Mark Gjonaj
| Mark Gjonaj | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York City Council from the 13th district | |
|
Assumed office January 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | James Vacca |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 80th district | |
|
In office January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Naomi Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Nathalia Fernandez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bronx, New York United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | St. John's University |
Mark Gjonaj (/ˈdʒoʊnaɪ/ JOH-nye)[1] is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He has served in the New York City Council from the 13th district since 2018. He represented district 80 of the New York State Assembly from 2013 to 2017. His district encompasses Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Pelham Gardens, and Norwood, among other communities located in the Borough of the Bronx.
Early life and education
Gjonaj was born in the Bronx to an Albanian family from Reč, Montenegro. He attended St. Raymond High School for Boys and graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree.[2][3]
Career
Gjonaj is the president of M P Realty Group Corp., a real estate brokerage firm that he founded in 1999. His political experience prior to election was as a member of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
New York State Assembly
Gjonaj defeated incumbent assemblywoman Naomi Rivera in the 2012 Democratic primary race, in a district which, due to mandatory re-districting, incorporated a large part of the borough previously part of the 81st District represented by Jeffrey Dinowitz.[4] On November 6, 2012, he won the general election with 79% of the vote.[5]
New York City Council
In 2017, Gjonaj entered the race to represent the 13th District of the New York City Council, to replace Councilman James Vacca, who had to step down due to term limits.[6] At the time of the primary election, he was seen as a leading candidate, due to the large amount of financing he had received, much of it from the real estate industry and other sources outside of the district, for which he was criticized by his opponents.[7][8] Gjonaj won the five-way primary with 39% of the vote, over the out-going Vacca's endorsed candidate, Marjorie Velazquez, who won 34%, and third-place John Doyle's 19%.[9]
On November 8, 2017, Gjonaj won his bid to replace New York City Councilman James Vacca, defeating the Republican candidate John Cerini by a margin of 49% to 36%[10].
Election history
| Election History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election Type | Results | |||
| Candidate | Votes | Percent | ||||
| NYS Assembly District 80 |
2012 | General | √ Mark Gjonaj (D) | 22,386 | 77.76% | |
| Nicole J. Torres (R) | 2,600 | 7.92% | ||||
| Naomi Rivera (WFP) | 2,186 | 6.66% | ||||
| Patrick A. McManus (Cons) | 861 | 2.62% | ||||
| William Edstrom (Green) | 274 | 0.83% | ||||
| NYS Assembly District 80 |
2014 | General | √ Mark Gjonaj (D) | 9,816 | 77.76% | |
| Robert Goodman (R/Cons) | 1,892 | 14.99% | ||||
| NYS Assembly District 80 |
2016 | General | √ Mark Gjonaj (D) | 24,959 | 70.50% | |
| Nicholas Marricco (R) | 3,391 | 9.58% | ||||
| Robert Goodman (Cons) | 953 | 2.69% | ||||
| NYC Council District 13 |
2017 | Democratic Primary | √ Mark Gjonaj | 3,503 | 38.46% | |
| Marjorie Velazquez | 3,113 | 34.14% | ||||
| John C. Doyle | 1,728 | 18.97% | ||||
| NYC Council District 13 |
2017 | General | √ Mark Gjonaj (D) | 10,602 | 48.62% | |
| John Cerini (R/Cons/Reform) | 7,791 | 35.73% | ||||
| Marjorie Velazquez (WFP) | 2,829 | 12.97% | ||||
References
- ↑ Goodman, J. David (12 September 2017). "Local Issues Dominate New York City Council Elections". Retrieved 6 February 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ "Albanian-American realtor challenges incumbent Bronx Assemblywoman". Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
- ↑ Kratz, Alex (September 20, 2012). "Naomi Rivera Defeated Soundly in Assembly Primary By Hard-Working Challenger". Bronx News. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ↑ Kratz, Alex (November 7, 2012). "No Surprises in Local Election Results as Democrats Sweep the Bronx". Norwood News. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ↑ Ben Max (May 1, 2017). "Candidates for 2017 City Elections". Gotham Gazette.
- ↑ Ross Barkan (September 8, 2017). "Bronx Assembly Member Mark Gjonaj Is Trying to Spend His Way Onto the City Council". Village Voice.
- ↑ Jonathan Gomez (August 25, 2017). "Frontrunner Becomes Top Issue in East Bronx Council Race". CityLimits.org.
- ↑ Max, Ben. "2017 New York City Primary Election Results". Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ↑ "Election Results: De Blasio Wins Second Term as New York City Mayor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Naomi Rivera |
New York Assembly, 80th District 2013–2017 |
Succeeded by Vacant |
