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Who is Shaun Donovan? 'Annoying' NYC mayor hopeful trolled over debate: 'Policies lack vision'

Shaun Donovan, a former Federal government employee is hoping to become the next Mayor of New York, but not everyone is convinced he's the man

The second mayoral debate between all the candidates for New York City's top job took place on June 2, and not everyone was happy. Eight Democratic candidates took the stage to convince voters why they were right for the job, and it seems like some on social media know who they don't want — Shaun Donovan.

The former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary was the focus of many angry tweets during and after the debate. The debate also featured Kathyrn Garcia and Andrew Yang, the two other big names that could end up replacing Bill de Blasio. The general elections are scheduled for November 2 and are vital for the Democrats. There are 13 Democrats running, while only two Republicans have thrown their hat in the ring. 

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In such a crowded field, it can often be hard to stand out, but that's exactly what Donovan managed to do. As a member of the Obama administration, he spent considerable time touting his credentials, which many did not find amusing. 

Who is Shaun Donovan?

Donovan was born and brought up in New York's upper East side. He attended the highly selective Dalton School, a private prep school in New York. Then, in 1987, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in engineering. Donovan then received two MAs, one in architecture and another in public administration from Harvard. Between 1995 and 1998, he worked at the Community Preservation Corporation, an affordable housing nonprofit. 

He then moved into the federal government where he worked till 2001 as a deputy assistant secretary and acting commissioner at HUD. He then moved to the private sector where he continued to work on affordable housing and was a visiting scholar at New York University. In 2004, then NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Donovan as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He stayed in that role till 2009 and oversaw the largest city-sponsored affordable housing plan in US history. 

In 2008, Donovan worked on the Obama campaign, leading Obama to appoint him as the HUD secretary in 2009. In 2010, he served as the 'designated survivor' during Obama's State of the Union address. It is widely believed that Donovan served as the inspiration for the hit ABC show 'Designated Survivor'. Donovan continued to lead HUD until 2014 when he was tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

In 2017, Donovan stepped down from the OMB and took up an advisory role at Harvard University. He has now returned to public service, hoping to become the next mayor of New York City, where he lives with his wife and two sons. In May, he caused an uproar after guessing the median sales price of a home in Brooklyn as $100,000, when in fact it was close to $900,000. On May 25, he was arrested by the NYPD for blocking traffic near the Holland Tunnel for a protest on the death anniversary of George Floyd, but was released shortly after.

'Shaun Donovan makes a minute feel so long'

Donovan reportedly found new ways to bore viewers during the debate. As one person jokingly noted, "This is the third Mayoral debate I’ve watched and once again I’ve lost the Shaun Donovan “When I was a member of the Obama administration” drinking game. I’m drunk." Another person bluntly put it, "Shaun Donovan makes a minute feel so long."

Another asked, "If you run into Shaun Donovan at a party, does he just start talking about the Obama administration before you even say a word?" Another asked, "Does Shaun Donovan have a platform other than housing?"

Another rated his performance and said, "Seems more like @ShaunDonovanNYC is more interested in working for the Biden administration than running NYC." One user noted, "Shaun Donovan continues to boast about how his federal experience rivals other candidates but his policies lack vision and substance."

But it wasn't all bad news, Donovan did find some supporters. "Annoyed at the thought of how well Shaun Donovan would do as a presidential candidate," tweeted one user. Another said, "Shaun Donovan is annoying but the 50k equity bonds proposal is sound policy."

Interestingly, despite over a decade of public service, Donovan has never once contested an election. He has been appointed to every roll till date, so in some way the mayoral election is the first time he is testing his popularity with voters. So far, it doesn't seem like he's doing a very good job, but that could change in the coming weeks and months.