New York City Council member David Weprin plans to run for his brother’s seat in the New York State Assembly.
Weprin, who has chaired the council’s finance committee during his eight-year tenure, was knocked out of a primary this year to become the next city comptroller. Fellow Democrat John Liu was elected to the office this month.
If Weprin is elected to the Assembly, he and his brother Mark Weprin will have effectively switched jobs. Mark was elected this month to his brother’s City Council seat.
“It wasn’t planned that way,” David Weprin said. “I didn’t spend $3.5 million running for an Assembly seat.”
After Mark Weprin has vacated his seat in the 24th District and been sworn in to the City Council in January, Gov. David Paterson will have to call a special election. David Weprin said he expected the election to be in February and that he knew the local issues in the Assembly district in Eastern Queens because it overlaps his council district by about 80%.
David Weprin, who is an investment banker at Sterne, Agee & Leach Inc., said he would like to get involved in helping resolve the state’s fiscal woes.
“I would hope that because of my background as head of the finance committee for eight years, because there are major budget challenges coming up, that would allow me to at least play a role,” David Weprin said. “I realize the seniority system is more established in Albany, although those things tend to change.”
David Weprin said that if elected, he planned to continue his work at Sterne Agee and would look to the state ethics commission for guidance on what extent he would be able to work on bond deals in the state.
“First of all, I’ve got to get elected,” he added.
