Eric Gioia
Encyclopedia
Eric N. Gioia is a New York City
politician of the Democratic Party
. He served for eight years as a member of the New York City Council
. He was elected to two year terms in 2001 and 2003 and to a four year term in 2005, representing the Queens
neighborhoods of Woodside
, Sunnyside
, Maspeth, and Long Island City.
, New York University
and Georgetown University Law Center. He worked his way through NYU as a janitor/elevator operator, and member of Service Employees International Union
/SEIU-Local 32BJ. He worked as a law clerk in the White House under President Bill Clinton
. He worked in private practice in Manhattan at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
, and later and on Al Gore
's presidential campaign in 2000.
He was particularly active in expanding opportunity for the residents of public housing. He founded a youth baseball and basketball league and brought a bank to Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City where previously the closest bank was over a mile away. He led a campaign to get more New Yorkers to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and passed legislation strengthening the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.
Gioia has been mentioned as a possible candidate for New York's 14th congressional district
.
Gioia introduced legislation to make access to food stamps easier, including putting applications online, and successfully pushed retailer Costco
to accept food stamps at two of its New York locations. In a major victory for hunger advocates, Costco recently announced that after successfully accepting food stamps in New York City, it will begin accepting food stamps at all locations nationwide.
affected large portions of Gioia's district. Con Edison's slow response and misleading information about the extent of the blackout led Gioia to criticize the company and its CEO, Kevin Burke. After power was fully restored nine days later, Gioia continued to scrutinize the company's safety record. The 2006 blackout was followed by a steam pipe explosion in 2007
and two fatal gas explosions in Queens in 2007 and 2009.
Gioia also criticized the utility company's rate hikes when it continued to pay high dividends to its investors. To improve efficiency, Gioia lobbied Con Ed to implement a smart grid, commenting that "new digital technology - called Smart Meters - has allowed customers elsewhere to cut their bills by 10%, but here in New York, Con Ed continues to rely on 19th century technology to power a 21st century city." In August 2009, Con Ed launched a pilot smart grid project in Gioia's district in Western Queens.
during the rescue operations
immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Council member Gioia introduced a measure to have the Council investigate the issue of FDNY radio problems.
"I will do everything in my power to get answers, to get the truth ... [T]hese families deserve answers and really the entire city and our country deserve answers", Gioia stated. He introduced the investigation resolution following a petition drive to have the Council investigate the radios issue. The petitions carried 20,000 signatures. Petition organizers congratulated Gioia on his sponsorship of the investigation proposal.
and Bill de Blasio. He was succeeded in the City Council by James Van Bramer. After leaving the City Council, Gioia accepted a position as Vice President of J.P Morgan Chase's private bank. He remains active in the community and serves on the board of several New York non-profits.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
politician of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He served for eight years as a member of the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
. He was elected to two year terms in 2001 and 2003 and to a four year term in 2005, representing the Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
neighborhoods of Woodside
Woodside, Queens
Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
, Sunnyside
Sunnyside
- Australia :*Sunnyside , house of Ellen G. White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church- Canada :* Sunnyside, a suburban area of South Surrey, in turn a town centre of Surrey, British Columbia...
, Maspeth, and Long Island City.
Early life and career
Gioia attended PS11 Queens, a public elementary school. He worked in his family's florist shop in Woodside, Queens, which has been in operation for more than a century. He attended St. Francis Preparatory SchoolSt. Francis Preparatory School
St. Francis Preparatory School, commonly known as St. Francis Prep, is a private, independent Catholic college preparatory school in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. It is the largest non-diocesan Catholic high school in the United States. St. Francis is run by...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Georgetown University Law Center. He worked his way through NYU as a janitor/elevator operator, and member of Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
/SEIU-Local 32BJ. He worked as a law clerk in the White House under President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. He worked in private practice in Manhattan at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is a United States law firm headquartered in New York City. It also has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Singapore and Beijing.Milbank is a global law firm, with approximately 550 lawyers who...
, and later and on Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's presidential campaign in 2000.
