Vickie Paladino: Biography
Vickie Albrizio Paladino was born on October 28, 1954, in Whitestone, Queens, New York, to an Italian-American working-class family 1. Her father was a World War II veteran who died when she was six years old, leaving her mother to raise Paladino and her three sisters and one brother on her own 2. Paladino has described that experience as formative, crediting it with teaching her the importance of family and community during difficult periods 3.
Paladino attended Flushing High School, where she earned her diploma . Rather than pursuing a college degree, she entered the workforce and spent the next several decades building a life rooted in northeast Queens. She owned an interior goods factory in College Point and co-owned a landscaping business with her husband . Together, they raised two sons, including Thomas Paladino Jr., who would later become her political spokesperson and campaign strategist . The family has resided in Whitestone for over 45 years 7.
Before entering electoral politics, Paladino spent nearly 40 years focused on her family and small businesses in the district 8. She became increasingly involved in community activism over time, developing a reputation in northeast Queens for confronting political figures she viewed as failing the neighborhood. Her entry into the political spotlight came during the summer of 2017, when NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was fatally shot in the Bronx. At the time, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio was traveling in Germany to attend a G20 summit protest. Paladino, returning from a nail salon, stopped at a public appearance by de Blasio and confronted him, telling him she wanted to know why he had let police officers down by leaving the country during a crisis . Video of the exchange circulated widely and launched Paladino into public awareness .
That confrontation led to her involvement with Bo Dietl's 2017 mayoral campaign, and eventually to her own run for the New York State Senate District 11 seat in 2018 . She won the Republican primary that year, defeating Queens GOP-endorsed candidate Simon Minching, but lost the general election to Democrat John Liu, who captured 54 percent of the vote compared to Paladino's 24 percent .
In 2021, Paladino ran for the New York City Council in District 19, a northeast Queens seat covering Whitestone, College Point, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, and parts of Flushing. She again won her Republican primary against a party-backed opponent and went on to defeat Democrat Tony Avella in the general election by approximately 390 votes, one of the narrowest victories in the city that year . She was re-elected in 2023 with roughly 54 percent of the vote in a rematch against Avella, and won a third term in 2025 by defeating Democrat Ben Chou with 57.8 percent of the vote . In February 2025, she was appointed Minority Whip of the New York City Council .
Paladino is a registered Republican and a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Her legislative priorities center on public safety and support for law enforcement, small business advocacy, quality-of-life enforcement, and government accountability 16. She has become one of the most prominent conservative voices in New York City government, drawing both strong support from constituents in her district and widespread criticism from colleagues and advocacy groups for her social media activity and confrontational public style .
Overview
Vickie Albrizio Paladino was born on October 28, 1954, in Whitestone, Queens, New York, to an Italian-American working-class family 1. Her father was a World War II veteran who died when she was six years old, leaving her mother to raise Paladino and her three sisters and one brother on her own 2. Paladino has described that experience as formative, crediting it with teaching her the importance of family and community during difficult periods 3.
Paladino attended Flushing High School, where she earned her diploma . Rather than pursuing a college degree, she entered the workforce and spent the next several decades building a life rooted in northeast Queens. She owned an interior goods factory in College Point and co-owned a landscaping business with her husband . Together, they raised two sons, including Thomas Paladino Jr., who would later become her political spokesperson and campaign strategist . The family has resided in Whitestone for over 45 years 7.
Before entering electoral politics, Paladino spent nearly 40 years focused on her family and small businesses in the district 8. She became increasingly involved in community activism over time, developing a reputation in northeast Queens for confronting political figures she viewed as failing the neighborhood. Her entry into the political spotlight came during the summer of 2017, when NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was fatally shot in the Bronx. At the time, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio was traveling in Germany to attend a G20 summit protest. Paladino, returning from a nail salon, stopped at a public appearance by de Blasio and confronted him, telling him she wanted to know why he had let police officers down by leaving the country during a crisis . Video of the exchange circulated widely and launched Paladino into public awareness .
That confrontation led to her involvement with Bo Dietl's 2017 mayoral campaign, and eventually to her own run for the New York State Senate District 11 seat in 2018 . She won the Republican primary that year, defeating Queens GOP-endorsed candidate Simon Minching, but lost the general election to Democrat John Liu, who captured 54 percent of the vote compared to Paladino's 24 percent .
In 2021, Paladino ran for the New York City Council in District 19, a northeast Queens seat covering Whitestone, College Point, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, and parts of Flushing. She again won her Republican primary against a party-backed opponent and went on to defeat Democrat Tony Avella in the general election by approximately 390 votes, one of the narrowest victories in the city that year . She was re-elected in 2023 with roughly 54 percent of the vote in a rematch against Avella, and won a third term in 2025 by defeating Democrat Ben Chou with 57.8 percent of the vote . In February 2025, she was appointed Minority Whip of the New York City Council .
Paladino is a registered Republican and a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Her legislative priorities center on public safety and support for law enforcement, small business advocacy, quality-of-life enforcement, and government accountability 16. She has become one of the most prominent conservative voices in New York City government, drawing both strong support from constituents in her district and widespread criticism from colleagues and advocacy groups for her social media activity and confrontational public style .