Anthony Avella Jr. (born October 27, 1951)
is an American politician. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, he represented the
New York State Senate's 11th district in northeast
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 ...
from 2011 to 2019. The district included the mostly affluent neighborhoods of
College Point,
Whitestone,
Bayside,
Little Neck
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
,
Douglaston,
Floral Park
Floral Park is an Administrative divisions of New York State#Village, incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. ...
, Beechhurst, Malba and Auburndale. Avella also served as 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 ...
from 2002 to 2009, representing some of the same Queens neighborhoods in
District 19
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
. Avella is a former member of the
Independent Democratic Conference
The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of members of the New York State Senate from the Democratic Party who were elected as Democrats but formed a coalition to give the Republicans the majority in the chamber, and attempted to c ...
(IDC), a group of Democratic state senators who allied themselves with Senate Republicans.
He was also a losing candidate in the
2009 New York City mayoral election, the 2013 Queens Borough President election, and the
2017 New York City mayoral election.
On September 13, 2018, Avella was defeated in the State Senate Democratic primary by former
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 ...
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 ...
.
Avella continued his campaign on third-party lines
and was again defeated by Liu in the general election.
Early life, education, and family
Avella earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from
Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
of the
City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
.
His public service career began as an aide to
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 ...
member
Peter Vallone, Sr. He served as an aide to Mayors
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 ...
and
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. He was the first African American to hold the office.
Before enterin ...
, and as Special Assistant to late State Senator
Leonard P. Stavisky
Leonard Price Stavisky (September 11, 1925 – June 19, 1999) was an American university professor and politician from New York (state), New York.
Life
He was born on September 11, 1925, in the Bronx, New York City. He graduated from City College ...
and Chief to Staff to his widow,
Toby Stavisky
Toby Ann Stavisky (née Goldhaar, born June 26, 1939) is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate, having held a seat since 1999. She represents the 11th district, which comprises parts of Queens.
Life and care ...
, who succeeded Leonard as a State Senator after his death.
Avella also served as a member of Queens Community Board 7 and a Democratic District Leader and joined several civic and recreational associations.
A lifelong Queens resident, Avella resides in
Whitestone with his wife, Judith Cashman.
Political career
New York City Council
In 2001, Avella was first 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 ...
in Queens'
District 19
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
. He was the first Democrat elected to his relatively conservative district.
Avella served as the Chair of the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee and was a member of five other Council committees: Higher Education, Housing and Buildings, Fire and Criminal Justice Services, Land Use, and Veterans. He was the founder and Chair of the first
Italian-American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
of the Council. He turned down a stipend and pay increase that came with his committee chairship, and was also the only City Council member to turn down his complementary parking placard. His colleagues often noted his aggressive, zealous demeanor. Avella was labeled both conservative and progressive for his varying views.
In 2005, Avella forwarded a bill proposing that the
Department of Transportation increase the operational duration of four public bus companies operating in his area. The bill would allow for the smooth integration of the private lines with the MTA, and was signed into law in May 2005.
2009 campaign for Mayor of New York City
In 2009, the City Council passed legislation extending officeholder term limits from two terms to three at Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
's request, a decision Avella criticized. He opted not to run for a third term, instead running for
mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
.
He received publicity for his stances in favor of
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
, commercial rent control for small businesses and against overdevelopment and Mayor Bloomberg's rezonings. In the
Democratic primary election, Avella was defeated by
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 ...
Bill Thompson, coming in second place with 21% of the vote to Thompson's 71%.
New York State Senate
In the
2010 elections, Avella ran for the
11th district of the
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan com ...
, covering some of the same areas as his former City Council seat. On November 2, 2010, Avella defeated
Frank Padavan
Frank Padavan (October 31, 1934 – October 8, 2018) was an American engineer and politician. He served as a New York state senator representing District 11, located in Queens County. His district included the communities of Queens Village, ...
, the 38-year Republican incumbent, winning 53-47%.
Avella, running on a campaign of independence and reform in Albany, received the endorsement of the powerful
United Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is the labor union that represents most teachers in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service teachers and 17,000 paraprofessional educators in the union, as well as about 54,000 ...
, the first time it endorsed a challenger in lieu of an incumbent.
The freshman senator was appointed ranking member of the Cities and Environmental Conservation Committees, and has at various points served on the Education, Aging, Banking, and Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs Committees, Children and Families, Social Services, Cultural Affairs, Elections, Environmental Conservation, Finance, Housing, Transportation, and Libraries Select Committees, as well the Senate Task Force on the Delivery of Social Services to New York City. He was also a ranking member of the Aging Committee.
