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Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate for the 23rd district.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, her district encompasses most of the North Shore of Staten Island, alongside parts of some southern Brooklyn neighborhoods.[2] Early life and education
Scarcella-Spanton was born and raised in Staten Island. Both her parents were schoolteachers, and her father was a leader of the local chapter of the United Federation of Teachers. She attended the College of Staten Island from 2007 to 2011, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. Scarcella-Spanton is married to a US Army combat veteran, who served two tours in Afghanistan as a infantry machine gunner. Her husband's service took place from 2010-2015, deploying overseas in 2012 and 2014. Scarcella-Spanton and her husband have two children, who now currently reside in West Brighton, Staten Island, going to NYC public schools. CareerScarcella-Spanton's involvement in politics began in 2009, when she was an intern for Janele Hyer-Spencer. The following year, she worked as a campaign aid for Hyer-Spencer during her reelection campaign. In 2012, Scarcella-Spanton worked as a deputy field coordinator for Democrat Mark Murphy's congressional campaign and as an executive director for the Democratic Committee of Richmond County.[3] In 2015, following her return to Staten Island, Scarcella-Spanton served as volunteer coordinator for the first election campaign of Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon. Beginning in 2017, Scarcella-Spanton was hired as director of operations for former State Senator Diane Savino. From 2021 to 2022, she served as assistant director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for community and government relations. After Savino declared that she would not seek reelection, Scarcella-Spanton declared her intent to run for the seat. On November 8, 2022, she defeated Republican candidate Joseph L. Tirone Jr in the general election. She was sworn in on January 5, 2023. After being sworn in, Scarcella-Spanton assumed the position as Chair of Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs, which resulted in passing various bills benefiting New York veterans. She sought re-election in 2024 and on November 5, 2024, Scarcella-Spanton defeated her Republican opponent Marko Kepi in the general election with a wider margin than her previous election.[4] References
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