QUEENS, NY – New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who ousted a longtime Brooklyn Republican as part of the historic 2018 Blue Wave, on February 20 threw his support behind Costa Constantinides to become the next Queens Borough President.

“Having spent part a good part of my career working for a Borough President, I can confidently say Costa is the best person in this race to lead Queens,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes, whose southern Brooklyn district includes Bay Ridge. “I am proud to support him as the progressive leader Queens needs to fight the rising tides that threaten our communities. He will make our entire City stronger in the process.”

“I am so excited Andrew has joined our effort to make Queens the leader in sustainability, enable our immigrant communities, and create 50,000 union green jobs,” said Costa Constantinides, progressive Democrat for Queens Borough President. “Every day we are seeing more people join our grassroots movement to Transform Queens and give our 2.3 million residents a stronger borough.”

Both are proud members of the Greek-American community, who have carried their culture’s hard-working traditions over into government. Their friendship stretches back more than a decade. Constantinides is the first Greek-Cypriot-American to hold a New York City office, while Gounardes last year became the first Greek-American to represent Brooklyn in the State Senate. The Astoria native has also been endorsed by State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris and Assembly Member Aravella Simotas. If elected Borough President, Constantinides would be the first from his community to hold a countywide office in New York City.

The first-term lawmaker had a historic victory over eight-term Republican Marty Golden in 2018. The Democrat was a crucial vote during the historic 2019 legislative session that increased voting rights, improved street safety, and protected thousands of Dreamers. Most recently, Gounardes picked up Constantinides’ call to give Borough Presidents a seat on the MTA board and introduced a bill with Simotas to reform the influential mass transit body.

Gounardes is the third State Senator to back Constantinides’ growing campaign to Transform Queens. Senator Jessica Ramos, as well as Gianaris, have thrown their support behind his movement to create 50,000 union jobs, invest in Queens schools, and make all public spaces accessible. In the last two weeks alone, New Queens Democrats, Teamsters Local 553, and the South Asian American Voters Alliance have all endorsed Constantinides.

Costa Constantinides currently serves in the New York City Council, where he represents western Queens and chairs the Committee on Environmental Protection. His legislative accomplishments include the Climate Mobilization Act, a Green New Deal for New York City, as well as the historic 80% reduction by 2050 of carbon emissions commitment. Costa lives in his native Astoria with his wife and son.

For more information, visit: www.votecosta.com.