He was a budget analyst for the
New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget. He then served as chief counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, a subcommittee chaired by
Charles Schumer. Yassky was a member of the faculty of the
Brooklyn Law School.
City Council Yassky was elected to the
New York City Council in 2001, representing the
33rd district, which includes parts of
downtown Brooklyn, including
Brooklyn Heights,
Greenpoint,
Williamsburg,
DUMBO,
Boerum Hill and
Park Slope. He was chair of the Council's Small Business Committee. Yassky was one of 29 council members who voted in 2008 to extend
term limits for themselves effectively ignoring two previous public votes imposing a limit of two terms. Hours before the final vote on term limits, Yassky proposed an amendment from the floor that would have altered the legislation to require approval by popular vote before term limits could change. The amendment failed by a vote of 28-22, but Yassky voted for the extension anyway. The area had been represented by politicians of African or Caribbean descent since the election of
Shirley Chisholm in 1968. In August 2006,
The New York Times endorsed Yassky, citing his "stellar record on the Council" and criticizing his rivals for not making a substantial case for their election, and the Democratic leadership within Brooklyn for failing to find qualified Black candidates for this seat. In a primary election held on September 12, 2006, Yassky garnered 26% of the popular vote. The winner was
Yvette Clarke, with about 30%.
2009 Comptroller election In 2009, Yassky ran for the office of
New York City Comptroller. He was endorsed by
Ed Koch and his former boss, Sen. Charles Schumer.
The New York Times on August 23, 2009, attributed its endorsement to his "skill, intelligence, and independence." In the Democratic primary held on September 15, 2009, Yassky was the runner-up with 107,474 votes, or approximately 30% of the votes cast. He lost in the run-off with 44.4% of the vote to
John Liu, who had more support among union members and minority groups.
NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission Yassky was named chairman of the Taxi and Limousine Commission in 2010. During his tenure he promoted the Taxi of Tomorrow program, which required the variety of the automobiles making up the 13,000 NYC yellow cabs to be replaced by the
Nissan NV200. By 2018, only 2,671 of the 12,000 medallion holder were driving the NV200 and the requirement was reversed, stating that the reversal was intended to give drivers more choices.
The New York Times noted that "the decision [came] at a time when the yellow taxi industry is in financial free-fall, decimated by the extraordinary rise of ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft." Yassky quit the TLC in 2013 after incoming mayor
Bill de Blasio announced his intention to replace him.
Pace University School of Law Yassky became dean of
Pace University School of Law in April 2014. Yassky stepped down as dean in 2018. Yassky briefly campaigned for a State Senate seat, and when the Pace faculty and students learned of this, he told the Pace faculty that he knew he would not be selected for the seat. ==Personal life==