Matthew Titone
Matthew J. Titone (born in Staten Island, New York in 1960) is an American politician and lawyer from Staten Island, New York. A Democrat, he serves as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 61st District, on Staten Island's North Shore.
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. In the election held on March 27, 2007 he 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. [1]
The son of Vito J. Titone, a former judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, Titone grew up on Staten Island in the Grymes Hill and West Brighton neighborhoods. He went on to attend St. John's University School of Law, where he worked full time as a law clerk for the late John S. Zachary. He went into private practice, setting up his own firm in 1998.
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. [2] 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. [3]
He was the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate in 2006, losing the 24th District race to Republican Andrew Lanza.
Titone is openly gay and is one of four LGBT members of the New York Legislature, alongside Assemblymembers Deborah Glick and Daniel O'Donnell, and Senator Thomas Duane. His assembly campaign won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which provided financial and strategic assistance.