The gracious Lisa L. Colangelo of the DN's Queens Bureau sums up the latest dynastic endorsement for state Senate hopeful Tony Avella:
Former Democratic City Councilman Tony Avella of Queens is following up his recently-announced challenge to long-time State Sen. Frank Padavan by unveiling a series of endorsements.Today he got the backing of his former Council colleague David Weprin.
“Tony Avella and I served together in the City Council for eight years and there was no one more independent,” Weprin said. “While we didn’t always agree on every issue, Tony was guided by principle and did what he thought was right for his constituents and for New York City.”Although it’s no surprise that a fellow Democrat would endorse Avella over Padavan, a Republican, Weprin’s last name does carry weight in eastern Queens.
David’s brother, Mark, recently took over his City Council seat. In turn, David took Mark’s vacant state Assembly seat in a recent special election.
The Weprin political dynasty dates back to the early 1970s when their dad, Saul, was first elected to the Assembly.
Padavan was seated for his first term in the state Senate around the same time. The popular lawmaker has continued to win re-election, even though registered Democrats are the majority in the 11th district.
“It’s crucial, it’s very big in this area,” Avella said of the Weprin endorsement.
“And there’s more to come.”
Local 1500 United Food and Commercial Workers has already thrown its support behind Avella for the November election.
