Bob Holden hopes his chief of staff will decide to run for his Queens seat

Democratic teachers union strategist Dermot Smyth officially launched his campaign for City Council this week. He’s running in the southwestern Queens district currently represented by conservative Democrat Bob Holden, who is term-limited out at the end of 2025. Smyth’s campaign launch press release included endorsements from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Rep. Tom Suozzi and Assembly Members Andrew Hevesi and Alycia Hyndman. Micah Lasher, who is all but guaranteed to be in the Assembly next year, also shared his support for Smyth on X. 

One person who hasn’t endorsed Smyth? Holden. 

That’s because Holden is hopeful his chief of staff Daniel Kurzyna will run for the seat, City & State has learned. Smyth and Holden have a good relationship, but the council member has declined to weigh in on his candidacy. “I have known Bob for many years, and while we may not agree on all things, I think he was good for the district,” Smyth said. “When or if he will weigh in is totally up to him.” 

With the primary more than a year away, Kurzyna told City & State he still has not made a final decision about whether to run for his boss’s seat. If he does run, he will join a strong tradition of City Council staffers ascending to become members. Manhattan and Bronx City Council Member Diana Ayala recently said she’d love her chief of staff Elsie Encarnacion to replace her in what is shaping up to be another competitive race. 

Republican Jonathan Rinaldi, an anti-vaccine activist known for harassing elected officials at their offices, has also opened a campaign account for Holden’s seat.