Rob Astorino is the
Westchester County ExecutiveWestchester County Executive is the head of the executive branch of the Westchester County government. The county executive has power to veto acts of Westchester County Board of Legislators-History:...
and an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
media personality and
politicianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who is a radio host and
program directorIn service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
for the Catholic Channel on
SIRIUS Satelitte RadioSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
. He was one of the founders of
1050 AMWEPN is a 24-hour sports talk formatted radio station in New York City featuring national and local sports talk programs and live broadcasts of sports matches. It is the New York affiliate for ESPN Radio...
ESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and worked as the station's
Executive ProducerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, and as Executive Producer of the of
The Michael Kay Show. He is also a television host on the
MSG NetworkThe MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
.
Astorino served as a member of the
Westchester County Board of LegislatorsThe Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County. The powers of the Board are enumerated in the County’s charter. A key power of the Board concerns finances: appropriating funds, approving the budget and levying taxes...
from 2003 to 2005, when he launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat
WestchesterWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
County ExecutiveA county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
Andy Spano. In 2009, he was elected
County ExecutiveA county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
as a Republican, defeating Andy Spano. He resides in
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his wife and two children.
Early career and background
Astorino grew up in
Thornwood, New YorkThornwood is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York. The population was 3,759 at the 2010 census.-History:...
where he attended
Westlake High SchoolWestlake High School is located at 825 Westlake Drive in Thornwood, New York. Westlake is the High School serving the Mount Pleasant Central School District. The hamlets of Hawthorne and Thornwood are inclusive in the Mount Pleasant CSD. The hamlet of Valhalla and the village of Pleasantville...
, and enrolled in
Fordham UniversityFordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
where he received a Bachelors of Arts in Communications in 1989. At the age of twenty one, while attending college, he was elected to the Mount Pleasant
Board of EducationA board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, but resigned two years later to take a position at
WFASWFAS is an AM radio station in Westchester County, New York and vicinity broadcasting on 1230 kHz. The station has a classic adult contemporary format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media. WFAS is also the home for Iona College Men's Basketball. Gary Stanley and Ed Ingles call all the...
radio in
White PlainsWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. He later attended the
Enforex School of International Studies in Barcelona, Spain where he became fluent in Spanish.
He is a member the
American Federation of Television and Radio ArtistsThe American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
. After graduating, he hosted the weeknight sports shows
Inside Sports on WFAS radio, served as host and producer of
Sports Rap on the
Sports ChannelThe Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
television network. In 2001, he helped launch
ESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Astorino is also an anchor for the
MSG NetworkThe MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
program
Talk of our Town. He is the recipient of the
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
award for Best Spot News Coverage and award for Best News Program, and the Metro New York Achievement in Radio award.
ESPN radio
In 2001, he was one of the founders of 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. He directed the rebranding of New York's WEVD-AM 1050 from a
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
radio station to an all sports format. He became the station's Senior Producer, and worked as Executive Producer of
The Michael Kay Show. He was promoted to Station Executive Producer and served until 2005, when he resigned to run for
County ExecutiveA county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
.
As the producer of the 4 to 7 PM time slot, the team of talent assembled by Astorino included Michael Kay and
Joey SalviaBorn in Brooklyn, NY, Joey Salvia is a singer, songwriter, and radio personality in New York City for ESPN's WEPN. Salvia can be heard the popular radio show, The Michael Kay Show, broadcast weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m...
, and helped the show in its success against long time afternoon sports radio mainstay
Mike and the Mad DogMike and the Mad Dog was an afternoon drive sports radio program based out of WFAN in New York City that featured Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo talking sports and taking phone calls from listeners. From 2002 onwards the show was simulcasted on the YES Network...
on
WFANWFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
. His accomplishments include securing broadcast rights for the
New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and
New York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, also at the expense of WFAN.
Satellite radio
In 2007, Astorino was hired as the first
program directorIn service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
for
SIRIUS Satellite Radio'sSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
The Catholic ChannelThe Catholic Channel is a Catholic lifestyle radio station on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and is operated by the Archdiocese of New York. It carries daily and Sunday Mass live from St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, as well as talk shows, educational programming and a little bit of music. Timothy...
. He hosts a Thursday night program with
CardinalA cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Edward Egan, the
archbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Archdiocese of New York.
Astorino was hesitant at first to work on religious radio, but he changed his mind when he found out the Catholic Channel would be different. He stated, "I think it's a great opportunity not just for the archdiocese but for the Catholic Church as a whole to reach out to people across the country with a message, and have a two-way conversation."
According to the
Journal News, "With total authority over programming, the Archdiocese of New York was given the rare opportunity to play Michelangelo and create something new. Egan, who is not known to be a great communicator like his predecessor, Cardinal John O'Connor, gave the project his blessing. In addition to his show, he welcomes Sirius listeners when Sunday Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral is broadcast."
