David Yassky
David S. Yassky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 33rd District | |
| Assumed office January 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Fisher |
| Constituency | Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, parts of Williamsburg, Park Slope, Boerum Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 3, 1964 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Diana Fortuna |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Brooklyn, New York |
| Alma mater | Princeton University Yale Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | NYC Council: District 33 |
David S. Yassky (born March 3, 1964) is a member of the New York City Council and a candidate for New York City Comptroller. First elected in 2001, he represents the 33rd Council District, which includes parts of downtown Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill and Park Slope.
On September 29, 2009 he lost the run-off election for the Democratic nomination for New York City Comptroller. He previously served as chief counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, a subcommittee chaired by Rep. Charles Schumer. He was also previously a member of the faculty of the Brooklyn Law School. In 2006, Yassky ran for U.S. Congress in Brooklyn, losing to Yvette Clarke.
Personal
Yassky is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.[1] He has been married to Metropolitan Opera CFO Diana Fortuna since 1990,[2] and they live in Brooklyn Heights with their two daughters.
City Council
Yassky is one of 29 New York City councilmembers who voted in 2008 to extend term limits for themselves effectively ignoring two previous public votes imposing a limit of two terms. Hours before the final vote on term limits, Yassky proposed an amendment from the floor, which would have altered the legislation to require approval by popular vote before term limits could change. The amendment failed by a vote of 28-22 which prompted Yassky to vote for the extension anyway.[3][4]
2006 Congressional campaign
In 2006, Yassky ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 11th Congressional District seat, an open seat held by the retiring Congressman Major Owens. He was part of a four-way race which also included New York State Senator Carl Andrews, New York City Council member Yvette D. Clarke and Major Owen's son Chris Owens.
During the primary, Major Owens called Yassky a "colonizer", Al Sharpton called Yassky, "greedy", and City Council member Albert Vann sent an email to black elected officials stating that "we are in peril of losing a 'Voting Rights' district ... as a result of the well financed candidacy of Council Member David Yassky, a white individual".[5] The area had been represented by black politicians since the election of Shirley Chisholm in 1968.[6]
On August 30, 2006, The New York Times endorsed Yassky, citing his "stellar record on the Council" and criticizing his rivals for not making a substantial case for their election, and the Democratic leadership within Brooklyn for failing to find qualified black candidates for this seat.[7]
In a primary election held on September 12, 2006, Yassky garnered 26% of the popular vote. The final winner was Yvette Clarke with about 30%.[8]
2009 Comptroller election
Yassky was endorsed by The New York Times on August 23, 2009, which attributed the endorsement to his "skill, intelligence, and independence."[9] In the Democratic primary held on September 15, 2009, Yassky was the runner-up with 107,474 votes, or approximately 30% of the votes cast. Because the front-runner, John Liu, received less than 40% of the votes cast, the two candidates will face each other in a run-off election on September 29, 2009.
References
- ^ NYC Council: District 33 - David Yassky
- ^ "Diana Fortuna, State Aide in Capital, Is Married to David Yassky, a Lawyer". New York Times. July 1, 1990.
- ^ Chan, Sewell; Hicks, Jonathan P. (2008-10-23). "Council Votes, 29 to 22, to Extend Term Limits". New York Times, City Room Blogs. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (2008-10-27). "Yassky Defends His Vote on Term Limits". New York Times, City Room Blogs.
- ^ "'A White Individual': How the Voting Rights Act promotes racial polarization". Wall Street Journal. 2006-06-20.
- ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (2006-08-25). "Rivals In House Race Debate White Candidate's Motives". New York Times.
- ^ "Editorial: For Congress in Brooklyn". New York Times. 2006-08-30.
- ^ 2006 Congressional Primary Results. NY1 News.
- ^ "For New York City Comptroller", New York Times", August 23, 2009, accessed September 25, 2009
External links
- NYC Council: District 33 - David Yassky
- NYC Councilmember David Yassky
- David Yassky for NYC Comptroller
