From The Desk of…Rob Astorino

Written by Aaron Short on October 22, 2012. Posted in Upfront.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino sailed into his White Plains office in 2009 on a wave of discontent with Democrats. He has held his post ever since, and has festooned his otherwise modest work space on the top floor of the county’s headquarters with Miami Dolphins memorabilia. Most of his constituents are Giants or Jets fans. He hopes they don’t hold that against him.

Photos by Daniel S. Burnstein
Election Night 2009, Journal News article
“That was the following day’s paper. It shocked the hell out of Westchester County. The frame was given to me by the Westchester Republicans."
Children’s hand and foot watercolor prints
“The art is from the kids. That was done for my birthday in May 2010. My wife had the kids do that at home.”
Fordham vs. Texas A&M football ticket
“This is a replica of a ticket from a 1941 game. They lost. I was not there. When I met Gov. Rick Perry, who went to Texas A&M, at an event last year, we had a joke about it. I told him, ‘You guys beat us, so I’m going to hold it against you.’ ”
Miami Dolphins wastepaper bin
“Someone on our staff gave it to me for Christmas. I’ve been rooting for the Dolphins since I was 5 years old. Notice how the bin is always clean.”
00001 key chain
“That’s for my car. That’s my identification for the county executive car. The license plate is not ‘00001.’ ”
Miami Dolphins bobblehead
“I bought that at the stadium in Miami. Two years ago I took my son down to the game, which was his first game ever.”
Westchester County flag
“It has the symbol of justice. It is tricolored with blue, white and orange. We brought the three flags in here when I got to the office. It hasn’t been to the cleaners.”
Miami Dolphins helmet candy holder
“My chief of staff, George Oros, gave me that.”
U.S. flag
“My cousin, Jonathan Cutrone, who is a Marine, sent me that. It flew in a helicopter during Operation Iraqi Freedom on Jan. 31, 2005, which is also the day that my daughter was born.”
Picturing Our Past book of Westchester historic sites
“We go all over the county, but my favorite site is the Kensico Dam, which was built by immigrants in the 1920s. That’s the focal point of Westchester County.”
Photograph with Pope Benedict and Cardinal Egan
“When Pope Benedict came to New York, he recorded a 30-second message for the Catholic Channel in the cardinal’s residence on the third floor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The pope doesn’t usually do promos, but he did one for us.”
Abraham Lincoln bust
“I got this when I spoke at the Union League Club a few months ago. They asked me to talk about our settlement with the federal government and HUD that we’re negotiating in the courts.”
Horse photographs
“When I got into office I did not know there was an event called the Westchester Stakes at Belmont. We present the award, about $150,000, to the winner.”
Glass elephant and dolphin figurines
“These are from friends and family. The dolphins are because of my team, and the elephants are because of the Republican Party. My mother has given me so many of them over the years. Thanks, Mom!”
Photo of Astorino and his son at Miami Stadium
“When I was 5 years old growing up in Cortland, the Dolphins were winning championships. My father was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but Don Shula and Bob Griese were my heroes.”

Tags: George Oros, Miami Dolphins, Pope Benedict, Rick Perry, Rob Astorino, Westchester County, White Plains