Matthew Titone

{{short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Matthew Titone | image = NLN Matt Titone.jpg | image_size = 150px | caption = | order = Surrogate of Richmond County | status = Incumbent | term_start = January 1, 2019 | term_end = | predecessor = Robert Gigante | state_assembly1 = New York | district1 = 61st | term_start1 = April 1, 2007 | term_end1 = January 1, 2019 | predecessor1 = John W. Lavelle | successor1 = Charles Fall | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|1|24}}<ref name="Capitol Info"/> | birth_place = Staten Island, New York | party = Democratic | spouse = Giosue Pugliese | children = | alma_mater = St. John's University School of Law | profession = lawyer, politician | footnotes = }}

'''Matthew J. Titone''' (born January 24, 1961)<ref name="Capitol Info"/> is an American politician and lawyer from Staten Island, New York. A Democrat, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 61st District, on Staten Island's North Shore from April 1, 2007 to January 1, 2019. Titone currently serves as a surrogate court judge of Richmond County.

==Early life, education, career== Titone was born on Staten Island, the son of Vito J. Titone, a former judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. Titone was raised in the Grymes Hill and West Brighton neighborhoods. He went on to attend St. John's University School of Law, while working full-time as a law clerk for the late John S. Zachary.<ref name="Assembly bio"/>

After being admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1992, Titone worked pro bono for the Staten Island AIDS Task Force and Project Hospitality. In 1993, he joined the Wall Street law firm of Morgan, Melhuish, Monahan, Arvidson, Abrutyn & Lisowski, where he was a senior trial associate and managed the firm's labor law litigation department. In 1998, he established a private law practice on Staten Island.<ref name="Assembly bio"/>

Titone garnered national attention when he took on the New York State adoption industry representing a family who adopted a baby boy. The family was never informed by the adoption agency that the child was born with the AIDS virus and resulted in the child being untreated for his illness for eleven years after the adoption was completed.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D00EED9113DF93BA35751C0A96E958260 |title= Lawsuit Against a Hospital Over an Adopted Boy's H.I.V. Is Seen as a First |work= The New York Times |first= Jane H. |last= Lii |date= February 8, 1998 |accessdate= April 12, 2011}}</ref> Not only did Titone provide legal support and guidance for the family, he also helped the young man establish the Justin LiGreci HIV/AIDS Foundation for Children and Teens, a not for profit organization that provides educational services to the youth of Staten Island and New York metropolitan area.<ref name="NYT" />

==Political career== Titone was the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate in 2006, losing the 24th District race to Republican Andrew Lanza.<ref name="vote.nyc">{{cite web|url=http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2006/general/recaps/77Richmond24SenateRecap.pdf |title=Board of Elections in the City of New York: 24th Senate District, 2006 general election |date=November 7, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725025703/http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2006/general/recaps/77Richmond24SenateRecap.pdf |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }}</ref>

Following the death of Assemblyman John Lavelle in January 2007, Titone was selected as the Democratic nominee for the special election held to fill the vacancy.<ref name="select">Wrobleski, Tom. "Dems select Titone as Assembly candidate". ''Staten Island Advance''. February 28, 2007.</ref> On the third ballot of Democratic committeemembers, Daniel Lavelle, son of the late Assemblymember, dropped out and Titone was unopposed.<ref name="select"/> Titone was backed by City Councilman Mike McMahon, whose support was crucial.<ref name="select" /><ref name="nod">Wrobleski, Tom. "McMahon flexes his muscle and ally Titone gets the nod". ''Staten Island Advance''. March 1, 2007.</ref> Mimi Cusick, mother of assembly member Mike Cusick and "mother of the party", also endorsed Titone's candidacy.<ref name="nod"/>

In the election held on March 27, 2007, Titone received 49% of the vote in a three-way contest to succeed Lavelle, comfortably defeating his Republican and Independence party opponents who won 32% and 19% respectively. {{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

===2018 Richmond County Surrogate election=== In March 2018, Titone announced that he would vacate his Assembly seat that fall to seek election as Richmond County (Staten Island) Surrogate. Titone’s announcement was quickly followed by endorsements from Diane Savino, Michael Cusick, Debi Rose, and former Conservative Party Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.silive.com/news/2018/03/titone_to_run_for_surrogates_c.html|title = Titone to run for Surrogate's Court, won't seek re-election to Assembly|date = 16 March 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life== Titone is openly gay and married his partner of 18 years, Giosue Pugliese, in a ceremony at Staten Island Borough Hall in September 2011, shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized in New York State.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2011/09/assemblyman_titone_weds_his_lo.html|title=Assemblyman Titone weds his longtime partner in Borough Hall ceremony|work=Staten Island Advance|date=September 14, 2011}}</ref> He was one of five LGBT members of the New York Legislature, alongside Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Daniel O'Donnell, and Harry Bronson, as well as Senator Brad Hoylman.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18114021&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6 |title= Matt Titone May Go to Assembly |work= Gay City News }}{{dead link|date=April 2011}}</ref> His Assembly campaigns have won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which provides financial and strategic assistance. He is the first openly gay man elected to higher office on Staten Island.

