David Ira Weprin (born May 2, 1956)
is a
Democratic member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
, representing District 24 in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
since 2010, when he replaced his brother
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
. In the Assembly he has supported
progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
causes, such as a surcharge on millionaires, and granting immediate
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
to prisoners who have reached 55 years of age and served 15 years in prison, regardless of their sentence. He was previously a member of the
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
, representing the
23rd district. He is also a former Deputy Superintendent of the NY State Banking Commission (1983–87).
In 2009, Weprin lost in the Democratic primary for
NYC Comptroller, coming in last with 10.6% of the vote. In 2011, Weprin lost a
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
to
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Bob Turner to fill
Anthony Weiner
Anthony David Weiner (; born September 4, 1964) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at l ...
's former seat in
New York's 9th congressional district
New York's 9th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City, represented by Yvette Clarke.
The district is located entirely within Brooklyn. It includes the neighborhoods of ...
in the
US House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
, with 46% of the vote; the first time a Democrat had not won the district in 88 years.
Early life and education
Weprin was born in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, is Jewish, and comes from a family of Democratic politicians. His parents were Sylvia (Matz), an immigrant from
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , and
NY State Assembly Speaker
Saul Weprin
Saul Weprin (August 5, 1927 – February 11, 1994) was an American attorney and politician. He was a Democratic member from Queens County of the New York State Assembly, and served as its Speaker from December 1991 until his death.
Biography
...
, and his younger brother
Mark Weprin
Mark Weprin (born June 5, 1961) represented District 23 in the New York City Council, then the most ethnically diverse district in New York City, which contains the Queens neighborhoods of Hollis Hills, Queens Village, Little Neck, Douglaston, ...
is a former NY State Assemblyman and former NYC Councilman. Weprin has lived in the
Hollis Hollis may refer to:
*Hollis (singer)
*Hollis (name)
Places
* Hollis, Alaska
* Hollis, Kansas
* Hollis, Maine
* Hollis, Missouri
* Hollis, New Hampshire
* Hollis, Oklahoma
* Hollis, Queens, neighborhood in New York
**Hollis (LIRR station), its Lon ...
-
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
area of Queens his entire life. He is a graduate of
Jamaica High School
Jamaica High School was a four-year public high school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was operated by the New York City Department of Education.
Jamaica High School was founded as the Union Free School in 1854, and located within a three-story ...
('72).
He received a bachelor's degree in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from the
State University of New York at Albany
The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...
in 1976. He then received a
J.D. degree from
Hofstra Law School
The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (commonly known as Hofstra Law) is a law school located in Hempstead, New York on Long Island, affiliated with Hofstra University. Founded in 1970 and accredited by the ABA in 1971, the sc ...
in 1980, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1981.
Career
Early career
In 1983, two years after Weprin was admitted to the bar, then-Governor
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
, who was a close family friend and neighbor whom Weprin viewed as family, named him the Deputy Superintendent of Banks and Secretary of the Banking Board for New York State.
The position was responsible for regulating financial firms in New York State. Weprin stepped down from the role in 1987.
Weprin next held a variety of positions at the Stern Brothers investment banking firm (as a vice president), Advest, Pearson, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) was a U.S. investment bank founded by William H. Donaldson, Richard Jenrette, and Dan Lufkin in 1959. Its businesses included securities underwriting; sales and trading; investment and merchant banking; fina ...
; Kidder Peabody
Kidder, Peabody & Co. was an American securities firm, established in Massachusetts in 1865. The firm's operations included investment banking, brokerage, and trading.
The firm was sold to General Electric in 1986. Following heavy losses, it was ...
; Paine Webber
PaineWebber & Co. was an American investment bank and stock brokerage firm that was acquired by the Swiss bank UBS in 2000. The company was founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, by William Alfred Paine and Wallace G. Webber. Operating with ...
, and Sterne, Agee & Leach. While in the private sector, he was elected to serve as Chairman of the Securities Industry Association
The Securities Industry Association (SIA) was an association of firms and people who handle securities (in the financial sense) (stocks, bonds and their derivatives). In 2006, it merged with the Bond Market Association to form the Securities ...
