Primary Day is June 23 and there’s a ton on the ballot, including our US Rep seat, state senate and assembly seat and state comptroller. Follow along to see mini profiles of each of the candidates. This is Furhan Ahmad for Assembly District 66; his TCQ&A, the politics version, is below. Deborah Glick held the seat for the past 36 years.

Furhan Ahmad was sitting in his computer science class at BMCC at the start of the semester in 2001 and thought, “This isn’t me. This isn’t who I am.”

“I loved sports and I wanted to be an athlete, but I wasn’t good enough,” he said with a laugh. “And I knew I wanted to help people. And at that moment it hit me: firefighters. They’re fit, they’re a team, and they work together to help people.”

Two weeks later the Twin Towers were destroyed, and on 9/11, as he walked over the 59th Street Bridge back to his home in Queens from his job in midtown, he made his decision.

“I saw Lower Manhattan in a yellow fog on this blue-sky day. It was eerily quiet on the bridge. And I saw firefighters driving in in their pickup trucks and cars with their helmets on the dash and I thought, I am going the wrong way. I knew then and there that’s what I wanted to do.”

It took some time to get there — he did a stint as an EMT first, then joined the NYPD for two years before he was called up to the FDNY — but he made it. (He eventually transferred to Hunter College for his bachelor’s, which he completed while working full time. He also has an associates from BMCC in forensic science.) His work as a firefighter is what has driven his desire to become an elected official, to see if he can chip away at the problems he saw day in and day out on the streets.

“I saw a lot of gore but what you remember most is the cries of a mother who has lost her child to guns. You just never forget that,” he said.

While at Ladder 18 on Delancey, he lived at 90 West Street with his ex-wife for almost 10 years. He now lives with his fiancé in the West Village — an address he admits he could not afford on his pension. (Furhan is 44 and retired in 2025 after 23 years in the force. His pension is 50 percent of the average of his best three years’ salary. His salary topped out at $179,877.)

He admits he is a total newbie to politics, but he looks to his experience on the street as his education in how government works — or doesn’t. “We were getting the same calls for the same person for the same mental health crises — and we would look at each other and say how are we helping? How are we making this better? And this Was a problem we couldn’t solve. Every tool the FDNY has solve a problem, but this was one we could not get at.”

He looked at New York and after 23 years of service, felt he had left it no better. He saw people left behind — seniors, people on the streets, people not getting the help they deserved. Then Deborah Glick announced her retirement and he decided to go for it. “The only way I could see to solve real problems is bring these stories to Albany – and that’s what inspired me to run.”

The TCQ&A:

How long have you lived in the district? Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens. I have been living and working in Manhattan for 20 years. I have lived on the Upper East Side, Fidi, and for the last five years in District 66 in the West Village.

Married? Partnered?
I am engaged to my lovely fiancé Anjula Acharia. She is British-Indian-American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. She has been incredibly inspiring to me with what she has accomplished as a woman of color in a majority male dominated world. She has the biggest heart to help and loves animals as much as myself.

Kids? Pets?
No Kids No pets. I absolutely love animals and especially dogs. I had a golden retriever named Sona who unfortunately passed away about a year ago. I miss her every day.

Where do you live?
I live in the West Village close to Hudson River Park which is a really special place, the sunsets never get old.

What do you do for a living?
I have been A NYC first responder for 23 years. Immediately after 9/11 I joined the FDNY fire cadet program which led me to becoming EMT working in the South Bronx, then a police officer for two years working in Richmond Hill/Jamaica neighborhood and finally for the last 20 years of my career as an FDNY firefighter in Ladder 18 on the Lower East Side.

What are the first three issues you will tackle if you win the election?
First I will fight to help solve the mental health crisis on our streets. I believe in and support programs such as BHEARD which dispatches teams of mental health professionals and EMT’s to respond to mental health emergencies instead of the Police department. But this should also be coordinated with more psychiatric beds, crisis stabilization centers, supportive housing, outpatient treatment and addiction services. This will also help keep our hardworking first responders available to keep us safe from emergencies.

