Inna Vernikov

Inna Vernikov (born August 30, 1984) is a Ukrainian-born American politician and attorney who is a member of the New York City Council for the 48th District. Formerly a Democrat, Vernikov is a member of the Republican Party and is the minority whip of the City Council.

Early life and education Vernikov was born in Chernivtsi in Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now southwestern Ukraine), to Jewish parents. She attended ORT Specialized School #41, a Ukrainian Jewish day school. At age 12, she immigrated with her family to the United States.

Prior to running for City Council, Vernikov was an immigration and divorce lawyer.

Political career Before being elected, Vernikov was an aide to state assemblymember Dov Hikind.

New York City Council Previously a registered Democrat, Vernikov switched parties and became a Republican to run for office after seeing a rise in antisemitism and what she sees as socialism in New York City. She is a supporter of Donald Trump. While campaigning, she said "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." She was elected to the City Council after defeating the Democratic nominee, Steve Saperstein. Upon taking office in December 2021, she became one of five Republicans in the 51-member council, and the first Republican to represent a portion of Brooklyn in the New York City Council since Marty Golden in 2002.

As a councilwoman, Vernikov organized a rally against COVID-19 vaccine mandates in New York City outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan. She had also organized a march against antisemitism after two Jewish teenagers were allegedly assaulted for wearing a hoodie with the logo of the Israel Defense Forces. After the faculty at City University of New York Law School passed a resolution supporting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, Vernikov announced she would pull $50,000 in funding for the law school and redirect it towards Legal Services NYC.

She voted against expanding the New York City speed camera program, which issues speeding tickets when a driver exceeds the posted speed limit by 11 or more miles per hour in a school zone. In September 2022, it was reported that Vernikov had been caught on camera for repeatedly and recklessly speeding through school zones. She had also received 31 other non-moving violations.

In March 2023, The New York Daily News published a report revealing that Vernikov sent an email blast, using her official government email account, to constituents soliciting business for $300 martial arts classes offered by Legion Self Defense; her email also included a link for her constituents to sign up. Vernikov was the Chair of the executive board of Legion Self Defense, and her biography on the City Council website lists her as "Chair at Legion Self Defense".

On October 13, 2023, Vernikov was arrested on charges of criminal possession of a firearm after bringing a gun to a pro-Palestinian rally on Brooklyn College's campus. Vernikov had accused the protestors of supporting Hamas following the start of the Gaza war, and said the rallies would make CUNY campuses unsafe for Jewish students. The charges were later dropped by the Brooklyn District Attorney over a lack of proof that the gun was operable, citing a lab report that the gun was unloaded and missing its recoil spring assembly.

In 2025, amid the New York City housing shortage, Vernikov pressured a developer who was applying for a rezoning on Coney Island Avenue for an apartment building to cut down on the number of affordable housing units by half and increase parking spots so that there would be more parking spots for the building than housing units. Initially intended to have 60 housing units and 24 parking spots, Vernikov pressured the developer to downsize to 27 housing units and 35 parking spots.

2023

2021