New York District for three years, from 1997 to 2000.
In 2001, Weprin was elected to the New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
, representing a northeast Queens district; he served from 2002 until 2009. He served as Chairman of the Council's Finance Committee. During his time as a Council Member, was a leading opponent in the Council against Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, which he characterized as “an unfair tax” with “the potential for causing hardship to people who rely on their cars in boroughs other than Manhattan”.
2009 NYC Comptroller campaign
In 2009, Weprin retired from the City Council to run for New York City Comptroller
The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...
. He finished last in the Democratic primary, with 10.6% of the vote, behind Melinda Katz
Melinda R. Katz (born August 29, 1965) is an American attorney and politician from New York City, serving as District Attorney of Queens since January 1, 2020. A Democrat, she previously served as the Queens Borough President. Katz was also a N ...
, David Yassky
David S. Yassky (born March 3, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the New York City Council from 2002 until 2009, the chairperson of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the Dean of Pace University School ...
, and John Liu
John Chun Yah Liu (born January 8, 1967) is an American politician in New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a member of the New York State Senate for the 11th district in northeast Queens. He previously served as the 43rd New Yo ...
—the eventual nominee and winner of the general election.
Weprin was penalized $28,184 in total penalties, and $325,561 in matching public funds repayments (of the $929,000 it collected in public funds), after the New York City Campaign Finance Board
The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is an independent New York City agency that serves to provide campaign finance information to the public, enable more citizens to run for office by granting public matching funds, increase voter part ...
(CFB) determined that his campaign for comptroller had been plagued with a dozen violations. His offenses included accepting over-the-limit donations, accepting donations from unregistered political action committees, failing to file disclosure statements, failing to provide bank statements, making improper post-election expenditures, and failing to report transactions. His spokesperson said that since the campaign entity and its funds no longer existed, there was no entity to pay the penalties and repayments. However, Weprin and his campaign treasurer were still jointly liable for settling the $28,184 in penalties, and Weprin paid those penalties. Weprin would have to repay the $325,561 in public funds before he could receive any public funds for another city election; as of 2016, he had not repaid the monies.
NY State Assembly
On February 9, 2010, Weprin won a special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
to replace his brother Mark to represent New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
's District 24. He won the general election the following November with 67 percent of the vote, running on both the Democratic and the Working Families tickets. This seat was held by his brother and father before him. In his most recent Democratic primary in June 2020, he won with 50.4% of the vote, and then went on to win the general election. He has a record of supporting major progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
causes, such as a surcharge on millionaires.
As chairman of the Assembly's Correction Committee, he worked to reform the Rockefeller drug laws
The Rockefeller Drug Laws are the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of "narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted. Rock ...
and reduce the number of prisoners in New York State prisons. He has proposed granting immediate parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
to prisoners who have reached 55 years of age and served 15 years in prison, regardless of their health status and no matter what their sentence is—even prisoners with life sentence
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
s. He has also proposed limiting solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
to 15 days.
2011 Congressional campaign
Weprin was selected by local Democratic Party leaders to run for the New York's 9th congressional district special election to the House of Representatives held in September 2011, to replace Democrat Anthony Weiner
Anthony David Weiner (; born September 4, 1964) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at l ...
, who had resigned in June 2011 following a sexting scandal. The district, in which registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans by three-to-one, was under consideration for elimination in 2012 redistricting, and Weprin, who lived a few blocks outside of the district, was chosen largely because he promised not to challenge another incumbent in 2012, should his seat be eliminated.
The seat was initially considered safe for Democrats, as no Republican had won it in 88 years. But Weprin was criticized for telling the ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' editorial board in an interview that the US national debt was $4 trillion (rather than $14 trillion), for unexpectedly bowing out of a scheduled debate at the last minute blaming the already-passed Hurricane Irene, and for his image as a product of the Queens Democratic machine. Weprin was defeated by Republican opponent Bob Turner, a retired television executive, as Turner received 54% of the vote against Weprin's 46%, after a Weprin campaign plagued by gaffes.
