Shafran Takes Job with Working Families Party

Austin Shafran, a former candidate for Councilman Dan Halloran’s northeast Queens seat, has taken a job with New York’s branch of the Working Families Party.

Shafran, who lost September’s Democratic primary by a slim margin to Flushing attorney Paul Vallone, said that the Working Families Party, which endorsed him in the race for Halloran’s seat, has hired him as its legislative director for New York.

“The Working Families Party is a guiding force behind the principle – everybody counts or nobody counts – and I’m proud to be counted as a member of their team fighting to bring social and economic justice to millions of families,” Shafran said. “Whether it’s great schools for our children, good jobs for our workers or affordable housing and healthcare for all who need it, the WFP stands as a beacon of hope and pillar of progressive advocacy.”

Shafran said specific campaigns on which he would be working with the party included the public financing of state elections, wage increases for low wage workers and civil, social and economic initiatives.

He previously worked as a spokesman for Empire State Development, the City Council and state Senate Democrats.