] He earned an AAS from the New York City College of Technology, a BA from Queens College, and an MFA from Hunter College,[4] all CUNY schools.

Career

Holden is a professional graphic designer and a professor of the same at the New York City College of Technology.[3][4]

Holden has also worked as an editor and art director for Juniper Berry magazine,[3] and as a photojournalist published in newspapers and magazines in the United States and Europe.[4] He has had his work exhibited at International Center of Photography, and other galleries.[4]

Holden has been a member of Queens Community Board 5 since 1988.[3]

New York City Council

2017 election

Holden, a long-registered Democrat,[1] ran in the 2017 Democratic primary for New York City Council against incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Crowley, but lost 63.6% to 36.1%.[5] In the general election, Holden ran on the Republican, Conservative, Reform Party lines, as well as the independent "Dump de Blasio" line.[6] Despite not being a registered member of the Republican party, he was able to receive the county's nomination by obtaining a Wilson Pakula authorization.[6][7]

Holden won a tight race, garnering 10,653 votes to Crowley’s 10,426.[6][8][9]

2018

Holden was the prime sponsor in introducing and passing resolutions 420, 421, and 422. The resolutions declared November 11 as Polish Independence Day, October 15 as Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day, and October 11 as Casimir Pulaski Day in New York City, respectively.[10][11][12][13] The bills all passed unanimously on October 31, 2018.

2020

In early April 2020, he and New York City Councilman Republican Eric Ulrich wrote to Mayor de Blasio asking him to relieve Commissioner of Health of the City of New York Oxiris Barbot of her position "before it’s too late," saying her guidance on coronavirus had been disastrous.[14]

Holden has been a staunch critic of proposals to implement congestion pricing in the most congested and polluted areas of New York City.[15] Holden argued, "This ridiculous tax that's going to kill New York City."[16]

Election history

2017
New York City Council, 30th District, Primary election[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elizabeth Crowley (incumbent) 3,621 62.5
Democratic Robert Holden 2,050 35.4
  Write-In 16 0.2
  Unattributable 107 1.8
New York City Council, 30th District, General election[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert Holden 8,720 40.5
Conservative Robert Holden 1,507 7.0
Reform Robert Holden 189 0.9
Dump De Blasio Robert Holden 147 0.7
Total Robert Holden1 10,563 49.0
Democratic Elizabeth Crowley 9,351 43.4
Working Families Elizabeth Crowley 911 4.2
Women's Equality Elizabeth Crowley 164 0.7
Total Elizabeth Crowley (incumbent) 10,426 48.4
  Write-in 11 0.2
  Unattributable 123 2.4

2021
New York City Council, 30th District, Primary election[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robert Holden 5,250 54.6
Democratic Juan Ardila 4,324 45.0
  Other 38 0.4
New York City Council, 30th District, General election[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert Holden 9,947 53.6
Democratic Robert Holden 7,098 38.2
Conservative Robert Holden 1,094 5.9
  Other 422 2.3
  1. ^ Holden is a registered Democrat but received the Republican party's nomination after losing the Democratic primary.

Personal life

As of 2017, Holden had been married to his wife, Amy, for 44 years.[3] They have three children and three grandchildren.[3]

References
  1. "Robert Holden". Retrieved May 5, 2018 – via council.nyc.gov.
  2. 30th District, New York City Council "New York City Council". Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  3. "Bio - Robert Holden for City Council". Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  4. Team, CIS Web. "Faculty Profile". www.citytech.cuny.edu. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  5. Coltin, Jeff; Lentz, Jon (September 23, 2017). "New York City's 2017 primary election results". City & State New York. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  6. Runyeon, Frank G. (November 16, 2017). "How Holden beat Crowley – and why he's not loyal to either party". City & State New York. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  7. Kelley, Ryan (January 17, 2018). "Queens Councilman Holden remains a Democrat and is eager to Contribute to Council Committees". qns.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  8. "Winners & Losers of 2017". City & State New York. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  9. "Statement and Return Report for Certification: General Election - 11/07/2017" (PDF). Board of Elections in the City of New York. November 7, 2017.
  10. Legislative Research Center. "Resolution declaring November 11 as Polish Independence Day in the city of New York". legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  11. Legislative Research Center. "Resolution declaring October 11 as Casimir Pulaski Day in the city of New York". legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  12. Legislative Research Center. "Resolution declaring October 15 as Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day in the city of New York". legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  13. Hallum, Mark (November 1, 2018). "Ridgewood's Polish American residents honored with City Council resolutions". qns.com. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  14. Edelman, Susan (April 4, 2020). "NYC pols urge de Blasio to oust health commissioner over coronavirus response". New York Post. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  15. "Bipartisan group of lawmakers stumps to oppose congestion pricing". Crain's New York Business. September 12, 2022.
  16. "MTA: Money made from congestion pricing will be used to address existing issues - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. August 17, 2023.
  17. "Statement and Return Report for Certification: Primary Election - 09/12/2017" (PDF). Board of Elections in the City of New York. September 26, 2017.
  18. "2021 Primary Official Ranked Choice Rounds" (PDF). Board of Elections in the City of New York. July 20, 2021.
  19. "Statement and Return Report for Certification". Board of Elections in the City of New York. November 3, 2021.
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