Vickie Paladino: Relationships

Family

Paladino's most significant political relationship is with her son, Thomas Paladino Jr., who serves as her chief strategist, spokesperson, and social media co-author. Thomas has managed her campaign operations since her 2018 state Senate race and is widely known in New York political circles as the primary writer of many of her posts on X . Their working dynamic involves collaborative development of social media content: According to a City & State NY profile, ideas for posts originate from both mother and son, and they discuss the angle and framing before Thomas drafts the final version .

Thomas has been a source of recurring controversy for Paladino's political operation. His activity on the far-right social media platform Gab drew scrutiny during the 2018 campaign . He was filmed confronting volunteers for Paladino's 2025 opponent at a polling site , and vehicles linked to him have accumulated numerous school-zone speeding violations . Despite these incidents, Paladino has continued to rely on Thomas as a central figure in her political team.

Paladino has been married to her husband Thomas Sr. for decades. The couple co-owned a landscaping business and raised two sons in Whitestone ⁶.

Republican Colleagues in the City Council

Within the City Council's Republican minority, Paladino is closely aligned with Joann Ariola, who was elected Minority Leader in February 2025 and subsequently appointed Paladino as Minority Whip . The two have co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation and have appeared together at press events on immigration, public safety, and quality-of-life issues ⁸.

Paladino has also worked alongside Councilmember David Carr and former Minority Leader Joe Borelli. In February 2024, she joined Borelli, Carr, and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis at a press conference calling on the city to reinstate NYPD cooperation with ICE ⁹. She is a member of the Common Sense Caucus, an informal grouping of the council's Republican members along with conservative-leaning Democrats Robert Holden and Kalman Yeger, both of whom voted against her removal from the Mental Health Committee in 2023 .

Queens County Republican Party

Paladino's relationship with the Queens County GOP has been complicated. In both her 2018 state Senate race and her 2021 City Council race, the county party endorsed her opponent rather than backing Paladino. She won the Republican primary both times despite lacking the party's endorsement, making her insurgent victories a centerpiece of her political narrative . By the time of her 2023 re-election, the Queens GOP and Paladino had reconciled, and the party has supported her subsequent campaigns .

Council Speakers

Paladino has had adversarial relationships with both Council Speakers under whom she has served. Adrienne Adams, who served as Speaker during Paladino's first two terms, removed her from the Mental Health Committee in March 2023 in response to her Drag Queen Story Hour remarks . Paladino nevertheless voted to support Julie Menin as Speaker in January 2026, only for Menin to subsequently remove her from five of seven committee assignments and refer her social media conduct for ethics review .

Zohran Mamdani

Paladino's most publicly contentious relationship has been with Zohran Mamdani, who served as a New York State Assemblymember before being elected Mayor of New York City in November 2025. Paladino called for Mamdani's deportation in June 2025, despite Mamdani being a naturalized U.S. citizen . After the December 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, she posted anti-Muslim remarks that prompted the Progressive Caucus to demand her censure . On election night 2025, upon hearing of Mamdani's mayoral victory, she publicly dismissed his authority and described his win as an attack on middle-class neighborhoods . Mamdani responded to Paladino's various statements through official channels, calling her remarks unacceptable for an elected official .

Shahana Hanif

Paladino clashed publicly with Brooklyn Councilmember Shahana Hanif in December 2023 over a potential Gaza ceasefire resolution. Hanif challenged Paladino to voice her pro-Israel positions in person rather than exclusively on social media . The exchange highlighted the broader ideological divide within the council over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Tony Avella

Former state senator and city council member Tony Avella served as Paladino's electoral rival in three separate races. She defeated him in the 2021 City Council general election by approximately 390 votes and again in 2023 by a substantially wider margin . The two campaigns were characterized by sharp personal attacks, with Avella accusing Paladino of ties to far-right extremists and Paladino dismissing Avella as a career politician who only appeared in the district at election time .

Nicole Malliotakis

Paladino has aligned herself with U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis, appearing at joint press events on immigration enforcement and public safety. Malliotakis represents a congressional district that partially overlaps with Paladino's council district in northeast Queens ²².