Bernadette Castro

Infobox_Governor
name=Bernadette Castro

---

imagesize=200px
caption=
order=
office=
term_start=
term_end=
lieutenant=
predecessor=
successor=
office2= Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation for New York
order2=
term_start2 = 1995
term_end2 = 2006
predecessor2=
successor2=
birth_date= 1944
birth_place= Manhattan, New York
death_date=
death_place=
religion=
profession= Business Owner
spouse= Dr. Peter M. Guida
party= Republican
footnotes=
website=

Bernadette Castro (b. 1944, Manhattan, New York) is a New York politician and businesswoman who served in the Cabinet of former Governor George Pataki. She was the heir and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Castro Convertibles, a sofa business in New Hyde Park, New York. Castro sold the company to Krause Furniture in 1993. As a child, she appeared in commercials for the company where she would pull out a sofa bed.

Bernadette Castro recorded several singles in the 1960s including all-time favorite girl group record, "A Girl In Love Forgives." This is one of the few obscure girl group records that can compete with the Shangri Las' and Ronettes' unparalleled track records. She released an additional single on Colpix called "Sports Car Sally," popular among many girl group collectors for its hot-rod theme.

Castro attended the University of Florida earning a B.S. degree in Broadcast Journalism and a graduate degree in Secondary School Administration with Phi Kappa Phi honors. In 1985 she became the first woman to receive the University of Florida’s Distinguished Service Alumni Award.

Bernadette Castro is married to Dr. Peter M. Guida, professor of surgery at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and presently resides in Lloyd Harbor, New York. She has four children, Terri, David, Jonathan and Bernard, and eight grandchildren.

Political career

In 1994, Castro was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She was viewed as a longshot candidate from the start, but ran a competitive race. In 1995, the newly elected Pataki appointed Castro as the state Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. As a part of her duties overseeing state parks, Castro also served as the state's historic preservation officer. She served as Parks Commissioner for the entire 12 years of the Pataki Administration.

The prestigious U.S. Open golf tournament was played at Bethpage State Park during Castro's tenure. It was widely known in the golf industry that her deputy at the time was mostly responsible for securing a contract with the USGA.

President George W. Bush named Castro to a federal advisory committee on historic preservation issues. In 2004 it was reported that she declined the chance to run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Charles Schumer. In his final weeks in office, Pataki named Castro to a nine-year term on the board that oversees state parks on Long Island.

There was some public criticism over Castro's approval of a long-term concession license with Donald Trump at Jones Beach State Park as well as Castro's promise to convert Kings Park State Hospital into a state park. The closed hospital site requires environmental remediation.

Betsy McCaughey Ross

During Pataki's first term, Castro was very public in her criticism of the performance of then Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey Ross, who was in a public feud with Pataki. Castro once did a radio debate with McCaughey Ross.

Racing and Wagering Board Nomination

In late 2005, Pataki nominated Castro to become a member of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

Castro, who had previously served on the Governor's Task Force on Casino Gambling (1996) and was presently a member of the ad hoc Committee on the Future of Racing (2005-2007), was intended to be designated as chair of the board. The Racing and Wagering Board seat, a full time position, carried a fixed term which would have allowed Castro to remain in state government after Pataki left office in January 2007. The board has three seats of six-year duration. Only two seats may be occupied by a member of any single political party. At the time of her nomination, two of the seats were held by a Republican and Independent; the vacant seat, however, had a term of only two years remaining. Pataki had tried to get the sitting Republican member to step down to allow for Castro's appointment to a seat of greater term than the vacant seat. This did not occur and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno declined to bring Castro's nomination to the floor. Ultimately, Castro's nomination was withdrawn.

1994 NYS Republican Ticket

*Governor: George Pataki
*Lieutenant Governor: Elizabeth McCaughey
*Comptroller: Herbert London
*Attorney General: Dennis Vacco
*U.S. Senate: Bernadette Castro

External links

* [http://nysparks.state.ny.us/ New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]