James F. Gennaro

{{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Jim Gennaro |image = Jim Gennaro.jpg |office = Member of the New York City Council<br>from the 24th district |term_start = February 18, 2021 |term_end = |predecessor = Rory Lancman |successor = |term_start1 = January 1, 2002 |term_end1 = December 31, 2013 |predecessor1 = Morton Povman |successor1 = Rory Lancman |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|5|3}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |spouse = Wendy Phaff |education = State University of New York, Stony Brook (BA, MPA) |website = {{url|council.nyc.gov/district-24|Official website}} }} '''James F. Gennaro''' (born May 3, 1957) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the New York City Council, representing the 24th district since 2021. He previously represented the same seat from 2002 until 2013, and was the chair of the Council's Environmental Protection Committee. He was first elected to the Council in 2001. In November 2005, he was re-elected to the seat, based in central Queens.<ref name=nycc>{{cite web|url=http://council.nyc.gov/d24/html/members/home.shtml|title=James F. Gennaro|publisher=New York City Council|accessdate=26 August 2013}}</ref>

In the 2008 New York state elections, Gennaro was the Democratic candidate for the New York State Senate; his opponent was the Republican incumbent, Frank Padavan.<ref>{{cite web |last=Katz |first=Celeste |date= August 22, 2008 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/08/post-23.html |title=Senate Candidate Gennaro Pledges More for NYC |website=New York Daily News |accessdate=2008-09-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723202546/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/08/post-23.html |archivedate=2012-07-23 }}</ref> After 3 months of recounting ballots, the incumbent, Senator Padavan, was declared the winner and Gennaro conceded defeat.<ref>{{cite web|last=Toscano |first=John |url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2009/0211/features/008.html |title=3 Months After Election Day, Gennaro Concedes To Padavan Queens Gazette |website=Qgazette.com |date=2009-02-11 |accessdate=2017-06-25}}</ref>

In November 2009, Gennaro was re-elected for a third term on the City Council.<ref name=nycc/> Due to term limits, Gennaro did not run again in 2013; his seat was won by Democrat Rory Lancman. Gennaro left office on December 31, 2013.

Formerly the senior policy adviser to then Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr., Gennaro was an adjunct professor of political science and environmental public policy at Queens College.<ref name=nycc/> He also served as President of the Jamaica Estates Association and as a member of Queens Community Board 8.<ref name=nycc/>

Gennaro lost his first wife Joanne to multiple system atrophy in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Toure |first=Madina |date=2016-03-24 |url=https://qns.com/2016/03/community-remembers-late-wife-of-former-fresh-meadows-councilman/ |title=Community remembers late wife of former Fresh Meadows councilman |work=QNS.com |access-date=2022-12-11}}</ref> He married his second wife, Wendy B. Phaff in 2020, and they live in Jamaica Estates, Queens.<ref name=nycc/>

In 2020, he declared his intention to run for his former Council seat.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Coltin|first=Jeff|date=2020-09-24|url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-city/lancman-set-resign-city-council-sources-say.html|title=Lancman set to resign from City Council, sources say|website=City & State New York|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928134956/https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-city/lancman-set-resign-city-council-sources-say.html/|archive-date=2020-09-28}}</ref> On February 2, 2021, Gennaro declared his victory in the nonpartisan special election for this seat, after the city's Board of Election released its in-person voting results for that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://qns.com/2021/02/polls-closed-james-gennaro-takes-early-lead-in-city-council-district-24-special-election |title=James Gennaro takes early lead in City Council District 24 special election |website=qns.com |date=2021-02-03 |last1=Kaye |first1=Jacob |last2=Mohamed |first2=Carlotta |last3=Sosin |first3=Clarissa |accessdate=2021-02-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Saphirstein |first=Shabsie |url=https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/local/26-community-corner/3975-gennaro-win-is-a-win-against-anti-semitism |title=Gennaro Win Is A Win Against Anti-Semitism |website=queensjewishlink.com |date=2021-02-03 |accessdate=2021-02-03}}</ref> The election was the first in New York City to use ranked choice voting. Gennaro was sworn into office on February 18, 2021, 16 days after the special election date.

Gennaro introduced an amendment to code of the city of New York, that became law that restricted the compensation awarded by the environmental control board for citizen noise complaints. Protection would be capped at $5, and compensation for proceedings brought by a complainant would be capped at $10, thus discouraging noise complaints. <ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-09-28|url=https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6365364&GUID=7EEB6E0D-2A65-4C69-BB3C-9E0C11442517|title= File # Int 1194-2023|website=The New York City Council}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Morton Povman}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the New York City Council<br>from the 24th district|years=2001–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Rory Lancman}} |- {{s-bef|before=Rory Lancman}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the New York City Council<br>from the 24th district|years=2021–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gennaro, James F.}} Category:1957 births Category:21st-century New York (state) politicians Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:New York (state) Democrats Category:New York City Council members Category:People from Jamaica Estates, Queens Category:Stony Brook University alumni