Serphin Maltese

Serphin R. Maltese (born December 7, 1932, Corona, Queens) is an American politician, a member of the New York State Senate.

He was first elected to the New York State Senate in November 1988. In 2006, he was reelected to his tenth term on the Republican, Conservative and Independence Party lines. He represents the 15th Senatorial District in Queens County in the City of New York, which includes the communities of Forest Hills Gardens, Glendale, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village, Old Howard Beach, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, and parts of Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, South Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Sunnyside and Woodside; serving over 320,000 constituents.

Maltese graduated from P.S. 63, JHS 64 and Stuyvesant High School. After his military service, he went to Manhattan College on a Regents Scholarship and the G.I. Bill, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was awarded a War Service Scholarship and received his LL.B. and J.D. degrees from Fordham University Law School. Senator Maltese was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1963 and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Senator Maltese is an Army Infantry Veteran of the Korean War, previously serving in the Marine Reserves. He is a life member of the American Legion, Catholic War Veterans, Korean War Veteran's Association and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His active role in veterans affairs prompted his appointment during his first term as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Veterans. He is currently a member of the American Legion's National Legislative Council.

In 1990, Senator Maltese sponsored the legislation that authorized the creation of the 250-bed State Veterans Nursing Home at St. Albans. He has been an active sponsor and guardian of the Veterans Home ever since.

As a Senator, Serf has distinguished himself as a leading advocate not only for veterans throughout the state, but also for senior citizens and the middle class. He has been instrumental in the enactment of many significant initiatives to benefit these groups. In his second term, he served as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Consumer Protection."something specific ought to be cited here, otherwise this website is nothing but campaign propaganda"

Prior to his election, Senator Maltese served as Queens Assistant District Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Homicide Bureau. His law enforcement experience and background led to his appointment as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction in his third term.

Upon seeking reelection to his second term, Senator Maltese was opposed by political bosses in Queens who objected to his independent stance on behalf of his constituents, again, without any citations this sounds like political campaign soapbox. I can't believe wikipedia allows this crap!forcing him to seek nomination by write-in vote. In one of the largest primary write-in votes in our nation’s history with no other race on the ballot, Senator Maltese won renomination over his opponent by an astounding 6,243 to 237 margin.

In 1969, Senator Maltese was active as a citywide coordinator for State Senator John Marchi's mayoral bid and in 1970 he became Law Chairman and Election Law Advisor to U.S. Senator James L. Buckley. He served as Counsel to U.S. Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato and was elected a New York State Reagan-Bush Elector in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections. He also served as New York State Chairman of Conservatives for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and served for seven years as a member of Senator D'Amato's Federal Judicial Selection Panel. He has served for more than 25 years on the National Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union.

He was a co-founder of the New York State Conservative Party in 1962. He ran on William F. Buckley, Jr.’s ticket for State Senate in 1965. In speaking to students, he often points out the merits of persistence, noting his 1965 run and his Senate election victory 23 years later.

Senator Maltese became Executive Director of the New York State Conservative Party in 1971 and Chairman of the Queens County Conservative Party in 1972. He was elected to the position of State Chairman of the party in 1986, a position in which he served until his election as Senator, when he voluntarily relinquished that post.

Senator Maltese's experience and interest in election law led to his appointment as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Elections in 1995, a position in which he served through 2002. In 2003, Senator Maltese was appointed Chairman of the Senate Cities Committee which handles a wide variety of legislation impacting the six big cities and over fifty small cities throughout the state. He also serves on the following Senate Committees: Rules, Civil Service and Pensions; Codes; Higher Education; Finance; and Judiciary. He is the only Senate Majority member from New York City on the Higher Education Committee. Senator Maltese also serves in the Senate Leadership as Vice Chairman of the Majority Conference.

In keeping with his keen interest in the arts, Senator Maltese was also appointed to serve as Chairman of the Special Committee on the Arts and Cultural Affairs. His wife Constance, an artist and pianist, is a continuous dedicated volunteer and inspiration in these endeavors.

The Senator is affiliated with many civic and community organizations, including the Richmond Hill Block Association, Woodhaven Residents Block Association, Juniper Park Civic Association; Glendale Kiwanis; Queens Chamber of Commerce; Sons of Italy-Mario Lanza Lodge; Alpha Phi Delta; Americans of Italian Heritage; Belmonte-Mezzagno Benevolent Society; and previously served as counsel to the New York State Commission on the Deaf and Multiply Impaired. The Senator has served for over 15 years as an Executive Board Member of the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association, an Honorary Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Oratorio Society of Queens and the Italian Charities of America. He was credited as the leader in the successful effort to reopen Christ the King Regional High School and has been serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Christ the King since 1976.

Senator Maltese is a past president of the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators. He served as liaison for the Columbus Countdown Quincentennial Program and is an Honorary Chairman of the Italian American Professional Business Association. Senator Maltese served as Chairman of the Queens County Republican Party for ten years and recently stepped down in order to continue his service as a full time Senator. He was elected as a Delegate to the Year 2000 Republican National Convention by the largest margin in the entire City of New York.

In addition to the many awards received by Senator Maltese, he was recognized by St. John's University as the recipient of their prestigious President's Medal and by LaGuardia Community College with their distinguished President's Medal. He was named "Man of the Year" by the Commission for Social Justice and was presented with the New York State Catholic Conference’s Year 2000 Public Policy Award for his courageous public service in defense of innocent human life and in furtherance of educational choice.

During his tenure in office, he has authored 226 Maltese Bills that have been signed into law. He takes pride in the fact that he is always there for his constituents and has maintained a perfect 100% attendance record throughout his over 18 years of Senate service.

Prominent among his legislative accomplishments are his 1989 legislation that provided $175 million in funding to save Wyckoff Heights Hospital and enabled the financially-troubled hospital to continue to provide quality medical care to patients in Queens and Kings Counties and his securing in 2006 one of the largest legislative grants in CUNY history - $55 million - for LaGuardia Community College.

He is an active leader for governmental disclosure and reform. Upon his election in November 1988, Senator Maltese voluntarily gave up the practice of law to serve as a full time Senator. He practices only "pro bono" and since then has never accepted a referral, commission or fee of any kind. He also does not accept campaign donations from staff members.

External links

* [http://www.senatorserfmaltese.com/ Official New York State Senate Website]
* [http://www.gothamgazette.com/eyeonalbany/senate/district15.shtml Gotham Gazette's Eye On Albany: New York State Senate: District 15]