Errol Louis

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Errol Louis
Born (1962-08-24) August 24, 1962 (age 61)
EducationHarvard University (B.A.)
Yale University (M.A.)
Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)
OccupationJournalist

Errol T. Louis (born August 24, 1962) is a New York City journalist and television show host. He has unsuccessfully run for office several times.

Early life, education, and early career[edit]

Louis was born in Harlem and raised in New Rochelle, New York, by his father, Edward J. Louis, a retired New York City police officer, and his mother, Tomi (Hawkins) Louis, a bookkeeper. He received a B.A. in government from Harvard, an M.A. in political science from Yale, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.[1]

Louis co-founded the Central Brooklyn Federal Credit Union with Mark Winston Griffith in the spring of 1993. The two were known as "the hip-hop bankers".[2]

Before going into journalism, Louis taught urban studies at Pratt Institute.[3]

Politics[edit]

On September 9, 1997, Louis ran in the Democratic primary for New York City Council District 35 against incumbent Mary Pinkett and police officer James E. Davis. Louis had charged Pinkett with being absent in the community, and he was endorsed by Congressman Major Owens, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, and Assemblyman Roger L. Green.[4]

Louis lost to Pinkett with 27.82% of the vote,[5] but then ran against Pinkett again in the November 4, 1997, general election on the Green Party line,[6] with Davis on the Conservative Party and Liberal Party lines. Louis was defeated with 8.54% of the vote.[7]

Louis declared his candidacy in the 2001 Democratic primary for the same City Council seat, but he had dropped out of the race by August 2001.[3]

Journalism[edit]

Formerly an associate editor of The New York Sun, Louis joined the New York Daily News in 2004 and for many years wrote a column, "Commerce and Community", for Our Time Press, which is published weekly and based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.[citation needed] Louis also served on the editorial board.[citation needed]

On June 23, 2008, Louis became host of the Morning Show, a three-hour talk program on radio station WWRL; in 2009 he was succeeded by Mark Riley. In November 2010 The Village Voice named him the city's best newspaper columnist and radio show host.[8]

Louis joined NY1 in November 2010 as political anchor and the host of Inside City Hall, a program about New York City politics that airs nightly.[9] He is the Director of the Urban Reporting program at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a CNN contributor and has made frequent appearances on Lou Dobbs Tonight and other CNN news programs.

Louis was once named by New York Magazine as one of "10 New Yorkers Making a Difference", "with energy, vision and independent thinking."[1]

Personal life[edit]

Louis lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, with his wife, Juanita Scarlett a lobbyist with the firm Bolton-St. John's, and their son.[9]

Electoral history[edit]

New York City Council District 35, 1997 Democratic Primary[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Pinkett (incumbent) 5,326 52.71
Democratic Errol T. Louis 2,969 27.82
Democratic James E. Davis 2,079 19.48
Total votes 10,374 100
New York City Council District 35, 1997 General Election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Pinkett (incumbent) 11,275 60.36
Conservative James E. Davis 3,005
Liberal James E. Davis 2,013
Total James E. Davis 5,018 26.86
Green Errol T. Louis 1,595 8.54
Republican David Voyticky 666 3.57
Independence Luvenia Super 127 0.68
Total votes 18,681 100

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Errol Lewis". Columbia University. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "Griffith, Mark Winston and Louis, Errol T. 1962– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Searchlight on Campaign 2001: District 35 Central Brooklyn". Gotham Gazette. February 21, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (August 20, 1997). "Two Say It's Time the Incumbent Left". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "NYC Council 35 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. March 9, 2005. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Green Party in the 1997 Elections". Green Pages. October 26, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "New York City Council 35". Our Campaigns. September 2, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "Best Newspaper Columnist/Radio Show Host - 2010 - Errol Louis". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Errol Louis - 'Inside City Hall' Host". NY1. September 26, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2020.

External links[edit]

Media offices
Preceded by Host of Inside City Hall
October 29, 2010–present
Succeeded by
incumbent