Tony Avella
Encyclopedia
Tony Avella is an American
politician and Democratic State Senator from the 11th New York Senate district. Avella was a member of the New York City Council
from the borough of Queens
from 2002 to 2009. He represented the 19th Council District, which includes neighborhoods of College Point
, Whitestone
, Bayside
, Little Neck
, Douglaston
, Beechhurst, Malba and Auburndale.
He 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 Caucus
of the Council.
Avella opted not to run for a third term of the City Council (which was allowed by a bill passed in early 2009), in order to run in the 2009 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City
. He received publicity for his stances in favor of animal rights
and against overdevelopment
, but was defeated by Bill Thompson.
He is a graduate of Hunter College
of the City University of New York
. A lifelong Queens resident, he currently resides in Whitestone with his wife Judith.
On November 2, 2010, Avella defeated incumbent district 11 New York State Senator Frank Padavan
.
member Peter Vallone, Sr.
He served as an aide to Mayors Ed Koch
and David Dinkins
, and as Chief of Staff to the late State Senator Leonard Stavisky and to State Senator Toby Stavisky.
In 1997 Avella was awarded New York State's Community Service Award from nominations received across New York State for his volunteer civic endeavors on behalf of New Yorkers. In 2005, he was honored by the Garibaldi Meucci
Museum on Staten Island
, received the 2005 Friend In High Places Award from the Historic District Council, the Community Mayor's 2005 Humanitarian Award and the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy
.
. According to Avella, many businesses in his district in northeast Queens
do not post signs in English. In 2004, a task force concluded that five percent of all businesses in a busy commercial portion of northeastern Queens posted signs that did not have any English. Avella said that he would continue to support passage of his legislation calling for all business to post signs including English language
translations of "equal size and proportion".
This stance is due to his mostly white constituents "...feel[ing] they are being discriminated against by the business[es] because in their own neighborhood they don't know what this sign means." Avella said.
Avella's historic "Demolition by Neglect" bill was signed into law by the mayor in February 2005. This legislation enables the Landmarks Preservation Commission to prevent the destruction of New York City's landmarks by property owners. Avella's legislation was supported by 46 preservation and civic groups, including the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, and the National Historic Trust.
In 2005 Avella also 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.
An attack occurred in 2007 in his district (Douglaston
), on four Asia
n males by two white
males (one with a pending criminal case on charges of assault
ing an elderly man with a claw hammer), in which racial slurs were used by the white males. In a news conference Avella convened with religious and community leaders, he referred to the two perpetrators as "neanderthal
s". "I don't think I've ever used that word before," he said. "But it fits them." Avella blamed developers for increasing the tension in his district.
On December 10, 2008, Avella received the “New York City Human Rights Award” for obtaining the third highest score of elected officials in New York City on the Human Rights Project’s report cards. The Human Rights Project is the lead organization of the New York City Human Rights Initiative, a city-wide human rights coalition with over 100 groups from the City.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and Democratic State Senator from the 11th New York Senate district. Avella was a member of the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
from the borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
from 2002 to 2009. He represented the 19th Council District, which includes neighborhoods of College Point
College Point, Queens
College Point is a working-middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located north of Flushing on Flushing Bay and the East River and is part of the Queens Community Board 7. Willets Point Boulevard and the Whitestone Expressway are often the neighborhood's...
, Whitestone
Whitestone, Queens
Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York borough of Queens. Located between the East River to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point, Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Linden Hill, and Murray Hill...
, Bayside
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
, Little Neck
Little Neck, Queens
Little Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
, Douglaston
Douglaston, Queens
Douglaston, population 14,168 , is a community in the New York City borough of Queens. Douglaston comprises six distinct neighborhoods: Doug Bay, Douglas Manor, and Douglaston Hill, all located north of Northern Boulevard on the peninsula abutting Little Neck Bay; Douglaston Park, located between...
, Beechhurst, Malba and Auburndale.
He 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 Caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
of the Council.
