Nolan won’t seek reelection: Report
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Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, who has served in the State Legislature for nearly 40 years, won’t seek reelection this year, Newsday reported. AP file photo by Hans Pennink
By Jacob Kaye
Assemblymember Catherine Nolan will put an end to her nearly 40 year career in the State Legislature when she retires at the end of the year, Newsday reported Friday.
Nolan, who has represented a portion of Northwest Queens for 38 years, will not seek reelection in Assembly District 37 this year.
"A number of issues we worked on have been resolved," Nolan told the outlet. "There are still things we need to do, but it needs to be a new person."
Nolan did not respond to request for comment.
The Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Astoria, Woodside, Long Island City and Maspeth representative was diagnosed with cancer a year ago but told Newsday that she was currently stable.
Nolan began her career in the Assembly as a 26-year-old in 1985. She’s served on a number of powerful committees throughout her career, including the Rules and Ways and Means Committees. She currently serves as the deputy speaker of the Assembly.
A number of Nolan’s colleagues in government shared thoughts on her four decades of service Friday.
“Assemblywoman Nolan will forever be known as someone who blazed trails for many other women to serve in elected office,” former City Councilmember Jimmy Van Brammer said on Twitter. “She fought for decades on behalf of the people of the 37th AD [and] we should all thank her for her service.”
Assemblyman David Weprin, whose father and brother also worked alongside Nolan, said he would be sad to see her go.
“We have a longstanding relationship going back many, many years and I consider her a good friend and she was a great mentor to me when I first came to the Assembly,” Weprin told the Eagle. “I’m sorry to see her leaving – I think it will be a great loss for the institution, in general.”
Nolan’s retirement creates an opening in the district, which has been changed to include less of Long Island City and more of Sunnyside, Woodside and Ridgewood under the recently passed redistricting maps.
Émilia Decaudin, a Queens district leader and Democratic Socialists of America member, is strongly considering a run for the seat, a source with knowledge of the campaign told the Eagle. If elected, Decaudin would become the first openly transgender person to serve in the legislature.
The district largely overlaps with the newly created State Senate District 17. Kristen Gonzalez, a DSA member, was the first and is currently the only person to begin campaigning for the seat.
Huge Ma, the creator of TurboVax, and Mary Jobaida, who previously ran for the seat, announced bids for the seat earlier this year, only to drop out within the past couple of months.
Ma dropped out of the race earlier this month, citing the new electoral lines which would take his home out of the district – in a redistricting year, however, a candidate only needs to live within the county the seat their running for is located.
Jobaida, who was around 1,500 votes shy of beating Nolan in a primary challenge in 2020, dropped out of the race because of a family emergency. She told the Eagle Friday that she won’t restart her campaign, despite Nolan’s announcement.
