Ronald Castorina

Ronald Castorina, Jr. is a former Assembly member for the 62nd District of the New York State Assembly, where he served from May 10, 2016 to January 2, 2019. He is a Republican. The district includes the neighborhoods of Richmondtown, Todt Hill, Rossville, Annadale, Huguenot, Woodrow, Charleston, Tottenville, and Prince's Bay on the South Shore of Staten Island.

Ronald Castorina, Jr.
Judge of the New York City Civil Court, Richmond County
In office January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2030
Member of the New York Assembly from the 62nd District
In office May 10, 2016 – January 2, 2019
Preceded by	Joseph Borelli
Succeeded by	Michael Reilly
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	St. Francis College B.A. University of Buffalo J.D.

Life and career

Castorina was born and raised on Staten Island before attending St. Francis College and then the University of Buffalo to receive his J.D. degree. He is a member of the Army National Guard.[1]

Following his time at law school, Castorina worked as a counsel to New York City Councilmember Vincent Ignizio before becoming the Republican commissioner for the Staten Island Board of Elections for New York City. Castorina gained citywide attention when he sued the City Department of Education when it proposed taking school buses away from his district for middle schoolers.[2] In 2018, Castorina ran against Democratic Assemblyman Matthew Titone for Richmond County Surrogate Judge.[3] Castorina lost the race by a small margin.[3]

New York Assembly

In 2015, Castorina was chosen by the Staten Island Republican Party to replace former Assemblymember Joseph Borelli, who had resigned after winning the vacated New York City Council seat of Vincent Ignizio. While initially he faced two Republican challengers for the Republican nomination, Castorina went on to receive the endorsement from the party.[4] He ran unopposed in the April 19, 2016 special election and was sworn into office on May 10, 2016. He successfully ran for election in 2016. In May 2017, he was elected Chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, succeeding John Antoniello.

In 2016, during a speech on the Assembly floor, Castorina referred to abortion as "African-American genocide"; this remark drew the ire of some New York State Assembly colleagues that support abortion rights,[5] but was applauded by pro-life advocates.[6][7][8] Castorina along with Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis sued NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio concerning the IDNYC use by illegal aliens residing in NYC.[9]

References

1. "Ron Castorina resigns from Board of Elections to prep for Assembly run". Staten Island Advance. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
2. "Ron Castorina Jr. is GOP pick for South Shore Assembly". Staten Island Advance. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
3. "Matt Titone beats Castorina in very close Surrogate Court race". silive. November 7, 2018.
4. "Staten Island GOP Picks Lawyer Ron Castorina for South Shore Assembly Seat". DNAinfo. 2016-02-05. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
5. "Castorina calls abortion 'African-American genocide'". silive. June 8, 2016.
6. "Priests for Life Document Library: 12/21/2020 12:22:55 AM". www.priestsforlife.org.
7. Freiburger, Calvin (June 8, 2016). "New York Assemblyman right to condemn abortion's disparate toll on African Americans". Live Action News.
8. https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/National/Article/TabId/717/ArtMID/13622/ArticleID/20220/Cant-handle-the-truth.aspx
9. "IDNYC suit continues: City still can't destroy documents". silive. January 19, 2017.