Aubry confirms retirement, endorses candidate to replace him
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State Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry said on Tuesday that his current term will be his last, and that he’ll retire at the end of 2024. File photo via Aubry/NYS Assembly
By Jacob Kaye
Longtime Western Queens Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry confirmed on Tuesday that his long-rumored retirement will come at the end of his current term in December 2024.
In announcing his retirement, the 75-year-old Aubry said that he was endorsing Larinda Hooks, a district leader and community organizer, in the race to replace him.
The announcement of Aubry’s retirement, which comes nearly 32 years after he first took office, focused little on the impending end to the longtime lawmaker’s career. Instead, it focused on his endorsement of Hooks, who will likely face off in the Democratic primary for Assembly District 35 against perennial candidate Hiram Monserrate, who was booted from the State Senate in 2010 after being convicted of a reckless assault misdemeanor charge, and who later served time in federal prison for public corruption charges stemming from his time in the City Council.
Aubry, one of the most powerful Democrats in the state legislature, said Hooks “has been a leader and vocal advocate on issues impacting our youth, our seniors, and our quality-of-life for decades.”
“I’ve worked closely with her to deliver for our communities and I can promise you that she is the most honest, experienced, and qualified candidate in this race,” Aubry said in a Tuesday statement. “She is the only Democrat I trust to fight for our values, unite our diverse communities, and deliver for working families.”
Aubry did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Hooks, who currently serves as the director of senior services and economic development at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc., said in a statement that she had “dedicated my life and career to making our neighborhoods safer and stronger so all our families can succeed and thrive,” adding that she was running for Assembly to “deliver on the quality-of-life issues impacting our communities.”
She also appeared to take aim at Monserrate, who has yet to formally announce his campaign but has already filed to run with the state’s Campaign Finance Board.
“We deserve an assemblymember who knows how to unite our diverse communities, build coalitions, work collaboratively, and deliver the resources we need and deserve,” Hooks said in her statement. “The divisive rhetoric from those who seek to divide us must not triumph. We deserve better. That’s why I’m running for Assembly and I’m excited to share my vision and values with local residents in the coming months.”
Hooks did not respond to further requests for comment on Tuesday.
Monserrate, who challenged and lost to Aubry in both 2020 and 2022, declined to comment on his own run for office when contacted by the Eagle on Tuesday. He also declined to comment on Aubry’s endorsement of Hooks.
Instead he issued a public “thank you” to Aubry, who beat Monserrate by 30 percentage points in 2020 and around 23 percentage points two years later.
“He's done a lot of years of public service and we thank him, and we wish him well,” Monserrate said.
Aubry was first elected to the Assembly in a special election in 1992. But before his ascension to public office, Aubry worked in the borough president’s office, the city’s Economic Development Corporation and at Elmcor, like Hooks.
His three decades in the Assembly saw him sit on various committees and work on a number of landmark issues.
As the chair of the Corrections Committee, Aubry worked to significantly scale back the Rockefeller Drug Laws, essentially eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of drug offenses.
Over the years, he rose in stature to serve as one of the most powerful Democrats in Albany. He currently serves as speaker pro tempore.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, State Senator Jessica Ramos, who shares a large number of constituents with Aubry, celebrated her Assembly counterpart’s career.
“East Elmhurst will be forever indebted to AM Aubry’s service,” Ramos said. “He fought to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws, support young people and seniors, and championed our community’s rich cultural history.”
“His legacy is in excellent hands with Larinda Hooks,” she added.
Larinda Hooks, a district leader and director of senior services and economic development at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, was endorsed by Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry to serve as his replacement when he retires at the end of 2024. Photo via Elmcor
The primary for the open seat in Assembly District 35, which includes parts of Corona, East Elmhurst, LeFrak City, Forest Hills and Rego Park, is still half a year away.
Political strategist Trip Yang said the race – if it remains one between Monserrate and Hooks – reminds him in some ways of the 2017 race for City Council District 21 between Monserrate and now-Councilmember Francisco Moya.
Moya, who had previously served in the Assembly, had received the backing of the county’s Democratic party and other top officials in the city, as well as labor unions, in a way that Yang said was “really uncommon” in a local race.
“You could see some of this energy being replicated in 2024 [for Hooks],” Yang said. “You may see Assemblymember Aubry and the Queen's Democratic Party really marshaling and mobilizing the city's Democrats and labor class in a way that does not often suit a single Assembly race.”
Also likely playing a factor in the contest will be race.
Aubry is currently the only Black elected official representing Northwest Queens, an area that has seen its Latino population grow significantly over the past several decades though a substantial Black population remains.
Yang said that Hooks, who is Black, could be seen by voters as a person that could keep “this aspect of diverse representation” alive.
“It's gonna be important for many folks in the community,” Yang said.
The primary for the seat is expected to be held in June.
