External links
- 19th District page on New York City Council site
Vickie Paladino | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York City Council from the 19th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Vallone |
| Minority Whip of the New York City Council | |
| Assumed office February 7,2025 | |
| Preceded by | Inna Vernikov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 28,1954 [1] New York City,New York,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Website | City Council website |
Vickie Albrizio Paladino (born October 28,1954) is an American politician from the state of New York. Paladino is a member of the New York City Council for the 19th district,a northeast Queens district that includes College Point,Whitestone,Bayside,Douglaston,Little Neck,and parts of Flushing. A member of the Republican Party,she was first elected to the City Council in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023 and 2025. Paladino was named minority whip of the City Council in February 2025.
Paladino is notable for her outspokenness;for her deeply conservative viewpoints;and for her opposition to pro-Palestinian protests during the Gaza War,squatter houses,Drag Queen Story Hour,congestion pricing,and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Paladino gained media attention in 2017 after she confronted then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a public appearance. Paladino,who was on her way home from a nail salon,stopped to shout at de Blasio for having traveled to Germany to attend a protest a day after a New York City police officer had been shot to death. Paladino told de Blasio,"'I want to know why you let your police officers down and our country down by going to Germany and protesting against our country'". [2] [3] [4]
Paladino ran for State Senate in 2018,but was defeated by Democrat John Liu. [3] After she spoke at a showing of Dinesh D’Souza’s Death of a Nation in 2018,Paladino approached some protesters and argued with them. A Proud Boy carried her away from the protesters;Paladino has said that she was rescued by the Proud Boy and that one protester had almost hit her with a belt. [5]
In 2021,Paladino narrowly defeated Democratic former State Senator Tony Avella to win election to the New York City Council. Her predecessor,Democrat Paul Vallone,was term-limited. [6] [7]
Paladino represents New York City's 19th City Council district,a northeast Queens district that includes College Point,Whitestone,Bayside,Douglaston,Little Neck,and parts of Flushing. [8]
On her first day at work as a member of the City Council,Paladino declined to provide proof that she had been vaccinated against COVID-19. After Paladino said,"'I don’t need to show you my papers... This is not Nazi Germany'",she was not allowed to enter the Council chamber. [3] Her statement was widely condemned for allegedly trivializing the Holocaust;she later apologized for it. [9] Paladino later participated in City Council proceedings online; [10] she was eventually granted a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate and was allowed to enter the Council chamber. [3]
A 2022 video of Paladino confronting an alleged squatter house resident went viral. [3] The video depicts Paladino telling a man that his house is "'a disgrace'";an exchange of profanities follows. Paladino then adds,"'You got an eviction notice... you’d better make sure you get out because we won’t have these goings-on in this neighborhood'". Paladino then asks the man if he is dealing drugs out of the house and what he is smoking;he responds,"'Weed'",and proceeds to blow marijuana smoke at her. [11] In 2025, City &State noted the following regarding Paladino and her 2022 squatter confrontation:
Months after his loss to her,Democratic former state Sen. Tony Avella said,"It may be necessary to create an unofficial government in exile in order to show the rest of the city [Paladino] does not properly represent Northeast Queens."
That’s the thing,though:She does represent Northeast Queens. Everything about the alleged squatter video –Paladino's nerve,her husky voice and her intolerance of the appearance of the man’s house and his blaséattitude –is just so Northeast Queens... [3]
Paladino was re-elected to the City Council in 2023,defeating Avella by a wide margin in a rematch. [12]
Paladino has a son,Thomas Paladino Jr.,who has worked as her spokesperson. In 2023,Paladino faced criticism when a vehicle allegedly owned by Thomas was parked in her driveway with an allegedly fraudulent license plate. Paladino had sponsored a bill to address the use of fake temporary plates on vehicles. [13]
On February 7,2025,Paladino was appointed minority whip of the New York City Council. [14] [15]
On November 4,2025,Paladino defeated Democrat Ben Chou and was re-elected. [16]
Paladino is known for her opposition to pro-Palestinian protests during the Gaza War, [12] squatter houses,COVID-19 vaccine mandates,and congestion pricing;her support for law enforcement,small businesses,and Donald Trump;her very conservative views;and her confrontational,outspoken personality. [3]
On May 3,2024,in response to campus protests against Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip,Paladino called college students "monsters" who must be "slayed" in New York City. [17]
In January 2025,in response to a report by a StreetsBlog NYC reporter on illegal parking on sidewalks by the New York City Police Department,Paladino posted on X that "'You can just tell when a guy has never been punched in the face'". An unnamed spokesperson for the New York City Council criticized Paladino's post,stating that her words were "'unacceptable and can lead to a dangerous escalation that undermines public safety'". [18]
In 2022,Paladino spoke out against the proposed use of the Hotel de Point as a migrant shelter. [19] In 2023,she opposed the use of the former St. Agnes Parochial School as a migrant shelter and worked toward the shelter's closure. [20]
Paladino is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. [21]
During her time on the New York City Council,Paladino has been a critic of bicyclists in New York City. She has called for bicyclists to carry liability insurance,register their bikes and carry license plates. [22]
Paladino has expressed support for the state of Israel and has called for Hamas to end the Gaza War by surrendering to Israel. [23] She has asserted that "'the progressives and anarchists marching through our streets,shutting down our bridges,harassing Jewish businesses,and taking over our universities FULLY support'" the actions taken by Hamas in its conflict with Israel. [24] In 2024,Paladino described American pro-Palestinian protesters as "'the worst people our society has ever produced'". [17]
In January 2025,Paladino–a "constant critic of congestion pricing"–posted information suggesting that laser pointers could be used to "permanently damage the cameras used to track drivers entering the new toll zone in Manhattan". [25]
Paladino has opposed the construction of a casino near Citi Field in Queens. [26]
Paladino has advocated for legislation to waive fees for gun permits and to delay reduction requirements regarding greenhouse gases. [27]
In March 2023,Paladino was removed from the City Council's Mental Health Committee in response to her 2022 comments about Drag Queen Story Hour, [28] a program in which drag performers read storybooks to children at schools and public libraries. Paladino had referred to the program as "'cultural indoctrination'" [29] and "'child grooming'". [30] Paladino added,"'Our kids are lagging in school... They are two and four years behind in basic education,math,reading,science,they need to get back to basics...and to concentrate our efforts on drag queens seems like a terrible waste of time and energy'". [31] [ better source needed ] Paladino received death threats following her 2022 remarks. [30]
On June 2,2025,Paladino called for the deportation of New York State Assemblymember and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. She made the comment via an X post,questioning his opinion of the United States and his political views. (Mamdani,a United States citizen who was naturalized in 2018,immigrated to the US from Uganda as a child.) [32] [33]
