Election 2020: A complete look at the 10 races on the Staten Island ballot

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Election Day is a little more than a month away, and Staten Islanders across the borough will have the opportunity to cast their ballots in several elections.

In addition to the widely publicized presidential and congressional races, each of the Island’s seats in the State Legislature are listed on the New York City Board of Election’s (BOE) contest list.

The seats of State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) and Assemblyman Mike Reilly (R-South Shore) are uncontested, and none are expected to be competitive apart from the seat to be left vacant due Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis' Congressional run.

Here is a look at what voters around Staten Island can expect to see on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to BOE’s contest list published on Sept. 29.

PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT

President Donald Trump, a Republican, and former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, are the primary parties' candidates for the country’s highest office. Assuming either wins, they will be the oldest person ever elected to the office.

Much of Trump’s incumbent campaign has been focused on positive economic indicators before the coronavirus pandemic, and attempts to portray Biden as an advocate for socialism and anarchy linking him to ongoing protests that began in late May with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The incumbent is also running on the Conservative Party line.

Biden, who is also running on the Working Families Party line, served as a Senator from Delaware for almost 40 years before becoming vice president, and in that time, developed a reputation as a centrist. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden helped lead the push for the 1994 crime bill.

His campaign has focused on Trump’s character, and the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has attempted to defend his response to the pandemic, pointing to border closures and fast-tracked treatment options. More than 200,000 Americans have died in less than seven months.

Vice President Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana, will again serve as Trump’s running mate, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will serve as Biden’s. Harris also ran for president on the Democratic line, but garnered little support before dropping out in early December.

Third-party presidential and vice presidential candidates who will appear on the ballot are Howie Hawkins and Angela Nicole Walker for the Green Party, Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy Cohen for the Libertarian Party, and Brock Pierce and Karla Ballard for the Independence Party.

CONGRESSIONAL RACE — NY-11

Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) are competing for Rose’s seat.

This has been the most hotly contested local seat with both candidates and their supporters engaging in repeated attacks that their opponents have often described as inaccurate.

As he did in 2018 when Rose defeated former Rep. Dan Donovan, the freshman congressman has presented himself as a political centrist beholden to neither party despite running on the Democratic party line.

He’s also touted his service during the heigh of the coronavirus pandemic when he enlisted with the National Guard.

One of the attacks on Malliotakis has been comparing Rose’s response to the pandemic to her’s with a focus on an image published by the New York Conservative Party that appeared to show the assemblywoman distributing supplies in the district when she was actually in Albany.

To defend herself, Malliotakis held a press conference in September with local non-profit organizations that attested to her and her office’s help throughout the pandemic.

Also in attendance were members of several local police unions — most of which have endorsed Malliotakis, including the city’s largest, the Police Benevolent Association.

They along with Malliotakis and her supporters have characterized Rose as anti-police linking him to a protest march in June where participants held signs with anti-police messages and chanted for police defunding.

Rose has attempted to counter that message with multiple ads and an opinion piece to the Advance/SILive.com laying out his opposition to defunding the police.

Malliotakis is also running on the Conservative Party line and Rose is also running as a candidate for the Independence Party.

STATE SENATE — 23rd SENATORIAL DISTRICT

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) has served the district since 2005, and is running for a ninth term representing much of the North Shore.

The NYC BOE lists two opposition candidates, one running on the Conservative Party line and another on the line of the “Save America Movement” or SAM Party.

Savino, who did not respond to a request for comment, previously worked as a caseworker for New York City’s Child Welfare Administration, which is now the Administration for Children’s Services. In office, the Senator chairs her chamber’s Committee on Internet and Technology.

The SAM Party candidate, John Jairo Rodriguez, could not be reached for comment, and the party did not return a request for comment.

The Conservative candidate, Justin DeFillippo, described himself as a lifelong resident of the district, who owns an electrical contracting company, and thinks it’s time for a change in the seat Savino has held since 2005.

“I’m from the district my whole life. I’ve watched it go from really bad, to good, to bad again, to, now it’s just been bad constantly. It’s not going good,” he said.

STATE SENATE — 24th SENATORIAL DISTRICT (Uncontested)

State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) has served in his seat since 2007 after serving in the South Shore’s City Council seat, and is running unopposed in the 2020 election.

The lifelong Staten Islander has been an outspoken opponent of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus shutdowns in the five boroughs, and has been a vocal supporter of the police in the wake of this summer’s protests that followed the death of George Floyd.

Lanza appeared with City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) and Malliotakis along with restaurant owners and employees in September to announce a lawsuit to reopen indoor dining in early September.

He also spoke at a “Back the Blue” pro-police rally in July outside the 122nd Precinct with fellow members of the local Republican party.

A Lanza representative did not respond to a request for comment.

STATE ASSEMBLY — 61st ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore) ran unopposed in his first election in 2018, but this year is being challenged by Republican Paul Ciurcina.

Fall is a former chief of staff to the city Park Department’s Staten Island commissioner, and the first Muslim and African-American from Staten Island to hold a state seat.

Fall said that of the six of his bills that passed the legislature in his first term, four of which were signed into the law, he was most proud of “Marie’s Law.” He added that it highlights the importance of on-the-ground work in the district, because the legislation makes it harder for violent sex offenders to live under the same roofs as minors. Fall said he hopes to continue working with the community if he’s reelected.

“Just the fact that I’m elected and representing this area is a big blessing,” Fall said adding that, if reelected, his focus will be on helping New Yorkers recover from the pandemic.

Ciurcina, a retired NYPD detective, also did not return a request for comment for this story, but told the Advance/SILive.com in January why he hopes to run.

