SI’s Molinari dies at 89

Staten Island Republican power broker Guy Molinari, whose political career spanned nearly three decades, died Wednesday. He was 89.

Molinari, born Nov. 23, 1928, died of pneumonia, said his son-in-law, former US Rep. Bill Paxon.

He had been ill and housebound for several years, and died at NYU Medical Center, the Staten Island Advance reported.

Molinari was once the dominant political figure in the borough and he sought nearly every political position there.

From 1975 through 2001, he served three terms in the state Assembly, was elected to the House of Representatives five times, and was borough president for 12 years. But he lost a bid to become district attorney in 1995.

When he became borough president in 1990, his only child, Susan, won his congressional seat, serving until 1997.

Unpredictability was Guy Molinari’s trademark.

He worked as New York state director of George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign, and was friendly with the Bush family. But in 2000, he endorsed Sen. John McCain over George W. Bush in the GOP presidential race, creating a sharp rift with local Republicans.

Staten Islanders are reminded of his legacy every day when they take the ferry — one of the vessels is named for the former Marine.

“Guy was, simply stated, a larger-than-life figure here on the island and throughout New York. He was a mentor to dozens of young, eager Republicans,” said Brendan Lantry, chair of the borough’s Republican Party.

Staten Island Rep. Dan Donovan praised Molinari, although he had endorsed exRep. Michael Grimm, Donovan’s unsuccessful rival in this year’s GOP primary.

“As a Marine and dedicated elected official, Guy served our nation and Staten Island with distinction. He left an indelible mark on Staten Island that inspired countless others to a calling of public service. His legacy will long outlast his remarkable life,” Donovan said.

Staten Island will remember Guy Molinari, who died Wednesday after a long illness, as the pugnacious politico who championed “the forgotten borough” for decades — with enormous success.

Before that, he fought for his nation as a Marine in the Korean War, then for his clients as a lawyer in private practice for two decades.

But it was his tireless public service — six years in the state Assembly, 10 in the House of Representatives and a decade as borough president — that won so many hearts.

He won the enmity of Mayor Ed Koch by stopping the proposed Rossville city jail in the 1980s and was vital to Rudy Giuliani’s rise to the mayor’s office in 1993.

Molinari was the driving force in ending the toll for Brooklyn-bound cars on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, lifting the 50-cent Staten Island Ferry fare and closing the Fresh Kills landfill — all huge quality-of-life victories for Staten Islanders.

Then again, he never shirked from a fight, even challenging City Councilman Jerome O’Donovan to fisticuffs amid one bitter race.

Rep. Dan Donovan summed it up well: Guy Molinari “left an indelible mark on Staten Island that inspired countless others to a calling of public service. His legacy will long outlast his remarkable life.”

Job well done, sir. Rest in peace.