28 CityAndStateNY.com
June 20, 2022
From left, candidates David Yassky, Elizabeth Crowley, Diana Reyna, Bill de Blasio and Rob Astorino
Politicians who just can’t stay away Here are some of the 2022 candidates hoping to hold elected office again.
T
HE PAST 12 MONTHS have been tumultuous for New York state politics. A powerful governor resigned in scandal, the new lieutenant governor was arrested and the state Supreme Court scrapped a host of legislative maps. But with all of that upheaval, one thing has remained constant: the allure of elected office for those who previously had it. There is no shortage of former lawmakers staging a comeback in 2022. “It is very hard to give it up,” said Dan Feldman, a former Assembly member who represented Brooklyn from 1980-1998. Feldman lost a close four-way congressional race that featured ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner and current Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “I was so devastated. It was my identity, and I think for many public officials it becomes their identity.” “It’s not a metaphor; it really is addictive,” said Feldman (who, full disclosure, is a family acquaintance). Since leaving office, Feldman has authored several books, served in other government capacities and became a professor at John Jay College. But occasionally his time as an elected official will pop back up in his subconscious. “I still dream about it. So obviously there’s still a pull on some level.” Costa Constantinides served two terms on the New York City Council and ran an unsuccessful race for Queens borough president in 2020. He said getting to see the change you make in your community is a huge draw. “This morning, I went for a run on the
track that I helped get the funding for in Astoria Park,” Constantinides said. “And I’m sitting there running on the track that I helped get done. Absolutely that’s a pull, right?” Here is a list of some of the ex-pols who couldn’t resist that pull this cycle.
JACK MARTINS
PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE: state senator WHAT HE’S RUNNING FOR: state Senate
Republicans won big in Nassau County in November, defeating incumbent Democratic County Executive Laura Curran and routing the Democratic candidate for district attorney. Republican former state Sen. Jack Martins is hoping to build off that momentum and recapture his former seat. Martins is facing off against incumbent Democrat Anna Kaplan in District 7, anchored in western Nassau County. In 2010, Martins defeated then-state Sen. Craig Johnson helping to hand Republicans control of the chamber. After leaving the state senate in 2016, Martins ran unsuccessfully for Congress and for Nassau County executive. The race this time around will be a barometer of renewed Republican strength in the suburbs.
DAVID YASSKY
PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE: New York City Council member WHAT HE’S RUNNING FOR: state Senate
Democrat David Yassky, a former Brooklyn City Council member, Taxi and Limousine commissioner and Pace Law School dean, is running for state Senate in the newly reconfigured 26th District. The district stretches along the Brooklyn waterfront from Bay Ridge to Brooklyn Heights. Yassky first entered to run in an open seat under gerrymandered maps passed by state lawmakers. That district included Brooklyn Heights and parts of Staten Island. But after the maps were ruled unconstitutional, the new 26th District incorporates much of the area represented by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. Yassky will have to knock off Gounardes to win the seat.
BILL DE BLASIO
PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE: Mayor of New York City, New York City public advocate, New York City Council member WHAT HE’S RUNNING FOR: Congress
Eight years of running New York City was apparently not enough to drive former Mayor Bill de Blasio out of politics. He’s back for more, running for Congress in his old stomping grounds of Park Slope. Prior to serving as mayor, de Blasio was New York City public advocate and a City Council member. The former mayor is one of many high-profile candidates vying to represent the 10th Congressional District. The Manhattan-Brooklyn district is the result of New York’s redistricting chaos. The former
DAVID YASSKY FOR STATE SENATE; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; DIANA REYNA; ED REED/ MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; FRIENDS OF ROB ASTORINO
By Pete Tomao
