Candidate QuestionnaireAge: 29
Occupation: Chief of Staff, Councilmember Vincent Ignizio
Education: BA and MA (name of institutions not provided)
Candidate News Links
– Staten Island Pols Focus on Fundraising
– Rep Turner Back’s Staten Islands’s Borelli
Joseph Borelli is running for State Assembly due to his experience in politics and his desire to complete projects that he started as the chief of staff for a city councilmember. Borelli has spent his career working in politics, and has also been teaching political science at a local college. While Borelli generally supports Citizens Union’s reform agenda, he does not support creating a campaign finance system with public matching funds at the state level due to concerns about the abuses at the city level of public tax dollars. He also does not believe in substantially lowering campaign contributions, though he supports limiting contributions for those who do business with or lobby state government. Borelli is a strong supporter of redistricting reform, and pledges to vote in favor of the constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission. His top priorities for his district include addressing the amount of traffic and lack of transportation infrastructure in Staten Island and working to increase disclosure of state and legislative financial information. Citizens Union believes that Borelli has a strong grasp of government reform issues and that he will be able to effectively address what he sees as the main problems of Staten Island. Though Borelli does not support all of Citizens Union’s reform agenda, Citizens Union believes that he will be an effective legislator who allows for increased dialogue on reform issues, and therefore supports his candidacy.
ANTHONY MASCOLO – DEM
Candidate Questionnaire
Age: 56
Education: Binghamton University (BA); Fordham Law School (JD);
CUNY School of Professional Studies
Occupation: Private Attorney
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Campaign Website
Campaign Finance Filings
Candidate News Links
– Dems Like Their Odds in South Shore Race
Anthony Mascolo is running for State Assembly due to his dedication to public service. He has been active in his community as a member of the Richmondtown Civic Association, Binghamton Alumni Board, and various other boards on Staten Island. Mascolo generally supports campaign finance reform, but does not believe that New York State should adopt the city’s public matching system for campaign funds because he believes it will increase the burden on taxpayers. Although he is uncertain regarding his stance on the constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission, he states that he would support it if it creates a more nonpartisan and fair method of redistricting. Mascolo’s greatest concerns are about the constituents of his district, citing prescription drug abuse and traffic as the main issues he would address. He also believes that as a member of the majority party in the Assembly, he would be a more effective legislator than his opponent. While Mascolo’s dedication to public service is refreshing, he lacks substantive knowledge of legislative and policy issues. Additionally, though he has been active in his community, it is unclear how much support he has from the Democratic Party in Staten Island. Due to these issues, Citizens Union supports his opponent.