Costa Constantinides eyeing Vallone’s seat in 22nd Council District

After winning the Democratic primary last month, Costa Constantinides is ready to head into the General Election to fill departing Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr.’s seat in the 22nd Council District.

“I think Astoria has always been a great place to live, I had a wonderful childhood growing up here,” he said. “It’s a wonderful place and I just want to help continue to foster that same atmosphere.”

In 2009, Constantinides was elected to serve as the Democratic District Leader for the 36th Assembly District, Part A. He served as Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff to Councilmember James F. Gennaro.

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In September, Constantinides took the win against attorney John Ciafone and longtime Community Board 1 member Constantinos “Gus” Prentzas in the Democratic primary.

Some of the main areas Constantinides hopes to address if elected are better environmental protection, including reducing traffic congestion, expanding open space and investing in clean energy. He also hopes to improve schools for the children in his district, with introducing better technology and dealing with overcrowding.

Constantinides also plans to clean up the streets by prioritizing garbage pickups, funding a street sweeping program like the Doe Fund, and making sure there are enough enforcement agents to make sure the community stays clean.

“All these things are sort of interconnected with one another and I think when we deal with each individual problem we’re going to help our community move itself forward,” said Constantinides.

Constantinides will run against Republican Daniel Peterson, Green Party candidate Lynne Serpe, Independent Danielle De Stefano and Populist Party candidate Gerald Kann in the general election on November 5.

“This is a real opportunity to vote for the mayor. It’s going to decide our city government,” he said. “It’s important to make sure your voice is heard. So I really encourage every constituent to come out and be part of the process, whether they’re voting for me or not.”

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