BY JESSICA PARKS
After 18 years serving
southern Brooklyn and Staten
Island in Albany, state Sen.
Diane Savino will not seek
re-election, the politico confi
rmed to Brooklyn Paper on
Wednesday.
“I ran for Senate because
I knew where I could be more
effective on issues that I cared
about, things that were important
to working people,” said
Savino, who would not yet disclose
her next venture. “But
now I feel like I could be more
effective on issues that I am
passionate about in another
place, other than the legislature.”
Looking ahead, Savino,
who has drafted over 150
pieces of legislation in her
nearly two decades in the senate,
is throwing her support
behind her former staffer,
Democrat Jessica Sarella-
Spanton, who has already announced
a run for the open
seat against Republican former
Councilmember David
Yassky.
“She is going to be an amazing
candidate,” Savino told
Brooklyn Paper. “We are going
to do everything to help her get
elected, but more importantly
she is going to be an amazing
elected offi cial.”
Savino says Sarella-Spanton
comes with the working
knowledge of District 23 to hit
the ground running as an effective
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legislator for every corner
of the far-reaching district
— which is divided politically,
but shares geographical similarities
(and issues) by being
entirely on the waterfront.
“She has been one of the
best staff I have ever had,” Savino
said.
Under the proposed 2022 redistricting,
District 23 will see
quite a few changes — with
the district losing its jurisdiction
over the portions of Bath
Beach, Gravesend, and Bay
Ridge that it currently serves.
The district will still include
Coney Island, and will
now fl ow further north to cover
a larger portion of Sunset Park,
along with Red Hook, Carroll
Gardens, the Columbia Street
Waterfront District, Cobble
Hill, Brooklyn Heights, and
Dumbo.
Savino, a Queens native,
has written monumental legislation
over her years as senator
— mostly focused on labor
policy — including the fi rst domestic
workers Bill of Rights
in the United States, the legalization
of medical marijuana,
and later, the recreational use
by adults.
“I have written more than
150 pieces of legislation, they
are historic, landmark pieces
of law. The fi rst domestic workers
bill of rights in the nation,
we served as a template for
other states, some of the strongest
wage theft laws in the
country, New York is a leader
as a result of that,” Savino said.
“I have written a lot of labor
law, probably more than anybody
State Sen. Diane Savino (center left) celebrated Coney Island’s Opening
Day with Dennis Vourderis (left), Steve Vourderis (center right) and Alessandro
Zamperla (right). File photo by Erica Price
who has ever served in
the senate.”
“All of the laws that I have
passed affect people in a profound
way, and I think that’s really
what I am most proud of,”
she added.
However, she said she still
has a full slate of work she
plans to complete before she
leaves offi ce at the end of this
year, such as updating mental
health laws to address the
homelessness of New Yorkers
suffering from mental health
issues as well as the regulation
of cryptocurrencies and “medical
aid in dying” that would allow
New Yorkers with terminal
illnesses who have been given
less than six months to live
to determine for themselves
whether they want to die on
their own terms.
“I have several pieces of
legislation that I am still actively
working on, trying to
address some of the concerns
people have about the number
of homeless, mentally ill people,
and why they are out on
the street,” she said. “Part of
the problem is the defi nition of
what it means to be a danger to
yourselves and others.”
The primary elections for
the State Senate and Assembly
will take place on June 28, with
the fi ling deadline scheduled
for April 7. The general election
for the two state houses will be
held on Nov. 8.
MOVING ON!
After 18 years, Sen. Diane Savino to retire
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