On November 26, 2012, Avella announced he would enter the race for
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 ...
Borough President.
On August 14, 2013, he dropped out of the race.
In February 2014, Avella joined the
Independent Democratic Conference
The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of members of the New York State Senate from the Democratic Party who were elected as Democrats but formed a coalition to give the Republicans the majority in the chamber, and attempted to c ...
, a group of senate Democrats that allied themselves with the Senate Republican Conference, creating a coalition that controlled the Senate. At the time, Democrats held a numerical majority in the Senate, but the IDC-Republican coalition prevented Democrats from holding power, while allowing Avella and other IDC members to gain committee chairships. For joining the majority coalition, Avella could potentially gain committee leadership positions and associated stipends, though he said he would turn down stipends, which he also did during his tenure in the City Council.
Avella was soon named Chair of the Committee on Social Services and in 2015 was named Chair of the Committee on Children and Families.
In September 2014, former
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 ...
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 ...
challenged Avella in the Democratic primary for State Senate District 11; Avella and Liu had previously served together in the City Council, representing neighboring districts, and the two had a strained relationship. Avella ultimately won with 52% of the vote to Liu's 47%.
["State Sen. Avella beats Liu in Democratic primary"](_blank)
Associated Press, September 10, 2014; accessed November 4, 2014. Liu criticized Avella for joining the IDC; Avella criticized Liu over the latter's campaign finance scandal that saw two of Liu's aides convicted, Liu's failure to pay fines from his earlier campaign for Comptroller, and Liu's record as Comptroller.
Liu was initially supported by the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nev ...
, by the Queens County Democratic Party and by several unions,
but these organizations largely dropped their support of Liu when
Jeff Klein
Jeffrey Lawrence Klein is an American singer-songwriter of the band My Jerusalem from Newburgh, New York, who plays keyboards and guitar. He has released three solo albums and another three albums with My Jerusalem. Jeff Klein has risen to acc ...
, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, announced that its members would rejoin the Senate Democratic Conference after the 2014 elections.
After Republicans gained an outright majority in the State Senate in the 2014 elections, the IDC continued to caucus with the Republicans.
In April 2018, Avella and his IDC colleagues rejoined the Senate Democratic Conference. Subsequently, the Republican conference stripped Avella of his position as Chair of the Committee on Children and Families.
Despite the dissolution of the IDC, Liu once again challenged Avella in the September 2018 Democratic primary election.
In a reversal of their 2014 race, Avella lost with 47% of the vote to Liu's 53%, attributed to long-simmering anger at the former members of the Independent Democratic Conference.
Unlike in 2014, the Queens County Democratic Party endorsed Avella instead of Liu. Avella appeared in the November 6, 2018 general election as the third-party candidate for the
Independence Party of New York
The Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of New York. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994. They lost their ballot ...
and the
Women's Equality Party
The Women's Equality Party (WEP) is a feminist political party set up in the United Kingdom in 2015. The idea was conceived by Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig at the Women of the World Festival, when they concluded that there was a need for ...
.
Avella announced in October 2018 that he would continue his campaign.
In the November 2018 general election, Avella came in third place with 21% of the vote, defeated again by Liu, who won 54% of the vote, and by Republican candidate Vickie Paladino, who won 24% of the vote, while finishing ahead of Conservative Party candidate Simon Minching, who won 1% of the vote.
2013 campaign for Queens Borough President
On November 26, 2012, Avella announced he would enter the race for
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 ...
Borough President.
On August 14, 2013, he dropped out of the race.
2021 campaign for City Council
In August 2019, Avella registered a committee to run for the same New York City Council seat he held from 2002 to 2009. On June 23, 2021, Avella won the Democratic primary for the seat. As this was the first election to use
ranked-choice voting Ranked-choice voting may be used as a synonym for:
* Ranked voting, a term used for any voting system in which voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference
* Instant-runoff voting (IRV), a specific ranked voting system with single-w ...
in New York City, final results were not certified until July 20. Avella won 38.1% of the votes in the first round of voting and ended with 54.7% of the votes that continued into the fourth and final round.
On November 2, 2021, Avella was defeated in the general election by Republican
Vickie Paladino.
References
External links
Mayoral Campaign WebsiteBallotpedia: Tony AvellaMeet De Blasio's Shelter-Protesting, Car-Loving Mayoral Challengerby Emma Whitford, Gothamist, Dec 22, 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avella, Tony
1951 births
Living people
New York City Council members
Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
People from Queens, New York
Hunter College alumni
21st-century American politicians
Independent Democratic Conference