Joseph R. Lentol (born January 15, 1943) is former representative for District 50 in 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 ...

, which comprises Greenpoint,

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and Fort Greene, among other neighborhoods located in the northern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. He is a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Early life

Lentol was born on January 15, 1943, the son of State Senator and Supreme Court Justice Edward S. Lentol (1909–1981).

New York State Assembly

Lentol was first elected to the

in 1972. He has served as Chairman of the Committee on Codes since 1992, and has previously served as Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Employees and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations. In 2000, he was one of two Assembly members chosen by

Sheldon Silver Sheldon Silver (February 13, 1944 – January 24, 2022) was an American Democratic Party politician, attorney, and convicted felon from New York City who served as speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015. A native of Manhattan' ...

and Governor George Pataki to serve on the Election Modernization Task Force. The following year, he was elected by his colleagues to represent the Brooklyn Assembly Delegation and appointed to New York City's Community Action Board, of which he later became Chairman. Prior to his election, Lentol served as an Assistant

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

within

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. In 2001, Lentol was elected by his colleagues to direct the Brooklyn Assembly Delegation, responsible for making decisions and advocating for funds and activities for all areas of the borough. As the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Codes, between 2004 and 2005 Lentol contributed to a report regarding hearings on the death penalty in New York State. He credited the hearings with changing his mind regarding the death penalty which he had in 2004 "wanted to see done right."

2020 Democratic primary defeat

On June 23, 2020, Lentol was challenged in the Democratic primary for the first time since 2010. It was the fourth primary of his career. His opponent was community activist Emily Gallagher, who he led by 1,763 votes on election night. However,

absentee ballots An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online vot ...

were more significant than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and once they were counted, Gallagher was determined to have won by between 400 and 600 votes on July 21, 2020. Lentol conceded on July 22, 2020.

References

External links

New York State Assembly Member WebsiteBuildings in the Hot Seat at State Hearing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lentol, Joe 1943 births Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Living people Politicians from Brooklyn New York (state) lawyers Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American legislators American prosecutors