By Dustin Brown
Although City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) received top billing on the invitation to his installation Friday, it was a night to be shared with his father, the longtime council speaker whose lengthy tenure ended as soon as his son’s term began.
“You know that you’re going to have to hear about your father a bit,” Queens Borough President Helen Marshall told Vallone Jr. before a crowd of hundreds that included Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York). “Your father made his mark on this city.”
The younger Vallone, who succeeded his father this month as the city councilman representing Astoria, Long Island City and Jackson Heights, did not seem to mind.
Topping his list of people to thank was his father, Peter Vallone Sr., “the man who taught me the value of public service, taught me to always do the right thing.”
Vallone Jr. was never one to shy away from his family legacy on the campaign trail, where he often touted his father’s contributions to the Council and promised to continue them under his own watch.
The focus on family did not end with his election. His installation was held in the auditorium of PS 85, the Judge Charles J. Vallone School, which was named for Peter Vallone Jr.’s grandfather. On the other end of the family tree, Vallone Jr.’s two daughters, 8-year-old Catherine and 6-year-old Caroline, led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Another 10 years and they’ll be getting sworn-in for something, I’m sure,” said state Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who served as master of ceremonies.
Vallone Jr. was sworn-in by his father, who earned a few laughs by quipping about their shared name.
The elder Vallone spent 27 years as Astoria’s representative to the City Council, serving the last decade as its speaker, but was forced by term limits to leave office at the end of last month. In addition to championing a city charter reform that put the Council on equal footing with the mayor and created the position of speaker, he is known for pushing through the Safe Streets, Safe City initiative that put more cops on the streets.
Vallone Jr. is following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one, having been selected to chair the Public Safety Committee, which oversees city agencies like the Police Department and district attorneys, and reviews legislation related to public safety.
“The task is a difficult one, but it’s one I’ve dedicated my entire career to,” said Vallone Jr., an attorney in his family’s private practice who formerly worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.
But the title of speaker went to City Councilman Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan), a representative from the Upper East Side, one of many dignitaries to speak at Vallone Jr.’s installation.
“I know just how difficult it is to fill the shoes that you have to fill today and this year,” Miller said.
Also in attendance were former Borough President Claire Shulman, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, state Sen. George Onorato (D-Long Island City), Queens Democratic Party Chairman Tom Manton and a number of recently elected members of the City Council.
Although his speech focused more on legacy than policy, Vallone Jr. touched on an issue that both he and his father have vehemently fought — the abundance of power plants in Astoria.
“We need everyone on this stage to say, ‘No more power plants in the Astoria community,’” Vallone Jr. said.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
