David Storobin

David Storobin (born 1979) is a New York Attorney and a former New York State Senator who represented District 27 in the New York State Senate, which includes the neighborhoods of Borough Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach, Kensington, Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, and Manhattan Beach, among others. He was the first immigrant from the former Soviet Union to serve as a New York state senator.^[1] At the time of his service in office, he was the only Jewish Republican elected in New York City. In 2013, he ran unsuccessfully for the City Council in the 47th District, which encompasses Midwood, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, and Manhattan Beach.

Biography

Storobin was born to Jewish parents in the former Soviet Union in 1979, and is a naturalized United States citizen, who has lived in the U.S. since 1991. He was raised by a single mother after his parents' divorce, when he was 3 years old. He graduated from Rutgers University School of Law and is a practicing attorney, specializing in family law. He has run his own law firm since 2004, now known as The Storobin Law Firm PLLC.^[2] In 2004, he founded Global Politician, an e-zine. Material posted there later caused a bitter row between Storobin and his political opponent Lewis Fidler.^[3]

In the Senate race, Storobin campaigned against same-sex marriage,^[1] promoted education reform and promised legislation to help small businesses. He defeated the incumbent City Councilman Fidler in a close race which came down to counting absentee ballots.^[4] According to political reporter Jacob Gershman, Storobin's opposition to gay marriage was "an important wedge issue that helped the Republican make inroads among a large Orthodox Jewish bloc in the district."^[5]

Storobin sponsored the repeal of the Blaine Amendment to help facilitate the introduction of school vouchers for religious schools. He sponsored bills to reduce bureaucracy and taxes on small businesses. He was originally the lone sponsor of a bill that would repeal gay marriage, which Senator Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) later co-sponsored.^[5][6] His term effectively ended on June 30, 2012 when the state legislature recessed; the district was redrawn and eliminated.^[4][7]

Storobin ran in the November 2012 general election against former Democratic Councilman Simcha Felder in a newly created district^[8]— the "so-called Super Jewish district, which is dominated by Orthodox Jews."^[9] The newly created district had a nearly 4:1 Democratic advantage, leaving Storobin an underdog.^[10] On November 5, 2013, he ran as a Republican for the New York City Council's 48th District, losing to Democrat Chaim Deutsch. ^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Profile New York State Senate