Forest Hills Senator Flips On Gay Marriage Vote

At a press conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday, Forest Hills State Sen. Joe Addabbo announced he is planning to vote “yes” on a possible marriage equality vote in the current legislative session.

Addabbo put out a call to constituents in the form of a newsletter survey, asking residents of his district to respond either in favor of or against marriage equality for same-sex couples.

"As always, Senator Addabbo listened to his people and put their interest before his own," said spokeswoman Judy Close in a statement. "Over 6,000 constituents gave their input on the issue of marriage equality. The Senator was prepared to vote even if that vote was contrary to his own personal belief."

According to information from Addabbo’s office, the survey came back overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality.

Of more than 6,000 constituents responding, 4,839 supported equal marriage, while 1,176 residents of the 15th Senate District were against it.

The poll, Addabbo’s office said, proved to be a lightning rod in the district, outperforming the usual number of responses by a factor of ten.

Addabbo’s switch came on the same day as two other Democrats Shirley Huntley,  D-Jamaica, and Carl Kruger, D-Brooklyn and one Republican, James Alesi, R-Rochester.

The vote now depends on the decision of four undecided state senators.