Monday, July 12, 2010

Candidate lives in 3 districts

From the Daily News:

ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE John Ciafone says he wants to represent the residents of Astoria's 36th District.

There's just one problem with his plan: the 40-year-old lawyer doesn't live there - at least not full-time.

Ciafone has a house in the nearby 30th Assembly District, in another part of Astoria, where he says his wife and two children live. He also has a $1.7 million waterfront mansion with a private beach in Whitestone that he calls a "summer place."

Earlier this year, Ciafone changed his voter registration to show he lives at his mother's Astoria home on 35th St., located in the 36th District.

"I've done research. You can have more than one residency," said Ciafone, a Democrat and former local school board president. "I was born and raised in Astoria. I have enough connections here."

But even Ciafone said he expects his multiple dwellings will fuel legal challenges from opponents in the September primary.

State election law requires candidates to reside in their districts for at least 12 months prior to Election Day. Ciafone said he filed paperwork to change his registration in May 2009 but that the Board of Elections failed to process the forms.

In November, he voted in the 30th District. Ciafone went to court in March and a judge agreed to backdate the address change to 2009. Ciafone said he spends substantial time at his mother's house to help care for her and his disabled sister. "All my important paperwork and all my licenses go there," he said.

Ciafone and his wife, Gina Argento, also receive a $3,593 property tax abatement - set aside for owner-occupied homes - on their Whitestone mansion.

The break, part of the 421b program, knocks their annual tax bill down from $17,532 to $13,939.

"We really don't live there. That's really more of a summer place," he said. "It's an investment, and we are going to sell it."


Oh, so what? It's Astoria. The rules are different there.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

is he related to the former assemblywoman from bayside/auburndale ?

i already almost forgot her name. was it carrozza?

Anonymous said...

he's a nut job and a disciplinary action waiting to happen.

Anonymous said...

What a d-bag!

Anonymous said...

this guy is going to end up in jail. false tax deductuions, his legal license, etc

Anonymous said...

i hear that his buildings get more fines than anyone in the city. when is that story hitting ?

Anonymous said...

and btw, where is all this CASH coming from ? maybe someone needs to go take a look at that "film production" company his wifes family is involved in. Someone call the IRS !!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know why everyone is picking on this guy. It is a pre-requisite to have multiple residencies in Politics. He sounds shady and will fit right in with the other politicians. Honesty and integrity is not a pre-requisite to run in an election. We need to find decent, honest people who want to make their communities (the ones they reside in) BETTER. They must be out there somewhere. So tired of this Den of Thieves mentality in politics.

Anonymous said...

"What happens in Astoria stays in Astoria."

a sample of recent postings at a local blog:

bed bug discussion.
are you from the west coast?
internet tag.
bus routes.

A Certain Local Blog Observation said...

Well, at times, an attempt is made for discussion - but unless its to review the fine points of Thai food or the like, it doesn't get very far.

Never saw a community blog ... so afraid of their community....

http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=18607.msg199573#new

Anonymous said...

oh, the Astorian blog is a bunch of fancy pants who hate any disagreement.

Anonymous said...

He is a slumlord, one of the worst in the city

Anonymous said...

He is a slumlord, one of the worst in the city
---
..and he is involvoed in politics, too.

He is from Astoria, right?

So where is the news here?

Anonymous said...

He is a slumlord, one of the worst in the city
---
..and he is involvoed in politics, too.

He is from Astoria, right?

So where is the news here?

Anonymous said...

He rents out apartments to known drug dealers. All he cares about is getting his money in. Doesnt care about the area. Owns a piece on 33rd street and 23rd avenue. Drug dealings going on all day long!

I have heard this from many who live on this block.

Anonymous said...

Maybe he has a triple split personality disorder (LOL)!

You know...like the 3 faces of John (LOL)!

Anonymous said...

Anon 11-12-13, we dont know (or care) if what you said is true - go post it over at Astorians.com and see how far you get.

Anonymous said...

Peter Vallone lived in Malba which was linked coastally to his Astoria district until 1991.

Anonymous said...

Who is the Republican candidate for the 36th district of Astoria?
Please tell me