Michael J. Cusick (born February 21, 1969) is a

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ...

who represents the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

's District 63, in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...

. He is a Democrat, and has served in the Assembly since 2003.

Early life and education

Cusick is the son of the late

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

Justice Peter P. Cusick and Miriam "Mimi" Cusick.Tom Wrobleski, "McMahon flexes his muscle and ally Titone gets the nod," ''

Staten Island Advance The ''Staten Island Advance'' is a daily newspaper published in the borough of Staten Island in New York City. The only daily newspaper published in the borough, and the only major daily paper focused on a borough, it covers news of local and ...

'', March 1, 2007. In 1987, he graduated from

Monsignor Farrell High School Monsignor Farrell High School is an American Catholic high school for boys, located in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, New York. Opened in 1961, the school is named in honor of Monsignor Joseph Farrell, a Catholic priest, as well as a re ...

, where he was on the cross-country and long-distance track teams. He graduated from

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsy ...

in 1991.

Political career

Cusick began his career as a Special Assistant to former President of the City Council Andrew J. Stein. He was the office representative for the Borough of Staten Island and worked on issues regarding incineration and waste management alternatives. Prior to his 2002 election, Cusick served as the Chief of Staff to former Staten Island Assemblyman

Eric Nicholas Vitaliano Eric Nicholas Vitaliano (born February 27, 1948) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Vitaliano was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 6, 2005, to a seat ...

, managing staff and overseeing the assemblyman's Albany and Staten Island offices. He researched and developed state legislation, including the law to close the

Fresh Kills Landfill The Fresh Kills Landfill was a landfill covering in the New York City borough of Staten Island in the United States. The name comes from the landfill's location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island. The landf ...

. Cusick was also Vitaliano's representative to local and statewide civic, professional, and union organizations, on legislative and community issues. Cusick later became Director of Constituent Services for U.S. Senator

Charles E. Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...

, as Schumer's liaison to New York State elected officials and to various federal agencies. He managed the day-to-day operation of the Senator's New York City office. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in the 2002 state elections. After Rep. Vito Fossella's resignation, the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds, and organizes races in ...

expressed interest in Cusick as the Democratic Party nominee, but he declined. As Assemblyman, Cusick has written and sponsored several bills. In 2003, he wrote a law creating a moratorium on building in the area of the Mid-Island Blue Belt (Chapter 84 of 2003). He wrote legislation requiring notice to neighboring landowners of an application to build on

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

areas. In 2006, he helped pass a budget that increased school aid by $500 million over the previous year. The budget also included a down payment of $1.8 billion to renovate and expand city schools. In 2005, he sponsored legislation that allowed New York City to eliminate its share of the

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a gove ...

on clothing and footwear (Chapter 285 of 2005). In 2006, he supported a budget that abolished the state tax. In 2008 Cusick introduced legislation that would make it a crime to protest or disturb in any way a funeral or memorial service.

References

External links

New York State Assembly Member WebsiteMichael Cusick-Legislative Report Card-The Business Council of New York, Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusick, Michael Living people Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 1969 births Villanova University alumni 21st-century American politicians Monsignor Farrell High School alumni Politicians from Staten Island