Domenic Recchia
Member of the New York City Council
from the 47th district
In office
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013
Preceded byHoward Lasher
Succeeded byMark Treyger
ConstituencyBensonhurst, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, and Gravesend
Personal details
Born
Domenic Michael Recchia, Jr.

(1959-07-25) July 25, 1959
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKim Recchia
Residence(s)Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Alma materKent State University (BA)
Atlanta Law School (JD)
OccupationAttorney, Politician
WebsiteCampaign website

Domenic Michael Recchia Jr. (born July 25, 1959) is an American attorney and politician from New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, Recchia formerly represented the 47th district of the New York City Council, which included areas of Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, and Gravesend in south Brooklyn.[1]

He received the 2014 Democratic nomination in New York's 11th congressional district,[2] but lost in the general election.

Early life, education, and career

Recchia is a lifelong resident of Gravesend. Throughout his childhood, Recchia attended local public schools including P.S. 215, David A. Boody Intermediate School, and John Dewey High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Kent State University and a few years later, his Juris Doctor from Atlanta Law School.[3]

After graduation, Recchia returned to Brooklyn, and in 1989 was elected to Brooklyn Community Board 13. In that same year, Recchia was elected to Community School Board 21, where he served until 2001.[3][4]

City Council

Elections

Then-Councilman Howard Lasher was term-limited and thus could not seek another term in the City Council. In the primary elections, Recchia faced Lasher's wife, Susan Lasher, in which she received 2,999 votes to Recchia's 4,509. He went on to win the general election with 52% of the vote.[5] Recchia subsequently won re-election in 2003, 2005, and 2009.[6][7][8] Term-limited from the city council, Recchia announced but later abandoned a 2012 campaign for New York Comptroller.[9][10]

Tenure

Recchia previously served as Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee.[11]

In August 2013, Recchia voted against an override of Mayor Bloomberg's vetoes on two bills that would create an independent inspector general to oversee the New York Police Department and another that would allow people to sue in state court if they believe they've been profiled by police. Both bills were passed by the City Council with an overwhelming majority, enough to override the Mayor's vetoes.[12]

Committee assignments

  • Civil Service & Labor[1]
  • Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations[13]
  • Finance (Chair)[13]
  • Governmental Operations[14]

2014 congressional election

After much speculation, Recchia announced he would run for New York's 11th congressional district in the 2014 election.[2] If elected, he would have been the first congressman from the Staten Island-based district since 1906 not to have a Staten Island address.[15] He already represented much of the Brooklyn portion of the congressional district, including Bensonhurst and Gravesend.

Recchia faced two-term Republican incumbent Michael Grimm in the general election. Roll Call named the race one of the top five to watch in the Northeast.[16] In the lead up to the November election, Recchia did not appear at two of the scheduled candidate debates.[17][18] In October 2014, the New York Times wrote that "Recchia’s recent discussions of foreign affairs have induced Democratic cringes."[10] In a highly cited editorial, the New York Daily News called Recchia "a candidate so dumb, ill-informed, evasive and inarticulate that voting for a thuggish Republican who could wind up in a prison jumpsuit starts to make rational sense".[19]

Personal life

Recchia currently resides in Gravesend with his wife Kimberly. They have three daughters and a dog. He is a practicing attorney and was a member of the Council For Unity, a group that seeks to foster positive relations between New Yorkers of different races and religious backgrounds.[3][13][20] He has had several liens levied against him, including one in 2010 for property he co-owns with his wife.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Council Member Domenic Recchia, Jr". August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Wrobleski, Tom (2013-02-17). "Exclusive: Brooklyn Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia says he will run for Congress". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Council Member Domenic M. Recchia, Jr". August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ Katinas, Paula (1 May 2014). "CEC 21 honors Recchia with songs, poems, portraits by children". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "SEARCHLIGHT ON CAMPAIGN 2001: DISTRICT 47". 2013-08-21.
  6. ↑ "2003 GENERAL ELECTION NEW YORK COUNTY" (PDF). 2013-08-24.
  7. ↑ "General Election 2005 Kings County" (PDF). 2013-08-24.
  8. ↑ "General Election 2009 Kings County" (PDF). 2013-08-24.
  9. ↑ Colvin, Jill (4 December 2012). "Domenic Recchia Abandons Plans to Run for Comptroller". DNAInfo.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  10. 1 2 Horowitz, Jason (14 October 2014). "Under Indictment, Grimm Fights to Keep His Congressional Seat". New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive: Brooklyn Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia says he will run for Congress". Staten Island Live. 2013-02-16. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "City Council Overrides Mayor's Vetoes on NYPD Bills". The Wall Street Journal. 2013-08-24.
  13. 1 2 3 Horowitz, Jason (6 July 2014). "Staten Island's Tough-Guy Congressman Faces Somebody His Own Size". New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Montefinise, Angela (19 October 2008). "'3rd Term' Is $lush Hour". New York Post. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  15. ↑ Gay, Mara (4 June 2014). "From Brooklyn, a Bid to Represent Staten Island in Congress". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Gonzales, Nathan. Top 5 races to watch in the Mid-Atlantic Archived March 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Roll Call, 2013-07-06.
  17. ↑ Bredderman, Will (14 October 2014). "Grimm Bashes Recchia For Skipping Another Debate". New York Observer. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  18. ↑ Gross, Courtney (14 October 2014). "Recchia Dodges Another Congressional Debate Against Grimm". NY1. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Very Grimm choice", New York Daily News, November 1, 2014, Retrieved 2014-11-09 Archived December 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ "District 47". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Earle, Geoff (2 December 2013). "Councilman Recchia slapped with $2,657 city tax lien". New York Post. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
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