Senator 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 to the State Senate in November 2018.
 
Born and raised in Bay Ridge, Senator Gounardes’ passion for public service began as an aide to former City Councilmember Vincent Gentile. and as a Legislative Aide for Investigations in the United States Senate.  Prior to being elected, he served as Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, one of the largest municipal pension funds in the country. 
 
As an attorney and community advocate, Senator Gounardes’ experience taught him that no one can accomplish anything good by themselves:  It takes a community willing to unite, organize, and stand together to help our neighborhoods thrive. 
 
Following Superstorm Sandy, Andrew co-founded Bay Ridge Cares, an organization that prepared 25,000 hot meals for victims after the storm. Today, it still supports community members facing extraordinary need by providing them with emergency assistance. As a member of the Riders Alliance, he organized and formed the Concerned R Train Riders to fight for better service and demand handicapped accessible subway stations in South Brooklyn. Senator Gounardes also worked with Bay Ridge Advocates for Keeping Everyone Safe (B.R.A.K.E.S.) and successfully pressured lawmakers to allow speed cameras in school zones. And because he strongly believes in the importance of art and culture in our neighborhoods, Senator Gounardes served as pro bono legal counsel for the Bay Ridge Storefront Art Walk (S.A.W.), and also as past president of the Bay Ridge Historical Society.
 
In addition to his local and citywide involvement, Andrew is active at a national level on issues affecting the Greek community. He is a member of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, a network of Greek-American leaders from across the United States that promote civic involvement, human rights, and democratic values in and between the United States and Greece. Additionally, he is a founding member of the St. Andrew’s Freedom Forum, an international initiative that raises awareness of the denial of human rights and religious liberties of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church and recognizes human rights and religious freedom defenders throughout the world. Andrew has sat on the Board of Directors of Saint Basil Academy, a licensed resident child care facility for children who are orphaned or come from broken homes across the United States.
 
Senator Gounardes graduated from Fort Hamilton High School before going on to earn degrees from Hunter College and the George Washington University Law School.   He is honored to represent the 22nd District and fight for the issues most important to the constituents of Southern Brooklyn.