Second, I’ll push for real tenant protections and affordable housing preservation in our district. Downtown Manhattan is losing long-time residents, seniors, artists, working families, to speculation and displacement. I’ll advocate for strengthening rent stabilization, expanding community land trusts, and ensuring developers meet their affordable housing commitments.

Third, I’ll address the day-to-day quality of life concerns that shape whether people feel safe, respected, and supported in their neighborhoods, from mental health crisis response to sanitation to protecting public spaces. These aren’t small issues. They’re what determines whether a community holds together.

Who is the first person you will hire?
A constituent services director. That’s non-negotiable. Before I hire a legislative aide or a communications staffer, I want someone whose only job is picking up the phone when a resident calls with a problem, a landlord ignoring repairs, a senior struggling to access benefits, a small business owner tangled in permitting. I spent 23 years as a public servant answering calls for help, and I know that responsiveness is the foundation of trust between an elected official and the people they serve. Everything else I want to accomplish legislatively depends on that trust.

What are the three most important issues for New Yorkers right now?
Housing affordability, healthcare access, and the crisis in public safety and mental health, and they’re all connected.

Housing costs are driving working people out of the city. When families are one rent increase away from displacement, every other part of their lives becomes unstable, their kids’ schools, their access to care, their ability to hold a job.
Healthcare remains inaccessible or unaffordable for too many New Yorkers, including people who technically have insurance but can’t afford to use it. We need universal coverage through the NY Health Act, and we need to expand community-based care, especially mental health and substance use services.

And public safety can’t be separated from these issues. As a former EMT, police officer, and firefighter, I know that most crisis calls aren’t really about crime, they’re about people in mental health emergencies, people experiencing homelessness, people failed by systems that should have caught them earlier. We need to invest in prevention and response models that actually match the problems we’re facing.

Why are you running for office? What do you hope to change, or do better?
I’m running because I’ve spent 23 years responding to the consequences of broken systems, and I want to help fix the systems themselves.

As an EMT, I transported patients who couldn’t afford a doctor’s visit until their condition became life-threatening. As a police officer, I responded to mental health crises with no mental health professional beside me. As a firefighter, I saw how climate-driven storms like Hurricane Sandy devastated communities that had been neglected long before the water rose. Every one of those calls was a policy failure showing up as a 911 call.

I’m the son of a Pakistani immigrant who drove a cab in this city. I grew up understanding that New York’s promise, that you can build a life here through hard work, only holds if the government does its part. Right now, it’s not doing enough.
This district deserves a representative who has been on the front lines, not just someone who has read about them. I’m running to bring that perspective to Albany to fight for healthcare access, protect tenants, especially seniors, invest in climate resilience, and make sure the people who keep this city running aren’t pushed out of it.

Most-frequented restaurants: Jack and Charlies, The Odeon, Tartine, Semma, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Waverly Diner, Walker’s, Bleecker Street Pizza, L’Artusi, Minetta Tavern,

For special occasions, I go to: Babbo

Sweet-tooth satisfaction: Veniero’s Pasticceria

What’s your drink order? Anejo tequila

I usually order in from San Panino Sandwich Shop and I always order the Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The last non-essential item I bought: A NY Knicks cap

I’m so glad Oslo Coffee is in the district, because without it I’d malfunction.

How I stay fit: Runs In Hudson River Park regardless of the weather!

Where I get beautiful: Hudson River Park for fitness and sun.

What’s the district’s best-kept secret? Borough Manhattan Community College. Quality, accessible, and affordable education for anyone, any age.

A recent enthusiasm: CitiBiking everywhere.

Rainy-day activity: To read.

I take out-of-towners to: The Highline

Pet peeve: Not picking up after your pet.

A doctor I’d recommend: Dr. Isabel Del Carpio Mint Bela Dental.

My most memorable celebrity sighting: Harvey Keitel.

Tribeca could use more Affordable Housing and fewer Rats .

If I could change one thing about the district: There should be more public restroom options available.

A business I miss: Tent and Trails .

Best reason to go above 14th Street: to visit Central Park and Riverside Park