Political career
In 1991, Astorino defeated an incumbent Town Councilman in Mount Pleasant and was elected to the town board. He was reelected in 1995 and 1999. During his tenure on the town board, he served six years as
Deputy SupervisorTown Supervisor is an elective legislative position in New York towns. Supervisors sit on the town board, where they preside over town board meetings and vote on all matters with no more legal weight than that of any other board member .Towns may adopt local laws that allow them to provide for an...
and 8 years as Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, which oversees the police department.
Westchester County ExecutiveWestchester County Executive is the head of the executive branch of the Westchester County government. The county executive has power to veto acts of Westchester County Board of Legislators-History:...
Andrew O'RourkeAndrew P. O'Rourke is a judge and politician from New York State. A Republican, he served as the County Executive of Westchester County, New York from 1983 to 1998....
appointed Astorino to the Westchester County Board of Ethics in 1996, and he was reappointed by O'Rourke's successor, Andy Spano in 1999. He served one term on the
Westchester County Board of LegislatorsThe Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County. The powers of the Board are enumerated in the County’s charter. A key power of the Board concerns finances: appropriating funds, approving the budget and levying taxes...
, and ran an aggressive campaign as a candidate for
County ExecutiveA county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
in 2005. Astorino was among the finalists for
Lieutenant GovernorA lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
to
gubernatorial candidateThe New York gubernatorial election of 2006 was a race for the governorship of this U.S. state. Eliot Spitzer was elected on November 7, 2006, succeeding Governor George Pataki, the three-term incumbent, who did not run for a fourth term....
John FasoJohn Faso was the Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 2006, and was defeated by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer in the largest defeat for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. This followed his loss to Alan Hevesi four years earlier in his run for State Comptroller...
in 2006.
County legislature
In 2003, Astorino announced he was a candidate to replace retiring
County LegislatorThe Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County. The powers of the Board are enumerated in the County’s charter. A key power of the Board concerns finances: appropriating funds, approving the budget and levying taxes...
Sue Swanson, who represented a district encompassing
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
,
PleasantvillePleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
,
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
,
West HarrisonHarrison is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately northeast of Manhattan. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census.-Establishment:...
, and portions of northern
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
. Astorino defeated his challenger with an aggressive campaign, which according to the
Journal News, "raised the bar" for candidacies to the Board of Legislators.
As a County legislator, Astorino was involved in plans to redevelop the
Saw Mill River ParkwayThe Saw Mill River Parkway is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, where it continues into New York City as the Henry Hudson Parkway, and heads generally...
and restore wetlands, which is often flooded dangerously during rain storms, and coordinated meetings between the environmentalist groups,
New York State Department of TransportationThe New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
Corps of Engineers in 2005. He helped the board stop Westchester's payments of a "franchise fee" to their bus operator, Liberty Transit Inc., after drawing attention that the contract with the company did not provide for such a payment.
Once elected, he served on the committees for parks & recreation; housing; health; public & safety & criminal justice; youth; and county officers & departments. After serving only two years, Astorino opted not to run for reelection, instead focusing on a challenge to incumbent County Executive Andy Spano. As an outgoing legislator, he opposed the pay increases that were enacted for board members.
2005 race for County Executive
The 2005 campaign for
Westchester County ExecutiveWestchester County Executive is the head of the executive branch of the Westchester County government. The county executive has power to veto acts of Westchester County Board of Legislators-History:...
pitted the two-term
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent Andy Spano, against Astorino, a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The race featured instances where Astorino publicized a homemade video of a security breach at the County's
Kenisco damThe Kensico Reservoir is a reservoir, located in the village of Valhalla and in the town of North Castle, that was put into service in 1915. It is about 3 miles north of White Plains, New York, and about 15 miles north of New York City...
, while the incumbent, according to the
New York Times, "in the face of record property-tax increases, has busied himself with a campaign against steroids for schoolchildren, as a follow-up to an anti-bullying initiative that featured admonitions from Spider-Man."
As of 2008, real property taxes in Westchester have increased in Westchester by 54% since 2000. Making the tax issue the centerpiece of his campaign, he railed against two straight years of double digit
property taxA property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
increases in the county budget, and called Spano out of touch with voters, criticizing a visit to
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
by Spano during the seven-week
Bee Line BusThe Bee-Line Bus System, branded on the buses in lowercase as the bee-line system, is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the County's Department of Public Works and Transportation and operated, on contract , by Yonkers-based Liberty Lines Transit, Inc...
strikeStrike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
which cost taxpayers $3 million.
Facing an uphill battle in a Democratic County against an incumbent who raised four times as much money, Astorino made a surprisingly strong showing and was defeated by 30,000 votes. Overall voter turnout was light and incumbents were largely successful throughout the County.
2009 race for County Executive
On March 21, 2009, Astorino announced that he would be running again for Westchester County Executive. In a stunning upset, he was elected to the position on November 3, 2009, defeating incumbent Andy Spano by 16 percentage points.
Electoral history
External links