==Election results== * '''November 2006 general election, NYS Senate, 24th SD'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2006/general/2006_sen.pdf |title=General Election Results, State Senate: November 7, 2006 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |date=December 14, 2006 |accessdate=April 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822221238/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2006/general/2006_sen.pdf |archive-date=August 22, 2012 }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Andrew J. Lanza''' (REP - IND) || ... || 34,160 |- | Matthew J. Titone (DEM - WOR) || ... || 23,074 |- | Charles T. Pistor, Jr. (CON) || ... || 2,307 |}

* '''March 2007 special election, NYS Assembly, 61st AD'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2007/Special/200761ADResults.pdf |title=Special Election Results, 61st Assembly District: March 27, 2007 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |year=2007 |accessdate=April 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822230428/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2007/Special/200761ADResults.pdf |archive-date=August 22, 2012 }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Matthew Titone''' (DEM - WOR) || ... || 3,088 |- | Rose Margarella (REP - CON) || ... || 1,934 |- | Kelvin Alexander (IND) || ... || 1,160 |}

* '''November 2008 general election, NYS Assembly, 61st AD'''<ref name="NYS Assembly 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2008/General/NYSAssembly08.pdf |title=General Election Results, State Assembly: November 4, 2008 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |date=December 4, 2008 |accessdate=April 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823001135/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2008/General/NYSAssembly08.pdf |archive-date=August 23, 2012 }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Matthew J. Titone''' (DEM - WOR) || ... || 25,974 |- | Thomas W. McGinley (REP) || ... || 8,578 |- | Rose Margarella (IND) || ... || 985 |}

* '''November 2010 general election, NYS Assembly, 61st AD'''<ref name="NYS BOE 2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010Assembly.pdf |title=General Election Results, State Assembly: November 2, 2010 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |date=December 13, 2010 |accessdate=April 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218082901/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010Assembly.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2013 }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Matthew J. Titone''' (DEM - IND - WOR) || ... || 19,881 |- | Dave Narby (LBT) || ... || 1,494 |}

* '''November 2012 general election, NYS Assembly, 61st AD'''<ref name="NYS BOE 2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2012/general/2012Assembly.pdf |title=General Election Results, State Assembly: November 5, 2012 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |date=December 13, 2012 |accessdate=January 22, 2016 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Matthew J. Titone''' (DEM - IND - WOR) || ... || 28,616 |- | Paul Saryian (REP) || ... || 7,204 |}

* '''November 2014 general election, NYS Assembly, 61st AD'''<ref name="NYS BOE 2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2014/general/2014Assembly.pdf |title=General Election Results, State Assembly: November 4, 2014 |publisher=New York State Board of Elections |date=December 13, 2014 |accessdate=January 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228194909/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2014/general/2014Assembly.pdf |archive-date=February 28, 2016 }}</ref> :{| class="Wikitable" | '''Matthew J. Titone''' (DEM - IND - WOR) || ... || 16,429 |}

==References== <references>

<ref name="Assembly bio">{{cite web |url= http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=061&sh=bio |title= Assembly District 61, Matthew Titone: Biography |publisher= New York State Assembly |accessdate= April 12, 2011}} </ref>

<ref name="Capitol Info">{{cite web |title= State Assembly: Matthew Titone (D-WF), District 61 |publisher= Capitol Info |url= http://www.ny-leg.com/directory/NY/matthew-titone/2857/ |access-date= April 12, 2011}} </ref>

</references>

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ny-hs}} {{s-bef|before=John Lavelle}} {{s-ttl|title=New York State Assembly, 61st District|years=2007–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Charles Fall}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titone, Matthew}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American gay politicians Category:LGBTQ state legislators in New York (state) Category:Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Category:People from Grymes Hill, Staten Island Category:St. John's University School of Law alumni Category:People from West New Brighton, Staten Island Category:Politicians from Staten Island Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature