Vickie Paladino: Career Timeline
Pre-Political Career
Vickie Paladino spent nearly four decades in the private sector before entering politics. After graduating from Flushing High School, she owned and operated an interior goods factory in College Point, Queens, and co-owned a landscaping business with her husband . During this period, she also became active in community affairs in northeast Queens, establishing herself as a vocal advocate on local quality-of-life issues 2.
Public Emergence
Paladino's political career began in the summer of 2017 when she confronted then-Mayor Bill de Blasio at a public event. She criticized de Blasio for traveling to Germany to attend a G20 summit protest the day after NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was fatally shot in the Bronx . Video footage of the confrontation was broadcast by NY1 and CBS News, earning Paladino local media attention and a following among conservative voters in Queens . She subsequently joined Bo Dietl's independent mayoral campaign that year .
New York State Senate Race
Building on her newfound public profile, Paladino ran for the State Senate District 11 seat in northeast Queens. She defeated Queens GOP-endorsed candidate Simon Minching in the September 2018 Republican primary with 1,640 votes to Minching's 1,220 . In the November general election, she finished second in a four-way race, receiving 24 percent of the vote. Democrat John Liu won the seat with 54 percent, while incumbent Tony Avella, running on third-party lines after losing the Democratic primary, received 21 percent .
Elected to New York City Council
Paladino ran for the New York City Council District 19 seat in 2021. Once again running against the preference of the Queens County Republican Party, she won the GOP primary and advanced to the general election against Democrat Tony Avella, a former state senator and former city council member . Paladino won the general election by approximately 390 votes, capturing 47.2 percent of the vote in one of the closest council races citywide that year . The seat was one of the few that Republicans gained from Democrats in the 2021 cycle .
First Term in Office
Paladino took office in January 2022. On her first day, she declined to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and was initially barred from entering the council chamber. She later received a religious exemption and was permitted to participate in person . During her first term, she sponsored legislation related to COVID-19 policy, including bills requiring the Department of Education to report on criteria for school mask mandates . In August 2022, a video of Paladino confronting an alleged squatter at a house in College Point went viral, further raising her profile .
Re-Election and Committee Removal
In March 2023, Paladino was removed from the City Council's Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in response to her June 2022 remarks about Drag Queen Story Hour, which she had characterized as harmful to children . Despite the committee removal, Paladino won re-election in November 2023, defeating Avella in a rematch with approximately 54 percent of the vote . The 2023 term was limited to two years due to redistricting-related scheduling adjustments following the 2020 census .
Gaza War Response and Continued Advocacy
During 2024, Paladino became a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian campus protests. In May 2024, following mass arrests at New York University, she described student protesters in inflammatory terms on social media and called for institutional accountability at universities . She also continued her opposition to congestion pricing, bike lane expansion, and what she described as progressive overreach in city governance .
Third Election Victory and Leadership Role
On February 7, 2025, Paladino was appointed Minority Whip of the New York City Council after fellow Republican Joann Ariola was elevated to Minority Leader . In June 2025, Paladino called for the deportation of then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, drawing widespread condemnation . On November 4, 2025, she won re-election to a four-year term, defeating Democrat Ben Chou with 57.8 percent of the vote . Following the December 2025 Bondi Beach shooting during a Hanukkah celebration, Paladino posted remarks calling for the removal of Muslims from western countries, prompting the Council's Progressive Caucus to demand her censure .
Ethics Charges and Settlement
In January 2026, Council Speaker Julie Menin removed Paladino from five of the seven committees she had previously served on and referred her social media conduct to the Standards and Ethics Committee . In March 2026, the committee voted to charge Paladino with disorderly behavior and violating the council's anti-harassment and discrimination policy . Paladino and attorney Jim Walden filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the council. In May 2026, both sides reached a settlement: Paladino agreed to delete three posts, remove her council title from her personal X account, and issue a public statement, while the council withdrew the disciplinary charges .