Former Glen Cove Mayor Officially Running for Congress

Former Glen Cove Mayor Tom Suozzi announced Sunday that he is officially entering the race for the open spot in New York’s third congressional district.

Suozzi, who served as Glen Cove Mayor from 1994-2001 and as Nassau County Executive from 2002-2009, created the committee “Suozzi 2016” in January to possibly seek out a House seat.

Suozzi says he will be bring responsible reform and a track record of getting things done to Congress.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and other leaders endorsed Suozzi for Congress at a media event in Bayside on Sunday.

Suozzi filed papers with the Federal Election Commission in January to potentially take over the open spot in New York’s third congressional district after Rep. Steve Israel announced that he will not be running for re-election.

“The people deserve a successor that will carry on Steve Israel’s fantastic legacy of fighting for veterans and middle class families,” Suozzi said in January when he was still exploring candidacy.

The former mayor said his political career and the mistakes he learned during his time as a leader make him a solid candidate.

“There’s no question that the biggest problems we face in the country today are jobs that don’t pay well enough and issues that affect middle class families, like college affordability, and it’s such a burden to pay for college these days,” Suozzi told CBS New York.

Suozzi is a CPA and an attorney and is currently of counsel at Harris Beach law firm. He lives in Glen Cove with his wife and three children.