Queens Council Member resigns, will lead nonprofit

New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides will step down from elected office starting April 9 to lead a nonprofit in Queens, the Queens Daily Eagle reports. 

The term-limited Constantinides will serve as CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, a $3 million organization operating after-school, summer camp and other programs for youth in Western Queens.

“There are many ways to be a public servant that are not in elected office,” Constantinides said in a statement. “Many times that truth is forgotten by too many.”

Constantinides told the Queens Daily Eagle that ongoing health problems after his and his family’s battles with COVID-19 played into his decision to step down before the end of his term to take on the position with the local nonprofit. 

The timing of his resignation means that his seat will remain open until the November general election, with no special election to replace him beforehand. Many candidates have already been aiming to replace him, with six people running in the Democratic primary.

Numbering among those candidates are former Queens district attorney candidate and public defender Tiffany Cabán, attorney John Ciafone, former reporter Catherina Gioino and Department of Education official Leonardo Bullardo. Also in the running are two nonprofit leaders: Evie Hantzopolous, executive director of Global Kids, a youth-serving nonprofit, and Jaime Faye-Bean, executive director of the nonprofit Business Improvement District for Sunnyside.