Andrew Gounardes

Andrew Gounardes
Member of the New York State Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byMarty Golden
Constituency22nd District (2019–2022)
26th District (2023–Present)
Personal details
Born (1985-07-08) July 8, 1985 (age 39)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceBay Ridge, Brooklyn
Alma materHunter College
George Washington University Law School
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Andrew Gounardes (born July 8, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a Democrat and a member of the New York State Senate, representing the 26th district, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, Red Hook, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Vinegar Hill, and DUMBO in Brooklyn.

Early life and education

Gounardes was born in Brooklyn to Steven, a dentist, and Dianne Gounardes, and raised in the Bay Ridge neighborhood.[1][2][3] A fourth-generation Greek-American,[4] he graduated from Fort Hamilton High School, before going on to earn degrees from Hunter College and the George Washington University Law School.[5]

Early career

Following law school, Gounardes worked for Councilman Vincent J. Gentile as a constituent aide,[6] and later as Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.[7]

Gounardes formerly served as a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System,[8] and as a member of Brooklyn Community Board 10.[9] Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Gounardes, along with Justin Brannan, founded the nonprofit Bay Ridge Cares, which assisted local residents with disaster relief.[10]

New York Senate

Gounardes first ran against Republican Senator Marty Golden in 2012, but lost.[11] In a traditionally politically conservative area, Golden proved to be a popular incumbent due to his name recognition and strong constituent services.[12] Golden even ran unopposed in 2016.[13]

However, in 2018, Golden faced scrutiny after it was publicized that he had failed to pay a number of parking tickets, and was illegally posing as a police officer to run red lights.[14] He also utilized illegal parking placards.[15] As a result, and along with the national political climate, Golden was seen as vulnerable by New York political operatives.[16] Gounardes declared his candidacy in early 2018.[17] After defeating journalist Ross Barkan in the Democratic primary,[18] he went on to defeat Golden in the general election, 51% to 49%.[19]

In the Senate, Gounardes serves as Chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions.[20]

References

  1. ^ "After 35 years, this week my father finally decided he had enough "practice" as a dentist and retired". Andrew Gounardes via Twitter. 2 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Bay Ridge State Senate Showdown: Andrew Gounardes vs. Marty Golden". Streetsblog New York City. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  3. ^ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (7 December 2019). "Laughter the Key to a Winning Strategy". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris And New York's Greek-American Legislators Introduce Resolution Marking 200th Anniversary Of Greek Independence". NY State Senate. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  5. ^ "State Senate Debate: Andrew Gounardes vs Marty Golden". www.ny1.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  6. ^ King, David Howard. "Democrats Hope for State Senate Win In Conservative Brooklyn". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  7. ^ Mena, Kelly (2018-11-07). "Gounardes Ousts Golden As Blue Wave Washes Across Southern Brooklyn". Kings County Politics. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ^ a_tu (2018-12-17). "Did Gounardes get the best Senate committee assignment?". CSNY. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. ^ "StreetsPAC to Bay Ridge: Elect Andrew Gounardes over State Senator Marty Golden". Streetsblog New York City. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  10. ^ "Know Your Candidates: Andrew Gounardes". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  11. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 22 Race - Nov 06, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  12. ^ Wang, Vivian (2018-09-30). "To Flip the State Senate, Democrats Eye a Republican Redoubt. In Brooklyn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  13. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 22 Race - Nov 08, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  14. ^ Calder, Rich (2018-06-26). "State senator dodged ticket after parking at bus stop: witness". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  15. ^ "Marty Golden Weaponized His City-Issued Parking Placard. Will de Blasio Let Him Get Away With It?". Streetsblog New York City. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  16. ^ d_evers (2018-04-30). "Previewing the 2018 state Senate elections". CSNY. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  17. ^ "The race to flip a Brooklyn Senate seat". am New York. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  18. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 22 - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  19. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 22 Race - Nov 06, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  20. ^ a_tu (2018-12-17). "Did Gounardes get the best Senate committee assignment?". CSNY. Retrieved 2019-02-01.