Costa Constantinides delivering his State of the District address on Zoom earlier this month (Photo: Queens Post)
Jan. 26, 2021 By Christina Santucci
Council Member Costa Constantinides is reportedly going to leave office before his Council term ends in December, City & State reported today.
The well-respected political publication reported in its newsletter this morning that it had heard from three sources that he planned to resign and leave office.
A source also told the Queens Post that he was likely to step down, although not anytime soon.
A spokesperson for Constantinides did not confirm or deny the reports when called by the Queens Post. His office instead issued a general statement.
“Council Member Constantinides is focused on serving the people of District 22 and working to pass comprehensive climate and resiliency legislation in his remaining time in office,” the statement read.
Constantinides’ current term is scheduled to conclude at the end of the year, and he can not run again due to term limits. His district includes Astoria, parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside and East Elmhurst as well as Rikers Island.
“It’s been my honor to serve the community I grew up in. I have a lot more to do before I leave office both in the district and for our environment. Just finished a hearing on air quality so nothing to report,” he wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
Constantinides and his wife both contracted COVID-19 in April, and they were both hospitalized for a time as they battled the virus.
“It was a really scary time… a very scary moment in our home,” he said in late April during a Facebook Live event.
On Tuesday afternoon, Constantinides responded to a Twitter message, saying “I’ve been doing telehealth with [Mount Sinai Health System] post-COVID center for a few months. They have helped me so much. Feeling [a lot] better than I was. Not 100% but way closer than in mid-2020.”
If Constantinides were to step down, it would trigger a special election for his seat, a spokesperson for the City’s Board of Elections said. A primary and general election for the seat are already scheduled for June 22 and Nov. 2 respectively.
Campaign finance listings show that there are several candidates vying for the District 22 position, the list currently includes Tiffany Cabán, Evie Hantzopoulos, Leonardo Bullaro, Felicia Kalan and Nick Velkov.
