You are reading

Barry Grodenchik, Who Represents Eastern Queens in City Council, Announces That He Will Not Seek Re-election

Council Member Barry Grodenchik. (NYC City Council)

Oct. 14, 2020 By Christian Murray

Council Member Barry Grodenchik announced this morning that he will not seek re-election and will step down when his current term ends Dec. 31, 2021.

Grodenchik, who represents eastern Queens, is one of only four council members in Queens eligible to serve another term due to term limits.

His departure will mean that 12 of the 15 council seats in Queens are guaranteed to be represented by newcomers in 2022. Eleven council members in Queens will be forced to step down at the end of next year due to term limits.

Grodenchik, who is 60, said that his decision to not seek re-election was made after much deliberation.

“After much thought and reflection with family and friends, I have decided that it is time to put a period on this chapter of my life and retire from public service,” Grodenchik said in a statement posted to twitter. “Being a member of the council has been, and will continue to be, a hallmark of my public service career, which extends back more than a generation.”

Grodenchik, who has represented the 23rd Council District since he won a 2015 special election, has had a lengthy career in public service. He represented the Flushing area in the state assembly in 2003 and 2004, and was later the Queens Deputy Borough President from 2010 to 2013.

The council member was caught up in controversy last year when he was accused of having made unwanted advances and having inappropriate conversations with a female staffer. He later admitted  wrong doing and resigned from his chairmanship of the City Council Parks Committee.

Grodenchik, in announcing his decision not to seek reelection, thanked the people of his district and reflected on his time in office.

“In the council, it has been my honor to be a foremost advocate for feeding New Yorkers and for enhancing funding for our parks,” he said. “Locally, I have advanced the cause of education, including the building of over 2,600 new school seats.”

Grodenchik is lifelong Queens resident who grew up in NYCHA’s Pomonok Houses in Flushing.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Rego Park sex offender pleads guilty to charges of sexually exploiting young girls on Long Island: Feds

A convicted sex offender from Rego Park pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and admitted to soliciting and receiving sexually explicit images and videos from four young girls during a plea hearing in the federal courthouse in Central Islip on Friday. Anthony Pangallo, 41, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and up to 50 years in prison.

According to court filings and statements during the plea proceeding, Pangallo was initially arrested on May 20, 2021, at his Rego Park residence, on state charges filed in Westport, Connecticut. Those charges, which remain pending, involved a 15-year-old victim whom Pangallo met online and manipulated into sending him sexually explicit images of herself.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.