[2] On the City Council, Gioia advocated for the poor, and wrote laws to help alleviate child hunger and to protect the environment.

He served as Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee of the New York City Council, in which capacity he conducted over 50 investigations, leading to the passage of laws which protect homeless people with HIV and AIDS, ensure the availability of emergency contraception, increase government accountability and transparency, and encourage voter registration among young people.

[3] He led a campaign to get more New Yorkers to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and passed legislation strengthening the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

Far too many New Yorkers make impossible choices among health care for their children, paying their rent or putting food on the table on a daily basis.

Con Edison's slow response and misleading information about the extent of the blackout led Gioia to criticize the company and its CEO, Kevin Burke.

To improve efficiency, Gioia lobbied Con Ed to implement a smart grid, commenting that "new digital technology - called Smart Meters - has allowed customers elsewhere to cut their bills by 10%, but here in New York, Con Ed continues to rely on 19th century technology to power a 21st century city.

[12] Fire Department of New York radios failed in the Twin Towers during the rescue operations immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

After leaving the City Council, Gioia accepted a position as Vice President of J.P Morgan Chase's private bank.