Michael G. DenDekker (born July 11, 1961)
is an American politician and former
assemblyman for the
state of New York's 34th district, which included the neighborhoods of
Woodside,
Jackson Heights, and
East Elmhurst, all in the Borough and County of
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
.
Education and career
DenDekker was born in Jackson Heights, attending Our Lady of Fatima Grammar School and
Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School. He attended the
State University of New York at Farmingdale
The State University of New York at Farmingdale (Farmingdale State College or SUNY Farmingdale) is a public college in East Farmingdale, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college was chartered in 1912 as a school of ap ...
, majoring in automotive technology.
After college he worked as a banquet manager for a caterer and an account representative for
MetLife. He joined the
New York City Department of Sanitation
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal.
The DSNY motto "New York's Strongest" was coined ...
in 1995, where he was promoted to supervisor in March 2001. Later that year he was assigned to the
New York City Office of Emergency Management
New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) (formerly the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM)) was originally formed in 1996 as part of the Mayor's Office under Rudolph W. Giuliani. By a vote of city residents in 2001 it became an ...
as a public information officer and in 2003 he also became a special projects coordinator. He retired from the Sanitation Department and his assignment at OEM in 2006, after which he was a facilities manager for the
New York City Council.
From 1998 to 2002, he worked as a part-time district representative for State Assembly member
Margaret Markey
Margaret M. Markey (born November 4, 1941) is an American politician who formerly represented District 30 in the New York State Assembly, which is made up of Maspeth and Woodside, as well as portions of Middle Village, Astoria, Sunnyside and ...
. After longtime Assemblyman
Ivan Lafayette
Ivan C. Lafayette (July 28, 1930 – October 4, 2016) was an American politician who represented the 34th District in the New York State Assembly, which comprises portions of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. He served as Deputy Speaker of ...
decided not to run for reelection, DenDekker ran for the seat. He won uncontested
general elections in 2008 and 2010.
Legislative career
DenDekker attracted public attention with two bills he proposed in February 2011 that would have required all
bicycles in New York to be registered, inspected, and given
license plate
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...
s for a mandatory US $25 fee. DenDekker proposed the idea as an attempt to draw attention to bicyclists who violate existing state laws and to generate revenue for the state. After significant objections from his colleagues, constituents and local clerks, DenDekker withdrew the bill.
In May 2010, DenDekker introduced a bill to develop a
cigarette butt recycling program and require a minimum deposit of one cent per
cigarette.
In 2020, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
opponent
Jessica González-Rojas.
Personal life
DenDekker and his wife Angela have four children: Michael, Linda, Elizabeth, and Jason.
His step-daughter, Elizabeth Delaney, died on March 11, 2012. He has three grandchildren Jasen, Vincent, and Justin. He occasionally works as an actor, has appeared in several movies and TV shows—including the first two seasons of
Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, a ...
, as a Detective—and is a member of the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
.
official acting website
References
External links
New York State Assembly: Michael G. DenDekker
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dendekker, Michael
1961 births
Living people
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
People from Jackson Heights, Queens
Farmingdale State College alumni
21st-century American politicians
New York City Emergency Management
People from Elmhurst, Queens