Staten Island Democrats select Gary Carsel to challenge GOP's Andrew Lanza for Senate seat

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.? --- Staten Island Democrats finalized their slate of candidates for the fall races last night and at the last minute found a candidate to take on state Sen. Andrew Lanza.

Gary Carsel, who mediates in the Small Claims and Civil courts for the New York Center for Interpersonal Development, was nominated to challenge Lanza (R-Staten Island).

Carsel's decision came as the party convention was already under way in the Crystal Room, South Beach.

"It was very last-minute," said Carsel, who has been treasurer of the Staten Island Democratic Association. "It was a question of doing what was right for the party."

Carsel had initially looked to run for the South Shore Assembly seat, and even had business cards printed up for the campaign.

But he decided to leave that race to attorney Anthony Mascolo, who was backed by the Democratic executive committee last week.

Privately, some Democrats told the Advance last night that they'd hoped that Mascolo would take on Lanza and that Carsel would be the candidate to replace GOP South Shore Assemblyman Lou Tobacco, who is not running for re-election.

Carsel's decision leaves the Democrats with a full slate for November, fulfilling chairman John Gulino's pledge that all GOP incumbents would have Democratic challengers this year.

The party last night also nominated Mark Murphy to run against Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) in what will now be the 11th Congressional District.

Mascolo was nominated to run for the Tobacco seat, while John Mancuso got the nod to take on Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn).

The party's sitting elected officials -- state Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) and Assemblymen Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) and Matthew Titone (D-North Shore) -- were each nominated for re-election.

"Staten Island, Brooklyn and this country deserve honest leadership," said Murphy, whose father is former Democratic Rep. John Murphy.

He said that, if elected, he would fight to preserve Social Security and Medicare.

The current GOP-controlled Congress, he said, "is looking to destroy them."

Mascolo said Democrats needed a "moderate and conservative" Democrat like himself to win the South Shore. He said he believed in a "smaller government that lives within its means.

"I don't like to spend borrowed money," he said.

Mancuso said he would make Democrats proud and would "fight hard and work hard, knock on doors every day" throughout the campaign.

Titone accepted the nominations for himself and for Ms. Savino and Cusick, who were in Albany on legislative business.

He vowed to continue the fight to roll back high Port Authority tolls, and said that Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie "are sweating on tolls."

Said Titone, "We are backing them into a corner."

New York and New Jersey lawmakers have teamed to introduce legislation to make the Port Authority more accountable.

Republicans Paul Saryian and Sam Pirozzolo are challenging Titone and Cusick, respectively.

The GOP has yet to put forward a candidate against Ms. Savino. Republicans will hold a nominating convention next month.

Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/staten_island_democrats_select.html

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