Joe Lentol

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 byLucio Russo
Succeeded byEmily Gallagher
Constituency58th district (1973–1982)
50th district (1983–2020)
Personal details
Born
Joseph R. Lentol

(1943-01-15) January 15, 1943
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceBrooklyn, New York
EducationUniversity of Dayton (BA)
University of Baltimore (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life

Lentol was born on January 15, 1943, the son of State Senator and Supreme Court Justice Edward S. Lentol (1909–1981).

New York State Assembly

Lentol was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1972. He has served as Chairman of the Committee on Codes since 1992, and has previously served as Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Employees and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations.

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. 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.

Prior to his election, Lentol served as an Assistant District Attorney within Kings County.

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.

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] In April 2005, Lentol declared the death penalty bill "dead." [4]

2020 Democratic primary defeat

On 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. The election still needs to be certified by the New York State Board of Elections, but Lentol conceded on July 22, 2020.[5]

References
  1. Lentol, Joseph; Weinstein, Helene; Aubry, Jeffrion. "The Death Penalty in New York" (PDF). NYAssembly.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  2. Schneider, Bill. "One politician's change of opinion prompts changes". CNN. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. Lovett, Kenneth. "N.Y. DEATH PENALTY IS D.O.A." New York Post. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. Duggan, Kevin (22 July 2020). "Emily Gallagher Defeats Longtime North Brooklyn Assembly Incumbent Joe Lentol". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by
Lucio F. Russo		 New York State Assembly
58th District
1973–1982		 Succeeded by
Elizabeth Connelly
Preceded by
Florence M. Sullivan		 New York State Assembly
50th District
1983–present		 Incumbent
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