About Peter
Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. represents Astoria and the surrounding communities in the New York City Council and serves as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. As Chair, he has led the fight to stop cuts to the NYPD and put more officers in our local precincts. He has introduced legislation to keep illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of domestic violence offenders; to abolish the statute of limitations on child abuse offenders and rapists; and to make our anti-graffiti laws the toughest in the country. Vallone is leading the fight to get New York City the money it deserves from the state and federal governments so that New Yorkers will continue to be protected from criminals and terrorists.
As an Assistant District Attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney's office for over six years, Vallone successfully prosecuted various street crime matters and compiled an impressive trial record of 40 top count convictions against one acquittal.
As the father of two girls attending public school, he knows firsthand how important it is that every child has a safe learning environment. He wrote the law that put security cameras in all New York City public schools. He is a sponsor of legislation which would require the New York City Department of Education to provide security measures for nonpublic schools, which would allow schoolchildren to carry cellular phones to and from school for safety purposes. In addition to safety, he has given millions of dollars to local schools to improve facilities, install computers and ensure that afterschool programming serves the children.
Dubbed, ‘The Man Who Hates Graffiti,’ by the New York Times and ‘Graffiti Public Enemy No. 1’ by the Staten Island Advance, Vallone has waged a war against graffiti vandals. Recognized around the world as an anti-graffiti crusader, Vallone’s legislation has made it illegal to sell graffiti tools to minors and imposed a requirement that affects larger buildings and stores to clean graffiti from their property. Most recently, the Council overwhelmingly passed Vallone’s bill restricting the sale of etching acid. As the NYT recently said, “Mr. Vallone might be to graffiti what Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani was to squeegee men.”
He has been honored for his work to protect our most vulnerable, which includes awards from the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City, the Immaculate Conception Youth Program (ICYP), the League of Humane Voters, and countless other organizations.
As Pro Bono Counsel to C.H.O.K.E. (Coalition Helping Organize a Kleaner Environment), Vallone led the fight against the proliferation of power plants and represented C.H.O.K.E. and Astoria residents in court, winning a major victory against the New York Power Authority that lead to the closing of the Charles Poletti Power Plant in 2010, the worst polluter in the city. Vallone also wrote the landmark Plastic Bag Recycling Act, which established film and plastic bag recycling in New York City.
Vallone has been remarkably successful in bringing back resources and funding to the community because of the respect he has generated from his colleagues and peers.
• Mayor Michael Bloomberg – “[Vallone was] one of the first people I met when I decided to look at what public service would be like. He is a role model for all of us.”
• Queens Borough President Helen Marshall – “He’s doing a great job for our borough, for our city, and for our nation… and the most important thing is to be safe. Don’t mess with our safety or you’ll have to deal with this guy, he’s not going to tolerate it. Don’t we love him for that?”
• District Attorney Richard Brown – “He’s the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee of the City Council and together with the Mayor has been great in helping us keep our streets safe and to improve the quality of life within the county.”
An accomplished athlete, Vallone was invited to play against the Chinese National Ping-Pong team on ABC's Wide World of Sports, was Co-Captain of the Astoria Civic City Champion Football and Softball teams and continues to play as much indoor and beach volleyball as his busy schedule permits. He is also a professional musician, playing four instruments and an avid scuba diver. Vallone was born and raised in Astoria, Queens. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Fordham College and from Fordham Law School. He has two daughters, Catherine and Caroline.
