Michael Cusick

Michael Cusick
New York State Assembly District 63
Incumbent
In office
2003 - Present
Term ends
January 1, 2015
Years in position	10
Party	Democratic
Compensation
Base salary	$79,500/year
Per diem	$171/full day; $61/half day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	2002
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	N/A
Education
Bachelor's	Villanova University, 1991
Websites
Office website

Michael Cusick is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing District 63 since 2003. Cusick is a member of the New York State Democratic Committee, 63rd Assembly District.

Cusick's professional experiences include chief of staff to New York State Assemblymember Eric Vitaliano; special assistant to the president of the City Council Andrew Stein; and director of constituent services to United States Senator Charles Schumer.

Cusick earned a BA from Villanova University. He is married to Kristy.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Cusick served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Cusick served on the following committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Cusick served on the following committees:

Issues

Pension sweeteners

On February 13, 2013, New York legislators introduced eight bills to "sweeten" government employee pensions. The nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission released a chart of these bills and their costs, totaling $1.311 billion for the state government and $46 million for local governments. Cusick sponsored one of these eight. E.J. McMahon of the pro-market Empire State Center for New York Policy criticized the bills but placed major responsibility for them on Governor Andrew Cuomo, who in 2012 raised the possibility of better pension deals if the economy improved. The New York Daily News published an editorial against the bills on February 21, denouncing the proposals as examples of "incorrigible recklessness with the public’s money."

• Assembly Bill 4920, sponsored by Peter Abbate, William Colton, Vivian Cook, Cusick, Steven Englebright, and Harvey Weisenberg, would allow Tier I and II employees of the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System (NYSLERS) and the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System (NYSLPFRS) to include up to 30 days of unused vacation time in the final average salary calculation for their pension benefits. This would cost the state government an estimated $110 million and local governments an estimated $45 million.

Elections

2012

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2012

Cusick ran in the 2012 election for New York State Assembly District 63. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Conservative Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. He defeated Samuel T. Pirozzolo in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.

New York State Assembly, District 63, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Cusick Incumbent	66.1%	25,294
	Republican	Samuel T. Pirozzolo	33.9%	12,977
Total Votes				38,271

Endorsements

• 32BJ/SEIU

2010

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2010

Cusick ran unopposed in the September 14 Democratic primary. He defeated Danny Panzella (L) in the general election on November 2. In addition to his slot on the Democratic Party ticket, he was also listed as a candidate of the Independence Party of New York State, the Conservative Party, and the Working Families Party.

New York State Assembly, District 63 2010
Candidates		Votes
Michael Cusick (D)		18,424
Danny Panzella (L)		1,732

2008

On November 4, 2008 Cusick won re-election to the New York State Assembly, District 63, defeating opponent David Pascarella (R).

Cusick raised $119,812 for his campaign while Pascarella raised $21,775.

New York State Assembly, District 63 2008
Candidates		Votes
Michael Cusick (D)		23,568
David Pascarella (R)		12,539

Campaign donors

2012

Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.

2010

In 2010, Cusick received $161,663 in campaign donations. The top contributors are listed below.

New York State Assembly 2010 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Michael Cusick's campaign in 2010
New York State Association Of Realtors	$3,625
New York State Afl-Cio	$3,610
Sub Contractors Trade Association	$3,500
Uniformed Fire Officers	$3,400
New York State Court Officers Association	$3,400
Total Raised in 2010	$161,663

2008

In 2008, a year in which Cusick was up for re-election, he collected $119,812 in donations.

The major contributors were:

Donor	Amount
New York State AFL-CIO	$4,000
Staten Island Heat Imaging PC	$3,800
New York State United Teachers	$2,700
New York State Trial Lawyers	$2,500

External links

Suggest a link

• New York Assembly - Rep. Michael Cusick
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002

References

Political offices
Preceded by -	New York Assembly District 63 2003–present	Succeeded by NA