By Matthew Monks
A former 35th Assembly District leader , Mavromatis suffered from pancreatic cancer. “He was very active in the community,” Community Board 1 District Manager George Delis. “He went out of his way to help people.” Delis said Mavromatis had a hand in just about every local civic: he helped found the Hellenic Neighborhood Action Committee and was active in Ditmars' United Community Civic Association. Mavromatis was a tireless networker, Delis said, known for calling officials to exchange favors and promote local residents for jobs. “There are so few people that really get involved like Archie and he'll really be missed that way,” Delis said. State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said Mavromatis helped him jump-start his career during the late 1980s, after the assemblyman joined his Liberty Democratic Club, which held local town halls and voter registration drives. “He was very involved in my career,” Gianaris said. “It's a real loss. His impact on the community will be felt for a long time.” He held several jobs throughout his life, most recently as a deputy chief contracting officer with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In the 1980s, he worked for the office of Queens Borough President Donald Manes. Mavromatis made one bid for a state office in 1992, losing a close race for the Assembly to incumbent Denis Butler (D-Astoria).Delis said it was one of the great upsets of his life. “He never reached his political potential and it was sad,” Delis said. Mavromatis also had a highly active spiritual life. Gianaris said he once considered becoming a priest and attended seminary school. He was intimately involved with St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, where he was recently named as an archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the church's highest honor – for his extensive service to the church. Archbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, paid Mavromatis a visit last month at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in Manhattan, where he was undergoing cancer treatment. Mavromatis is survived by his wife Mary and daughter Stephanie Resvanis. His funeral was held Saturday at St. Demetrios in Astoria. Reach reporter Matthew Monks at news@timesledger.com or 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
