He officially ended the Golden age.
Republican Marty Golden formally conceded his Southern Brooklyn seat of sixteen years to Democratic rival and state Senator–elect Andrew Gounardes on Monday, 13 days after Gounardes claimed an Election Day victory in the race to represent the state’s 22nd Senate district, which includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park, and Midwood.
“I congratulate Andrew Gounardes and wish him well in his service to the people of the 22nd state Senate District,” state Sen. Golden said.
Days after the highly anticipated race, Golden on Nov. 8 vowed not to bow out until election officials counted every ballot, even after Gounardes pulled ahead by more than 1,100 votes, according to the most-recent data from the state Board of Elections, which does not yet reflect more than 1,800 absentee ballots cast in the district.
Officials with the Kings County Board of Elections accepted those ballots through Nov. 13, and began counting them the following day, but reps for the state and local board did not immediately comment when asked about the status of the abentee-ballot count.
A rep for the state board, however, previously told this newspaper that the county board has until Dec. 3 to finish its count, before the state board’s Dec. 14 deadline to certify the results.
Golden, a former cop whose general election-loss is the pol’s first in his eight terms as a representative in Albany’s upper house, said he is proud of his record as a legislator, and that he looks forward to continuing to serve his district as a private citizen.
“I am so proud of what I have accomplished for my city, my state, and the neighbors I have been honored to represent,” Golden said. “Although we came up just short this election, I am grateful my career in public service has been full of much success as a police officer and as an elected official. As I think of the future, my supporters, neighbors, and friends can be sure that I will still always look for opportunities to make our neighborhoods an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”
And Gounardes promised to work with the outgoing pol to ensure a smooth transition, so that he can hit the ground running upon taking office in Albany in January.
“Now that the election is over, I am grateful to people of Southern Brooklyn for their support, and humbled by their trust in me to be our community’s voice in Albany,” he said. “I look forward to coordinating with Sen. Golden on a smooth transition between now and January, so that our community can come together and move forward.”
