14 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 1, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Constantinides resigning as city councilman for
leadership position at Variety Boys and Girls Club
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Astoria City Councilman Costa
Constantinides is leaving offi ce to lead
the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens
next week, he announced on Wednesday,
March 31.
“For the past seven-plus years, I have
woken up every day to make our community
a better place. I gave my all each
day and did my best to honor the confi -
dence you had shown in me in making me
your representative,” Constantinides said.
“Today I announce a profoundly diffi cult
and personal decision. I must resign from
the New York City Council on April 9. I
have been asked by the Variety Boys and
Girls Club of Queens to become their new
chief executive offi cer and have accepted
this role.”
Constantinides, who is term limited,
will be leaving offi ce before his term offi -
cially ends in December. His announcement
comes two months aft er City & State
reported his imminent departure.
It is unclear whether a special election
will be called for his seat. QNS has
reached out to the city’s Board of Elections
and the mayor’s offi ce and is waiting for a
response.
Constantinides told QNS he didn’t look
at “the political clock” or “game out special
election dates” when making his decision
to step down.
“I had to make a very personal, professional,
family driven decision that wasn’t
on anyone’s timeline but mine,” he said.
“I just was trying to make a good decision
for myself and how I can best serve
the community.”
Th ere are currently seven candidates
vying to represent District 22. Last week,
Constantinides made his ranked-choice
endorsement in the race, with former
public defender Tiff any Cabán as his
fi rst choice and community leader Evie
Hantzopoulos as his second choice.
Constantinides said he won’t be campaigning
for any political offi ce, as it could
jeopardize his new nonprofi t role. Th at,
he said, will be diffi cult, given his 15 years
in politics.
When asked whether he’d run for offi ce
in the future, Constantinides said he’s
“learned to never say never,” but he’s
focused on being the best CEO he can be
of the Variety Boys and Girls Club.
Constantinides, who currently represents
District 22, which encompasses
Astoria, East Elmhurst, parts of Long
Island City, Rikers Island and Woodside,
passed 44 bills during his time in the
Council. Many of the legislation centered
on climate and environmental justice,
such as the Climate Mobilization Act and
the recently passed Renewable Rikers Act.
He also counts millions of investments
in Mount Sinai Queens, parks, schools
and Hallets Cove Peninsula as achievements
while in offi ce.
Constantinides said the decision to
leave his post prematurely isn’t one he
took “lightly or without a heavy heart.”
But, he sees his new role as CEO of the
Variety Boys and Girls Club as a continuation
of his service to the community.
“Th ere are many ways to be a public
servant that are not in elected offi ce,” he
said. “Many times that truth is forgotten
by too many.”
Th e Variety Boys and Girls Club of
Queens, located at 21-12 30th Rd. in
Astoria, has served western Queens’ youth
for more than 65 years. Th e establishment
provides various programs for children
and the community as a whole, including
tutoring, summer camp and career development
opportunities.
Th e youth club is also working to
expand even further with a new state-ofthe
art facility in western Queens, which
Constantinides is particularly looking forward
to seeing through.
“We’re going to be building this amazing
new, 11-story building with the fi rst
planetarium in Queens and great local
partners,” Constantinides said, adding
that he will focus on providing programs
that will cater to the youth of Ravenswood
and Astoria Houses.
Constantinides has a long history
with the Variety Boys and Girls Club of
Queens, saying his mother worked there
briefl y 30 years ago as she re-entered the
workforce. He said he always understood
their “mission and their important place
in our neighborhood’s heart.”
“Th eir deep commitment to investing
in our young people and providing
them with critical services is a mission of
unbelievable importance. As CEO of the
VBGCQ, I will seek to continue this long
tradition of excellence to benefi t all of our
youth, but especially those young people
west of 21st Street,” Constantinides
said. “I asked at my inauguration to have
my time as a Council member judged on
what happened west of 21st Street and
today I am recommitting to that request
even further. Th e VBGCQ will continue
to be a beacon of hope for the youth
of western Queens and our new building
will be a lighthouse burning bright
signaling to our young people that this
is home.”
Constantinides noted that the past year
has been a trying time for him and his
family, as he and his wife contracted
COVID-19 last year and are still recovering.
He has been candid about the toll
the virus has taken on his own family and
Photo courtesy of Constantinides’ offi ce
the long-term eff ects it will have on many
more survivors (or COVID long-haulers)
and community members.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday,
March 29, Constantinides recounted the
“dark hours” in April, when he was diagnosed
with COVID pneumonia, with the
virus eventually damaging his nervous
system, digestive tract and mental health.
“COVID has taken a deep and harrowing
toll on all of us but especially our
young people,” he said. “I hope our work
can help see their way through this pandemic
and ignite their spark for the greatness
inside each of them.”
Constantinides told QNS he is feeling
much better — he said he’s eating pizza
and smiling again — thanks in part to the
support and holistic treatment he received
at Mount Sinai Queens hospital’s post-
COVID care.
“We need to have that kind of care available
to every New Yorker,” he said.
Th e native Astorian said he’ll be working
at the Council until his last day,
with hearings scheduled for two bills next
week. He’ll then go right into his new
position at the Variety Boys and Girls
Club.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve
the residents of my neighborhood,” he
said. “I’m not leaving, this is just a new
chapter.”
City Councilman Costa Constantinides
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