Turner, a Roman Catholic, was appealing to Jewish voters, who made up about a third of the voters in the district. He criticized President Obama's policies on Israel, and portrayed Weprin, who was strongly pro-Israel, as being insufficiently critical of Obama's stance on Israel. Former New York City mayor Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
, a Democrat and Jew, supported Turner in order to send a message to President Obama to change what Koch described as his “hostile position on the State of Israel”. Turner was also supported by Assemblyman Dov Hikind
Dov Hikind (born June 30, 1950) is an American politician, activist, and radio talk show host in the state of New York.
Hikind is a former Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48, having held this posi ...
, a Democrat and Orthodox Jew, and local rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s, who objected to Weprin's support for same-sex marriage.
2021 NYC Comptroller campaign
In November 2020 Weprin announced himself as a candidate in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election
The 2021 New York City Comptroller election consisted of Democratic and Republican primaries for New York City Comptroller on June 22, 2021, followed by a general election on November 2, 2021. The primaries were the first NYC Comptroller electio ...
. He is running in the Democratic primary against among others NYS Senator Brian Benjamin
Brian A. Benjamin is an American politician and businessman who was lieutenant governor of New York from September 2021 until his resignation on April 12, 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 30th district in th ...
, entrepreneur and former US Marine Zach Iscol
Zach Iscol (born August 18, 1978) is an American civil servant, non-profit executive, politician, and armed forces veteran who serves as Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management. Iscol is a United States Marine veteran and was a Dem ...
, NYC Council member Brad Lander
Bradford S. Lander (born July 8, 1969) is an American politician, urban planner, and community organizer who currently serves as the New York City Comptroller. A member of the Democratic Party, Lander is a progressive politician, and has been de ...
, and NYS Senator Kevin Parker.
Weprin started his campaign with a $320,000 deficit. It was a debt he had owed but not paid to New York City's Campaign Finance Board for almost a decade. It related to Weprin's unsuccessful 2009 comptroller campaign, and its improper mingling of public and private funds. On December 15, 2020, he finally paid off the debt, with his state campaign account.
Through January 15, 2021, he was fourth in fundraising among all candidates, behind Lander, Iscol, and Benjamin. He had raised approximately $455,000.
Political views
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described Weprin in 2011 as having "liberal political views". Weprin is a strong supporter of social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
, and is in favor of raising taxes on millionaires. Though an Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
, he supported legalizing same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
, for which he was criticized by some other Orthodox Jews. In the debate about the Park51
Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) is a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within the greater comm ...
Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero
In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the ground ...
, Weprin defended the right to build an Islamic community center and mosque four city blocks from that site, but expressed his wish that the center and mosque be built at a different location. He is proud of his history of progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
legislation, especially in criminal justice reform and in promoting progressive wealth taxes.
Election results
* February 2010 special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
, NYS Assembly, 24th AD
:
* November 2010 general election, NYS Assembly, 24th AD
:
*2011 special election in New York's 9th congressional district to the House of Representatives (472/512 precincts reporting)
:
Personal life
Weprin married his first wife, Roselyn (née Roselyn Weisstuch; also Roselyn Weprin Beekof), in 1984 and filed for divorce from her in 1986.[John Hudson (October 30, 2013)]
"The Campaign for Anthony Weiner's Old Seat Has Gotten Ugly,"
''The Atlantic''. He lives with his second wife whom he married in 1990, Ronni Gold, in Holliswood, Queens
Holliswood (formerly known as Terrace Heights) is an affluent residential neighborhood located on the Harbor Hill Moraine in the east-central portion of the borough of Queens, New York City. Bounded to the north by the Grand Central Parkway, to ...
, and has five children.
References
External links
New York State Assembly Member Website
*
Collected news and commentary
at the ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weprin, Davis
Living people
1956 births
American politicians of Cuban descent
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state)
Candidates in the 2021 United States elections
New York City Council members
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Jewish American state legislators in New York (state)
Maurice A. Deane School of Law alumni
University at Albany, SUNY alumni
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American Jews