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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2011-01-01 |
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| Name | Tony Avella |
| Address | 38-50 Bell Blvd
Whitestone, New York , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
October 27, 1951
(72 years)
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| Contributor | nystate63 |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Jun 29, 2023 02:58am |
| Tags |
Italian - Married - Straight -
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| Info | Tony Avella has dedicated his life to fighting for middle-class families. Now Tony is running for the State Senate to continue delivering results for eastern Queens families and change the way Albany does business.
Tony’s distinguished public service career began over 20 years ago as an aide to New York City Council Member Peter Vallone, Sr. Tony later served as an aide to Mayors Koch and Dinkins and as Chief of Staff to the late State Senator Leonard Stavisky and to State Senator Toby Stavisky.
Prior to seeking public office, Tony served in numerous volunteer capacities as a civic activist and was a member of Queens Community Board #7. In 1997, Tony was awarded New York State’s Community Service Award for his numerous volunteer and civic endeavors on behalf of all New Yorkers.
In 2001, Tony won election to the New York City Council in the 19th District - Northeast Queens and was reelected with an overwhelming majority in both the 2003 and 2005 elections. Respecting the will of the voters who twice passed term limits, Tony refused to run for a third Council term in 2009, even though political observers agree he could have easily won re-election. So Tony took his message of change and reform city-wide, running for New York City Mayor. An underdog in the race, Tony ran on his populist reputation as New York City’s fiercest reform politician. Tony received rave reviews for his performances during the Mayoral debates and routinely challenged the status quo, just as he’ll do as our next State Senator.
Tony brings an invaluable wealth of experience to his candidacy for State Senate. As a member of the City Council, Tony served as Chair of the Zoning and Franchises Committee and was a member of five Council committees: Higher Education, Housing and Buildings, Fire and Criminal Justice Services, Land Use, and Veterans. Tony was also the founder and Chair of the first Italian-American Caucus of the City Council. As Chair of the Italian-American Caucus, Tony promoted Italian culture and heritage through an annual celebration at City Hall in October during Italian American Heritage Month and fought against negative stereotyping of Italian Americans.
Extensive legislative experience and the ability to achieve real, bipartisan results and solutions are the trademarks of any effective and upstanding elected official. In the State Senate, Tony will bring change to the way Albany does business and deliver for his constituents back home because he’s done it before. As a member of the City Council, Tony authored several important pieces of legislation. Signed into law in 2005, the “Demolition by Neglect” bill enabled the Landmarks Preservation Commission to prevent the willful destruction of our City’s treasured landmarks by unscrupulous property owners. Tony’s legislation was strongly supported by 46 preservation and civic groups including the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council and the National Historic Trust.
As a trusted public servant, Tony has made fighting overdevelopment and protecting our quality of life his top priorities. In the City Council, Tony led the fight citywide against overdevelopment, the proliferation of McMansions, and other major abuses of the City’s building and zoning codes. In an effort to preserve the unique residential character and quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the City, Tony helped create new zoning districts such as R2A, which prevents the construction of McMansions, rezoned major portions of his district as well as numerous other neighborhoods in the City, and enacted citywide amendments to the “Community Facilities” section. Tony’s hard work resulted in the first real changes in the City’s zoning code in over 40 years. In the State Senate, Tony will continue his mission to preserve the character of our community and make eastern Queens a model for sensible, community-based planning.
In addition to his efforts to stop out-of-character construction, Tony has been at the forefront of the battle to reform the Department of Buildings and the Board of Standards and Appeals. Tony was also the acknowledged leader in the City Council for landmark preservation, animal welfare and good government and has been a fighter for veterans issues and benefits.
Fed up with the pay to play status quo and political special interests that have consumed Albany, Tony’s reputation as a staunch reformist will help to bring real change to Albany. As a member of the City Council, Tony refused the “lulu”, an unethical and additional taxpayer funded salary increase in return for loyalty to council leadership instead of taxpayers. Tony fought against and subsequently refused the 25% City Council pay raise, which he considered unethical. A strong advocate for more reform and transparency in government, Tony will fight to transform the State Senate so that it works for the people once again.
During his tenure in the Council, Tony was honored by numerous fraternal organizations, civic associations, sports and school/educational groups. Tony has received such honors as the “Friend In High Places Award” from the Historic District Council, the Community Mayor’s Humanitarian Award, the coveted Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and the Benefactors’ Award from the Alley Pond Environmental Center. In 2009, Tony received the “New York City Human Rights Award” for obtaining the highest score of elected officials in New York City on the Human Rights Project’s report cards. A city-wide human rights coalition with over 100 groups from all over the City, the Human Rights Project is the lead organization of the New York City Human Rights Initiative.
Tony Avella’s impressive resume of public service speaks for itself. Whether it’s been preserving the sanctity of our neighborhoods, securing proper funding for our local public schools, or voting to cut taxes so that our families can survive through the toughest of economic times, Tony’s life has been dedicated to serving his constituents and looking out for New York’s middle-class families. As our next State Senator, he’ll continue his legacy as a fighter for the people and as a representative in Albany that we can all be proud of.
Tony is a graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York. He is a lifelong Queens resident and currently resides in Whitestone, Queens with his wife Judith.
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