Newly elected Council Member Kayla Santosuosso was sworn in as District 47’s first feminine council member throughout an inauguration ceremony Jan. 18 on the Excessive Faculty of Telecommunication Arts and Know-how, the place household, mates, lawmakers — together with her Metropolis Council colleagues — and group members packed the auditorium.
Together with her husband, Christopher Ghiorzi, by her aspect, Santosuosso took the oath of workplace administered by Kings County Felony Courtroom Choose Hemalee J. Patel. The ceremony adopted her formal swearing-in at Metropolis Corridor final month.
Santosuosso, the previous chief counsel to term-limited Council Member Justin Brannan, received 59% of the vote in opposition to Republican challenger George Sarantopoulos in probably the most carefully watched Council races within the metropolis. The purple district consists of Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Sea Gate, and components of Dyker Heights, Bathtub Seashore and Gravesend.
An lawyer, small enterprise proprietor and group organizer, Santosuosso reaffirmed her dedication to chopping purple tape for small companies, preventing for common baby care and improved NYCHA housing, and defending “those who speak out against injustice.”
“You can count on me to always believe in what is possible, to fight for what we deserve, and to treat everyone with dignity and respect along the way, because that is what all of you in this room have instilled in me,” Santosuosso advised the gang.
Council Member Kayla Santosuosso holds her inaugural handle.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
Members of the New York Metropolis Council attend the inauguration ceremony of their new colleague, Kayla Santosuosso.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
Council Member Kayla Santasuosso and her husband, Chris Ghiorzi.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
In her remarks, Santosuosso paid tribute to South Brooklyn political stalwart Joanne Seminara, who died in 2022 at 66. Seminara ran for Metropolis Council 3 times and served on the New York State Democratic Committee and as an govt committee member of the New York State Democratic Occasion.
“Though I am the first woman to hold this seat, I am by no means the first woman who tried,” mentioned Santosuosso, who wore Seminara’s Metropolis Council marketing campaign pin. “She campaigned for this seat and others multiple times and never held it in what I consider to be a classic case of a woman who was too good for her time.”
Brannan, Santosuosso’s former boss, mentioned native authorities mattered greater than ever given “the chaos, cruelty, and uncertainty at the federal level,” including that her expertise ready her to reply to assaults on immigrant communities.
“As an attorney, she knows that as we inch towards authoritarianism, equal application under the law and making sure people know their rights is what will save our democracy,” Brannan mentioned. “As a longtime advocate for our immigrant community, Kayla will stand up for our neighbors who are scared to death by what’s oozing out of DC every day.”
Former Council Member Justin Brannan, whose former chief counsel Kayla Santosuosso now succeeds him, welcomed the gang throughout her inauguration ceremony Jan. 18.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer praised the packed auditorium at Kayla Santosuosso’s Jan. 18 inauguration as a testomony to American democracy and her long-standing dedication to justice.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned the packed auditorium was a testomony to American democracy and to Santosuosso’s long-standing dedication to justice.
“The fact that this auditorium is full on a snowy Sunday morning is a testament to Kayla and that democracy is alive and well, no matter what the hell they tell us in Washington,” the Brooklyn-born lawmaker mentioned. “It’s a great day for the 47th District. And it’s a great day for America. What we’re doing here today is the antidote to the horrible [situation] that’s going on. What the ICE agents are doing in Minnesota and across the country is despicable, killing people, not letting people protest; it’s so against our democracy.”
Newly minted Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin, the primary Jewish speaker, mentioned Santosuosso would lead with distinction, compassion and integrity, noting that the women-majority Council grew from 31 to 32 members along with her election.
“Nothing against the male elected officials in this audience, but studies show that women elected officials are more focused on building consensus, inclusivity, trying to get to a compromise finish line in terms of policy that is really going to move the needle forward, but it’s also about focusing on issues that affect women,” Menin mentioned.
New York Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin praised Kayla Santosuosso throughout her Jan. 18 inauguration, saying she would lead with distinction, compassion and integrity.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
New York Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin and newly sworn-in District 47 Council Member Kayla Santosuosso.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Different audio system included former Comptroller and congressional candidate Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes.
Lander described Santosuosso as a much-needed “bridge builder” throughout what he known as a “dark moment in the country.”
“We don’t build bridges by ignoring oppression or being afraid to seek honesty about it,” Lander mentioned. “We build bridges by bringing our whole selves to the fight, speaking of when our people face wrongs, but then understanding the connection between that and people who are different from us, who have their own history of facing oppression and struggle, and that is what Kayla has done every step of the way.”
Gounardes highlighted Santosuosso’s lengthy report as a group organizer, even throughout difficult occasions.
“It is not an exaggeration to say she has been a major part of every single thing that has happened in this community in the last decade,” Gounardes mentioned. “She has played not just a small part, but a starring role in every single change that has happened in this community for the last 10 years plus. What excites me most of all about her taking her seat in City Hall now is that she is going to continue to write the history of this community for the next eight years and then beyond into the future.”
