Shaun Donovan, the former Secretary for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, has filed papers to run for mayor of New York City in the upcoming 2021 election. 

Donovan is vying to succeed current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has served two terms as the city's mayor. 

Donovan, The New York Times reports, is a native New Yorker who served as HUD Secretary between 2009 and 2014, a period that includes the aftermath and recovery from Superstorm Sandy. Donovan also served as a deputy assistant HUD secretary under President Bill Clinton and as the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Donovan's tenure at HUD followed that of Julian Castro, who himself recently ran for higher office as a Democratic presidential contender. 

In a statement published by The New York Times, Donovan writes, “As a lifelong New Yorker, I've committed my life to public service and focused on building opportunity for all communities," adding, "I was proud to serve as secretary of Housing and Urban Development and director of the Office of Management and Budget for President Obama, and am actively considering how best to apply my experience on behalf of the city I love."

With the city's ongoing housing crunch and multiple looming crises facing the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and it's over 400,000 residents, perhaps the city would be well served by someone with substantial housing chops. Donovan, however, has never held elected office and faces a steep climb, as there are already three well-known local politicians vying for the city's top-job. 

Donovan earned a masters degrees in public administration and architecture from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and Graduate School of Design, respectively.