It’s Over! Street Safety Impediment Marty Golden Admits He’s a Loser

Here are some words we no longer have to write ever again: “State Senator Marty Golden.” “Street safety pariah and eight-term incumbent Marty Golden.” “Republican powerhouse Marty Golden.”

You can finally — officially — add “former” to all those adjectives describing the Bay Ridge Republican and, yes, street safety pariah, who on Monday conceded his re-election race to safety advocate Andrew Gounardes, who was ahead when polls closed on Election Day and never lost that lead.

“I congratulate Andrew Gounardes and wish him well in his service to the people of the 22nd State Senate District,” Golden said in a statement issued Monday, after the Board of Elections’ ongoing count of 1,800 or so absentee and paper ballots failed to close the 1,100-odd gap between the Democrat and the Republican.

“Although we came up just short this election, I am grateful my career in public service has been full of much success as a police officer and as an elected official,” Golden continued. “As I think of the future, my supporters, neighbors and friends can be sure that I will still always look for opportunities to make our neighborhoods an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”

For his part, Gounardes issued a statement via Twitter thanking voters and describing himself as “humbled by their trust in me to be our community’s voice in Albany.”

He was also conciliatory towards Golden, thanking him for “his many years of service to our community.”

Gounardes has to be diplomatic because he’s a politician, but Streetsblog is not. Golden’s “service” consisted of an almost all-out war on efforts to make our streets safer and more livable. So here is how we will always remember Marty Golden:

Here he is trying to undermine speed cameras.

Here he is getting caught speeding multiple times while still claiming he supported speed cameras.

Here he is impersonating a cop to intimidate a cyclist.

Here he is siccing a lawyer on street safety advocates.

Here he is arguing that pedestrians are the problem.

Here he is fighting so that people can park in what should be bus lanes.

Here he is not supporting a reduction in the speed limit.

Here he is going full berserk to protest a proven street-safety improvement on a roadway in his district where several people were killed and maimed by speeders.

Here he is running down a pedestrian, who later died having never left the hospital.

It all adds up to one thing: Marty Golden is now retired.