Inna Vernikov
Inna Vernikov | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York City Council from the 48th District | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Chaim Deutsch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 30, 1984 Chernivtsi, Ukraine |
| Political party | Republican (2020-present) Democratic (until 2020) |
| Education | Baruch College (BA) Florida Coastal School of Law (JD) |
Inna Vernikov is a Ukrainian-American attorney and politician who is the New York City Council Member for the 48th district. She is a member of the Republican party. The district includes Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Midwood, Plum Beach, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.[1]
Early life
Vernikov was born on August 30, 1984 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. She attended ORT Specialized School #41, a Ukrainian Jewish day school, until she was 12 years when she immigrated to the United States.[2]
She received her undergraduate degree at Baruch College and her J.D. degree from the Florida Coastal School of Law.[2] In law school, she served as the President of the Jewish Law Students' Association and persuaded Florida Coastal to reschedule her graduation ceremony from Saturday, during Shabbat to Sunday.[2] She invited human rights attorney Brooke Goldstein to speak at the Florida Coastal School of Law, which drew objection from the school's Muslim Law Student Association, but to no avail and Goldstein spoke.[3]
Career
Vernikov served as an aide to New York State Assemblymember, Dov Hikind.[3] She is a member of the board for both Tikva, an organization supporting Jewish orphans in Ukraine, and Americans Against Antisemitism.[4] Prior to running for City Council, Vernikov was a successful immigration and divorce attorney.[3] She drafted a legal memorandum on potential criminal recourse against Nilesat IPTV, an internet television, that was publishing television shows published by the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.[4]
New York City Council
A former Democrat, Vernikov decided to run for City Council as a Republican after seeing the rise in antisemitism and what she sees as socialism in New York City.[3] While campaigning, she stated “Jews coming from the former Soviet Union are very familiar with communism and socialism, and many of us feel strongly that what today’s Democratic Party is promoting is exactly what we ran from—a place where speech was censored, where we were not allowed to practice religion, where we didn’t have freedom or economic opportunity.”[3]
Her platform was centered around combatting crime and rebuilding the economy.[3] A supporter of former President Donald Trump, she is in favor of government relief for struggling small businesses and opposes vaccine mandates and the defund the police movement.[3] She is an ardent supporter of the state of Israel.[3]
Vernikov received the support of the district's former councilman, Democrat Chaim Deutsch and Donald Trump Jr., the son of former President Donald Trump. On November 2nd 2021, Vernikov was elected to the City Council after defeating the Democratic nominee, Steve Saperstein. Her victory made her the first Republican to represent Brooklyn in the New York City Council since Marty Golden in 2002.[5]
References
- ^ Glueck, Katie (31 October 2021). "The Places in New York City Where Republicans Still Stand a Chance". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "A native of Chernivtsi won the elections to the New York City Council". Voice of America. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Fed up with socialism and anti-Semitism, attorney seeks to clean up New York City". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ a b "About Inna Vernikov – New York Divorce & Immigration Attorney". Law Offices Of Inna Vernikov. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "REPUBLICAN INNA VERNIKOV WINS SOUTH BROOKLYN COUNCIL SEAT AMID STRONG GOP SHOWING CITYWIDE". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