Avella opted not to run for a third term of the City Council (which was allowed by a bill passed in early 2009), in order to run in the 2009 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
. He received publicity for his stances in favor of animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and against overdevelopment
Overdevelopment
Overdevelopment refers to a way of seeing global inequality that focuses on the negative consequences of excessive consumption. It exists as the mutually constitutive counterpart to the more commonly known concept of 'underdevelopment'....
, but was defeated by Bill Thompson.
He is a graduate of Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. A lifelong Queens resident, he currently resides in Whitestone with his wife Judith.
On November 2, 2010, Avella defeated incumbent district 11 New York State Senator Frank Padavan
Frank Padavan
Frank Padavan is an engineer and was a Republican New York state senator representing District 11, located in Queens County. His district included the communities of Queens Village, Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Douglaston, Little Neck, College Point, Bellerose, Hollis, Jamaica Estates, Floral...
.
Public service history
Avella's public service career began over 20 years ago as an aide to New York City CouncilNew York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
member Peter Vallone, Sr.
Peter Vallone, Sr.
Peter F. Vallone, Sr. is an American politician.- Background :His father, Judge Charles J. Vallone of the Queens County Civil Court, encouraged young Peter to broaden his horizons beyond the limited social interactions with other ethnic and religious groups than were encouraged in the pre-Vatican...
He served as an aide to Mayors Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
and David Dinkins
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.-Early life:...
, and as Chief of Staff to the late State Senator Leonard Stavisky and to State Senator Toby Stavisky.
In 1997 Avella was awarded New York State's Community Service Award from nominations received across New York State for his volunteer civic endeavors on behalf of New Yorkers. In 2005, he was honored by the Garibaldi Meucci
Antonio Meucci
Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci was an Italian inventor, a compatriot of revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was best known for developing a voice communication apparatus which several sources credit as the first telephone....
Museum on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, received the 2005 Friend In High Places Award from the Historic District Council, the Community Mayor's 2005 Humanitarian Award and the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy
New York Landmarks Conservancy
The New York Landmarks Conservancy is a non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing New York’s architecturally significant buildings." It provides technical assistance, project management services, grants, and loans, to owners of historic properties in New York State...
.
Legislative concerns on the City Council
Avella introduced legislation which would require all businesses in New York City to post at least half of each sign in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. According to Avella, many businesses in his district in northeast Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
do not post signs in English. In 2004, a task force concluded that five percent of all businesses in a busy commercial portion of northeastern Queens posted signs that did not have any English. Avella said that he would continue to support passage of his legislation calling for all business to post signs including English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translations of "equal size and proportion".
This stance is due to his mostly white constituents "...feel[ing] they are being discriminated against by the business[es] because in their own neighborhood they don't know what this sign means." Avella said.
Avella's historic "Demolition by Neglect" bill was signed into law by the mayor in February 2005. This legislation enables the Landmarks Preservation Commission to prevent the destruction of New York City's landmarks by property owners. Avella's legislation was supported by 46 preservation and civic groups, including the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, and the National Historic Trust.
In 2005 Avella also forwarded a bill proposing that the Department of Transportation
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure...
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.
An attack occurred in 2007 in his district (Douglaston
Douglaston, Queens
Douglaston, population 14,168 , is a community in the New York City borough of Queens. Douglaston comprises six distinct neighborhoods: Doug Bay, Douglas Manor, and Douglaston Hill, all located north of Northern Boulevard on the peninsula abutting Little Neck Bay; Douglaston Park, located between...
), on four Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n males by two white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
males (one with a pending criminal case on charges of assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ing an elderly man with a claw hammer), in which racial slurs were used by the white males. In a news conference Avella convened with religious and community leaders, he referred to the two perpetrators as "neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
s". "I don't think I've ever used that word before," he said. "But it fits them." Avella blamed developers for increasing the tension in his district.
On December 10, 2008, Avella received the “New York City Human Rights Award” for obtaining the third highest score of elected officials in New York City on the Human Rights Project’s report cards. The Human Rights Project is the lead organization of the New York City Human Rights Initiative, a city-wide human rights coalition with over 100 groups from the City.