Story Highlights



  • Rob Astorino, GOP candidate for governor, made $101,800 in consulting fees while county executive.

  • Townsquare Media in Connecticut paid him $100,000. He made $1,800 filling in on WOR radio shows.

  • Democrats say Astorino should release five years of returns. Gov. Andrew Cuomo releases his annually.

  • A spokesman for Astorino said the campaign has been open about the county executive’s earnings.



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Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino earned $101,800 in outside consulting fees in addition to his government salary while serving his first term as Westchester County executive, campaign officials said Tuesday.





Bill O’Reilly, a top aide to GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, speaks about tax returns and financial disclosure forms the campaign released Tuesday.




The campaign allowed members of the news media to review copies of Astorino’s 2013 state and federal tax returns and annual county financial disclosure reports from 2009-2013. Income ranges for outside earnings on the disclosure forms were blacked out, but the campaign provided specifics when asked by reporters.


Astorino, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, made $160,760 as county executive last year. He earned $30,000 in consulting fees from Townsquare Media of Greenwich, Connecticut, and $1,800 – $300 per show – to fill in on WOR radio in Manhattan, owned by Clear Channel Communications. Townsquare paid Astorino $10,000 in 2010, $30,000 in 2011 and $30,000 in 2012.


The state Democratic Party has called on Astorino, Westchester County executive, to release five years of returns. Cuomo has released his tax returns each year while in office.


“By only giving one year of tax returns instead of five years, Rob Astorino is being too cute by one fifth. There is only one reason that he won’t come clean with New Yorkers – he must be hiding something,” said Peter Kauffmann, state Democratic Committee spokesman.


Astorino has been open about his earnings, said Bill O’Reilly, a top campaign aide.


“He’s a very uncomplicated financial person, which you can see from the tax return,” he said, adding that annual financial disclosure forms have been available for anyone to review.


In 2013, Astorino paid $28,106 in federal income taxes and $10,413 to the state, roughly 24 percent of his income. His wife, Sheila, did not earn any income. She previously worked as a speech therapist. The couple has three kids. The family made $2,518 in cash donations and gave $825 worth of goods to charity.


O’Reilly said Astorino would like Cuomo to disclose details of work done on the New Castle home where he lives with his girlfriend, television personality Sandra Lee.


“We know that he’s cheated on his property taxes by at least $30,000 over the last four years. He won’t allow an inspector in and he won’t allow anyone to see what’s in the basement, where he did finish work,” O’Reilly said.


The Journal News reported in May that Cuomo and Lee never filed building permits. After learning of the work, the assessor increased the assessment by 29 percent. That raised the property taxes this year by $8,000.


“It’s been covered. Everything’s a matter of public record on that,” Kauffmann said on that issue.


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