Andrew Gounardes

State Senator Andrew Gounardes represents New York’s 22nd State Senate District, which includes the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Marine Park. He was elected in November 2018. He is Chair of the Committee on Civil Service & Pensions and has passed key legislation to expand services to 9/11 heroes and promote street safety, including the landmark school zone speed camera expansion to protect students and families. He is also a champion of the fight to fix the MTA and fund our public schools and universities.

Born and raised in Bay Ridge, Senator Gounardes graduated from Fort Hamilton High School and earned degrees from Hunter College and the George Washington University Law School. Senator Gounardes’ passion for public service began as an aide to former City Councilmember Vincent Gentile. He later served as Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for five years and a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, one of the largest municipal pension funds in the country. Guided by the principles of philoxenia, a Greek word meaning 'love of strangers,' he was active in the community long before being elected to office. Following Superstorm Sandy, Andrew co-founded Bay Ridge Cares, an organization that prepared 25,000 hot meals for victims after the storm. A community advocate, he worked with Riders Alliance and Bay Ridge Advocates for Keeping Everyone Safe (B.R.A.K.E.S.) to fight for better transportation and safer streets.