18-03-2025
Tanmay Shah seeks city council seat in new Ward 12
Tanmay Shah, an Indian immigrant, union organizer, lawyer and truck driver, has formally launched his candidacy for Cleveland City Council in the new Ward 12.
Why it matters: Shah's is the most explicitly leftist city council campaign to date in 2025, with messaging highlighting working class solidarity and his democratic socialist bona fides.
State of play: The new Ward 12 includes the majority of the existing Ward 11 on Cleveland's west side. Incumbent Councilman Danny Kelly is seeking reelection.
Another challenger, Andrew DeFratis, the director of public affairs for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, announced his candidacy last week.
Zoom in: Shah attended Copley High School, Kent State University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
He helped organize a union at Legal Aid while working as a housing attorney there.
He now works as a truck driver for local composting company Rust Belt Riders.
What they're saying: "I am running to make Cleveland work for the working class," Shah said in a press release.