City Council
On the City Council, Gioia advocated for the poor, and wrote laws to help alleviate child hunger and to protect the environment. He served as Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee of the New York City Council, in which capacity he conducted over 50 investigations, leading to the passage of laws which protect homeless people with HIV and AIDS, ensure the availability of emergency contraception, increase government accountability and transparency, and encourage voter registration among young people.He was particularly active in expanding opportunity for the residents of public housing. He founded a youth baseball and basketball league and brought a bank to Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City where previously the closest bank was over a mile away. He led a campaign to get more New Yorkers to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and passed legislation strengthening the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.
Gioia has been mentioned as a possible candidate for New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City. It includes most of the East Side of Manhattan, all of Roosevelt Island and the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, and Sunnyside in Queens...
.
Food Stamp Challenge
In 2007, Gioia voluntarily chose to live on $28 for one week, in order to bring attention to the daily struggle of millions of New Yorkers. He stated, "But as tough as this week has been for me, the sad fact is that it was nothing compared with what over 1.1 million New Yorkers face every day. Far too many New Yorkers make impossible choices among health care for their children, paying their rent or putting food on the table on a daily basis."Gioia introduced legislation to make access to food stamps easier, including putting applications online, and successfully pushed retailer Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
to accept food stamps at two of its New York locations. In a major victory for hunger advocates, Costco recently announced that after successfully accepting food stamps in New York City, it will begin accepting food stamps at all locations nationwide.
Con Edison
In 2006, an extended blackout2006 Queens blackout
The 2006 Queens blackout was an unresolved series of power outages that affected the northwest section of the New York City borough Queens in July 2006. The blackout primarily affected the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside...
affected large portions of Gioia's district. Con Edison's slow response and misleading information about the extent of the blackout led Gioia to criticize the company and its CEO, Kevin Burke. After power was fully restored nine days later, Gioia continued to scrutinize the company's safety record. The 2006 blackout was followed by a steam pipe explosion in 2007
2007 New York City steam explosion
The July 18, 2007 New York City steam explosion sent a geyser of hot steam up from beneath a busy intersection, with a 40-story-high shower of mud and flying debris raining down on the crowded streets of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States.It was caused by the failure of a...
and two fatal gas explosions in Queens in 2007 and 2009.
Gioia also criticized the utility company's rate hikes when it continued to pay high dividends to its investors. To improve efficiency, Gioia lobbied Con Ed to implement a smart grid, commenting that "new digital technology - called Smart Meters - has allowed customers elsewhere to cut their bills by 10%, but here in New York, Con Ed continues to rely on 19th century technology to power a 21st century city." In August 2009, Con Ed launched a pilot smart grid project in Gioia's district in Western Queens.
Council investigation into FDNY radio problems
Fire Department of New York radios failed in the Twin TowersWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
during the rescue operations
Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacks
The rescue and recovery effort after the September 11 attacks comprised the local, state and federal agency reaction to the September 11 attacks. The unprecedented events of that day elicited the largest response of local emergency and rescue personnel to assist in the evacuation of the two towers...
immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Council member Gioia introduced a measure to have the Council investigate the issue of FDNY radio problems.
"I will do everything in my power to get answers, to get the truth ... [T]hese families deserve answers and really the entire city and our country deserve answers", Gioia stated. He introduced the investigation resolution following a petition drive to have the Council investigate the radios issue. The petitions carried 20,000 signatures. Petition organizers congratulated Gioia on his sponsorship of the investigation proposal.
Public Advocate campaign
Having reaffirmed his opposition to extending term limits, and having publicly ruled out seeking re-election in 2009 Gioia ran to become the next New York City Public Advocate. Gioia was endorsed in the primary by the New York Daily News. Gioia raised more money than any of his opponents but finished third with only 18.40% of the vote, behind Mark GreenMark Green
Mark Andrew Green is an American politician and a former United States Ambassador to Tanzania, a position he held from August 2007 until January 2009. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, representing...
and Bill de Blasio. He was succeeded in the City Council by James Van Bramer. After leaving the City Council, Gioia accepted a position as Vice President of J.P Morgan Chase's private bank. He remains active in the community and serves on the board of several New York non-profits.