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State senator backs key aide as successor
Marchi says Helbock ‘is the best person to continue my work’

ALBANY — State Sen. John Marchi wants his longtime aide and the borough’s GOP chairman, Robert Helbock, to fill the seat the veteran legislator has held for nearly 50 years.

The opening gambit in the race to succeed Marchi (R-Staten Island) played out yesterday, when a Democrat bowed out of contention

Shortly after Assemblyman Michael Cusick told the Advance he wouldn’t run, Marchi released a statement backing Helbock.

“I am confident that Bob Helbock is the best person to continue my work,” said the senator.

Marchi, first elected to the seat in 1956, dropped a political bombshell when he announced he wouldn’t seek re-election amid health concerns.

“You can’t have a better mentor,” said Helbock, 43, a Randall Manor attorney who has worked under Marchi for the last 18 years.

His last stab at office was in 2000, when he lost to Assemblyman John Lavelle (D-North Shore) — although he garnered 43 percent of the vote in a heavily Democratic district.

“I think that time around I showed that I can be a credible candidate, that I can raise the money, that I can make the appearances and meet the people and convince them that I was worth their vote,” he said.

Two Republicans with designs on Marchi’s seat — City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Matthew Mirones (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) — said the senator’s confidant deserved a nod for his dedication.

Councilman Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore), another possible contender, could not be reached. continued…

Marchi announced he would not run just days after NewYorkCoalition announced he was one of the Senators on the list targeted for a primary challenge.