STATEN ISLAND — Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr.'s opponent in the Republican primary told a debate crowd the incumbent had been arrested — though she didn't mention his only violation was a speeding ticket.
Janine Materna, president of the South Shore Civic Association who's running against Castorina in Tuesday's vote, said in a NY1 debate Thursday that a background check showed he'd been arrested in Rhode Island.
A copy of the background check that she later provided to the station clearly showed it was just a speeding ticket.
"A booking date indicates an arrest," Materna said in the NY1 debate. "If you run a criminal background check, it shows he was arrested."
Castorina said he was never arrested but got the ticket when he was 21-years-old for driving about 5 mph over the limit. The ticket was eventually dismissed because it was his first driving infraction.
"This is a campaign of deceit and treachery," Castorina told DNAinfo New York.
"She'll say and do anything to try and get elected, even if it means compromising morals and integrity and assassinating other people's characters."
Materna did not respond to a request for comment.
In the debate and previously, Materna slammed Castorina for being a carpetbagger who only moved into the district recently and falsely claimed a $303 tax exemption on one of his homes.
For his part, Castorina criticized Materna — who ran as a Democrat for the City Council in 2009 — for switching parties to have a chance in the Republican leaning district.
The primary will be on Tuesday and no Democrat is running for the seat in the general election in November.