“In 2018, I saw that Charles Fall ran unopposed after the seat was given up … and a lot of things started changing, the bail reform act really peaked my interest, the attacks on the cops,” Ciurcina said.

STATE ASSEMBLY — 62nd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT (Uncontested)

Assemblyman Mike Reilly (R-South Shore) is running unopposed in his second election after taking office at the beginning of 2019.

Reilly, a longtime education advocate and former NYPD Lieutenant, cruised to victory in 2018 defeating Reform Party opponent Glenn Yost, who lost the Republican primary earlier that year along with Ashley Zanatta.

During the pandemic, Reilly has been an active proponent for a more efficient reopening process. Throughout his tenure he’s acted as an advocate for law enforcement causes, particularly on the bail reform issue.

He gave a speech at the Staten Island Republican Party’s “Triumph Rally” on Saturday addressing his support for law enforcement and to his fellow Republicans.

“We need to elect good candidates," Reilly said. “The left is destroying our community. One party rule in New York state — it’s burning, and it’s time to take it back.”

STATE ASSEMBLY — 63rd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) has served in the New York State Assembly since 2003. He faces challenger Anthony DeGuerre, an attorney, in the November election.

Cusick, who did not return a request for comment, also serves as chairman of the Staten Island Democratic Party. In office, Cusick serves as the chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Energy.

Before entering the Assembly, Cusick worked as director of constituent services for Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), and served as chief of staff for former longtime Staten Island Assemblyman Eric Vitaliano.

DeGuerre was another Republican who spoke at Saturday’s “Triumph Rally.” Like other speakers running for local office, he styled himself as a conservative counterbalance to Democratic hegemony in New York.

“The election this November is about leadership, and Republican leadership is success,” he said. “Democratic leadership is failure.”

STATE ASSEMBLY — 64th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

Malliotakis will need to vacate her seat in the New York State Assembly covering parts of the East Shore and South Brooklyn due to her congressional run.

The race to replace her is between Democrat Brandon Patterson, who is a longtime staffer for Savino, and Republican Michael Tannousis, who served as a prosecutor in both Staten Island and South Brooklyn.

Tannousis has been a presence at a number of conservative rallies, including the “Triumph Rally," and July’s “Back the Blue” rally outside the 122nd Precinct. He said that during his campaign he’s heard constituent concerns about the direction of the state. He also touted his support from the city’s police unions.

“As a prosecutor that fought day in and day out to keep the streets safe, the voters recognize that I’m the candidate to fight the radical left and their anti-police movement,” he said. “If elected, I plan to use my first term to fight for tax relief and tax reform for small businesses and residential property owners and to stand up to Albany politicians that want to compromise our public safety by undermining law enforcement.”

Patterson touted several of his own union endorsements, including that of the Uniformed Fire Association and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. He said his overall goal is to help middle-class New Yorkers by doing things like lowering taxes, helping small businesses, and making the state a more affordable place to live.

“That’s why I’m supported by so many essential and front line workers like the nurses, firefighters, teachers, bus drivers, and carpenters,” he said. “When I win, we’re going to work together to fight back against bad tax policies, get small businesses back open, and ensure our community finally has a voice in the majority to combat those who don’t share our Staten Island values.”

NEW YORK SUPREME COURT — 13th JUDICIAL DISTRICT (Choice of 2)

Staten Islanders will be asked to select the only two judges running for seats in the state’s Supreme Court.

Lisa Grey won a seat in the New York Civil Court in 2017 to replace Judge Philip S. Straniere when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Before that, Grey was the Staten Island Republican commissioner on the Board of Elections, served as an assistant district attorney under Dan Donavan and William Murphy, and unsuccessfully challenged State Sen. Diane Savino for her state Senate seat in 2012.

Mario Mattei serves as a New York City Criminal Court judge since a 2010 appointment, according to the city’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.

Previously, Mattei worked in the Richmond County District Attorney for almost 25 years mostly as the office’s Investigations Bureau chief.

Mattei is running on the Democratic, Republican, and SAM lines. Grey in running on those three and the Conservative Party line.

STATEN ISLAND CIVIL COURT JUDGE

Former South Shore Assemblyman Ron Castorina and Allyn Crawford, who previously served as president of the Richmond County Bar Association (RCBA), are competing for a Staten Island seat in the New York City Civil Court.

Castorina and Crawford are running on the Republicans and Democratic party lines, respectively, but campaigns for the court system are meant to be considered less political than other elected officials.

In addition to his former RCBA presidency, Crawford was appointed to the divisions of the state’s Appellate Division, Second Department Grievance Committee that oversees attorney discipline in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

“Our whole campaign has been about that ‘this should be about law not about politics,’” Crawford said. “I’ve really been working hard at this, and I think I have a lot to offer and a lot to give the people of Staten Island.”

Castorina spoke with the Advance at the Staten Island Republican Party’s “Triumph Rally” and touted his own experience including in 2010 when he filed a lawsuit against the city when it planned to cut school bus services for Staten Island students.

“People know me, they know my integrity, and they know me as a lawyer,” he, who also gave a speech at the “Triumph Rally,” said. “I think that a good judge has empathy, has compassion, is willing to listen to all sides of a matter, and is appreciative of the views of different people.”

According to the New York State Unified Court System, judges of the Civil Court are elected for a term of 10 years. There are 120 Civil Court judges, of which approximately 50 sit in the Civil Court.

Other judges are assigned to a variety of roles including Criminal Court, Family Court, and as Acting Supreme Court Justices. A judge elected in one county may be assigned to another.