Joseph R. Lentol (born January 15, 1943) is former representative for District 50 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Fort Greene, among other neighborhoods located in the northern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. He is a Democrat.
Joe Lentol | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 50th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 1, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lucio Russo |
| Succeeded by | Emily Gallagher |
| Constituency | 58th district (1973–1982) 50th district (1983–2020) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph R. Lentol January 15, 1943 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Brooklyn, New York |
| Education | University of Dayton (BA) University of Baltimore (JD) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life
editLentol was born on January 15, 1943, the son of State Senator and Supreme Court Justice Edward S. Lentol (1909–1981).[citation needed]
New York State Assembly
editLentol was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972. He has served as Chairman of the Committee on Codes since 1992[citation needed], and has previously served as Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Employees and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations[citation needed].
In 2000, he was one of two Assembly members chosen by Sheldon Silver and Governor George Pataki to serve on the Election Modernization Task Force.[citation needed] The following year, he was elected by his colleagues to represent the Brooklyn Assembly Delegation and appointed to New York City's Community Action Board, of which he later became Chairman.[citation needed]
Prior to his election, Lentol served as an Assistant District Attorney within Kings County.[citation needed]
In 2001, Lentol was elected by his colleagues to direct the Brooklyn Assembly Delegation, responsible for making decisions and advocating for funds and activities for all areas of the borough.[citation needed]
As the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Codes, between 2004 and 2005 Lentol contributed to a report regarding hearings on the death penalty in New York State.[1] He credited the hearings with changing his mind regarding the death penalty [2] which he had in 2004 "wanted to see done right."[3]
2020 Democratic primary defeat
editOn June 23, 2020, Lentol was challenged in the Democratic primary for the first time since 2010. It was the fourth primary of his career. His opponent was community activist Emily Gallagher, who he led by 1,763 votes on election night. However, absentee ballots were more significant than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and once they were counted, Gallagher was determined to have won by between 400 and 600 votes on July 21, 2020. Lentol conceded on July 22, 2020.[4]
References
edit- ^ Lentol, Joseph; Weinstein, Helene; Aubry, Jeffrion. "The Death Penalty in New York" (PDF). NYAssembly.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Schneider, Bill. "One politician's change of opinion prompts changes". CNN. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Smith, Andrew; Metz, Andrew. "They can't be put to death; In 4-3 decision, state's highest court rules that 'deadlock' instructions to jury in capital punishment cases violate the constitution". Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Duggan, Kevin (22 July 2020). "Emily Gallagher Defeats Longtime North Brooklyn Assembly Incumbent Joe Lentol". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 22 July 2020.