Victor B. Tosi (born in 1937) is a long-time member of the Bronx Republican Party. Tosi ran for office five times, including for Bronx Borough President, and briefly served as the chairman of the Bronx Republican Party from 2004 to 2005. He has also worked for Republicans such as State Senators John D. Calandra and Guy Velella and as the personal director and later deputy clerk for the New York City Board of Elections.
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Tosi never graduated from New York University. Before becoming involved with politics, he was a car salesman.[1]
Tosi became active with the Bronx Republican Party in the early 1970s as a protege of State Senator John D. Calandra, the Bronx Republican leader. Tosi first ran for City Council in 1973 in the 14th district against Anthony J. Mercorella, who was appointed to the seat a few months earlier to fill a vacancy.[2] Mercorella won 70 percent of the vote.
The next year, Tosi sought an open seat in the New York State Assembly in the 86th district. Despite a spirited campaign, Tosi, who won about 41 percent of the vote, lost to Democrat Vincent Marchiselli, a pro-life liberal and funeral director who used a wheelchair.[3]
In 1985 and 1989, Tosi ran as the Republican Party's "sacrificial lamb" against popular Democratic Councilman Jerry L. Crispino, who represented the 14th district.[4][5]
In 1987, State Senator Guy Velella asked Tosi to run in the special election for Bronx Borough President, which was held in November of that year. The incumbent Democrat, Stanley Simon, resigned in March 1987 after being implicated in corruption.[6] Tosi received about nine percent of the vote against Democratic City Councilman Fernando Ferrer.[7] (Tosi's opponent on the Conservative Party was Peggy McKeegan, who was also employed by Velella.)
In 1989, Velella asked Tosi to manage the campaign of cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, who sought the Republican primary for mayor against Rudy Giuliani.[8] Lauder's candidacy was engineered by U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato, who was determined to damage Giuliani's candidacy. D'Amato recruited Velella and newly-elected Republican State Senator Serphin Maltese of Queens in his campaign against Giuliani. Lauder spent about $13 million in negative television ads against Giuliani. Although Lauder lost the primary, getting about 34 percent of the vote, he damaged Giuliani's image enough in the general election in which he lost to Democrat David N. Dinkins.
Four years later, Velella and Giuliani put aside their differences. Velella assigned Tosi to a key role in running Giuliani's Bronx campaign. Giuliani was narrowly elected mayor, ousting Dinkins.
In the late 1980s, Tosi began working at the New York City Board of Elections as the personnel director. His role in restoring two Bronx school board candidates to the ballot in 1993 despite the fact that they lacked the required number of signatures came under scrutiny. The Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau empaneled a grand jury to investigate charges of fraud in the 1993 school board of election. In 1995, the grand jury drew up a report on its findings, which was leaked to the press. The grand jury found that Tosi "improperly interceded" with Vincent J. Velella, a commissioner at the Board of Elections and the father of State Senator Guy Velella, to restore the two candidates to the ballot.[9] Although the grand jury did not recommend any criminal charges be filed against Tosi and 10 other Board of Elections employees, it recommended that they be fired. A judge later sealed the grand jury report on a technicality.
Tosi opted to resign from the board. He then became a job-training director in the New York State Labor Department. In 2000, Tosi, despite the earlier controvery, returned to the New York City Board of Elections as the deputy clerk.
In 2004, Velella resigned as a State Senator and Bronx Republican Chairman after pleading guilty to a corruption charge. Members of the Bronx Republican County Committee elected Tosi as the "interim" chairman. In his capacity, Tosi campaigned for the election of Assemblyman Stephen B. Kaufman to succeed Velella. Members of the New York State Senate Republican Committee recruited Kaufman, a long-time Democrat, to run for the seat. In previous elections, Kaufman had the endorsement of the Bronx Conservative Party and had the reputation of being a moderate. To increase the chances of his election in a district that was becoming more Democratic, Kaufman sought both the Republican and Democratic nominations. If elected, Kaufman would caucus with the Republicans in the Senate and, in effect, allow them to keep the seat they held since 1966. However, Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein challenged Kaufman for the Democratic nomination. A Republican challenger, John Fleming, a retired police officer, abandoned plans to run against Congressman Eliot Engel and challenged Kaufman for both the Republican and Conservative nominations. On primary day, Kaufman lost both the Democratic and Republican primaries. He did win the Conservative nomination and also had the support of the New York State Independence Party. Kaufman stayed in the race as a spoiler, and Assemblyman Klein won the seat in the general election.
In 2005, Tosi resigned as Bronx GOP Chairman.[10] Joseph J. Savino, Velella's former deputy chief of staff, was elected the new chairman. Velella accused his two former employees, Tosi and Savino, of seizing control of the Bronx GOP illegally.
Tosi retired from the Board of Elections in 2006. He is also an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.