Tony Simone has been a visible player, dating back 25 years, in LGBTQ, political, and non-profit circles in New York. He has worked on the staffs of the late State Senator Catherine Abate, former State Comptroller Carl McCall, and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; served on Hillary Clinton’s 2000 US Senate campaign and volunteered in Quinn’s several Council runs as well as her 2013 mayoral campaign; and worked at non-profits including People for the American Way and Hudson River Park Friends.
Now, the 52-year-old Democrat is looking to seize a first-in-his-lifetime opportunity — succeeding State Assemblymember Dick Gottfried in representing Manhattan’s District 75, which encompasses Chelsea and portions of Hell’s Kitchen and the West 60s. Simone was born less than a year before Gottfried — who in December announced his retirement effective at the end of this year — first assumed office.
