Ralph J. Lamberti

Ralph James Lamberti (November 14, 1934 – June 14, 2025) was an American politician who served as borough president of Staten Island, New York from 1984 to 1989. He also held various public offices in Staten Island, including ten years as Deputy Borough President. As of 2026, Lamberti is the last Democratic Borough President of Staten Island.

Early life Ralph J. Lamberti was born on November 14, 1934, and raised in the West Brighton section of Staten Island. His grandparents settled in Staten Island shortly after arriving from Cava de' Tirreni, Italy, in 1899.

In the late 1940s, Lamberti attended Curtis High School and played football under Coach Andrew Barberi, who is considered one of the greatest football coaches in Staten Island history. Lamberti also attended Wagner College and the College of Staten Island.

From 1955 to 1957, Lamberti was enlisted in the United States Army, and was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia.

In 1965, Lamberti ran as the Republican candidate for the State Assembly, but withdrew before the election.

In 1977, he was re-appointed Deputy Borough President of Staten Island by Anthony Gaeta.

Borough President (1984–1989) On November 10, 1984, Lamberti was sworn in as the 12th Borough President of Staten Island. In the ceremony he noted "My grandfather dug ditches and corked pipes for the water department ... Now, a century later, his grandson [has become] president of the borough he so cherished."

In the late 1980s, Lamberti led staunch opposition to the proposed City Charter revision abolishing the New York City Board of Estimate. At the time, this board was responsible for budget and land-use decisions for the city. It gave the mayor, comptroller, and city council president each two votes on the board, while the five borough presidents each had one vote. The proposed revisions would significantly reduce the power of borough presidents and resulted in Lamberti, among other elected officials, making secession from New York City a political issue on Staten Island.

In 1986, Lamberti appointed a 15-member committee yesterday to study whether it was economically and legally feasible for Staten Island to secede from New York City, stating "We do not want to secede from the city of New York," but adding, "If you take away our voice in city government and reduce us to a spectator, we may have no other choice."

In 1987, Lamberti made a controversial deal with then New York City Mayor Ed Koch by which the four homeless shelters originally planned for Staten Island were not built in return for accepting a new city jail on Staten Island. In 1988, Lamberti announced that New York City had agreed to limit the jail from what was originally planned for 4,000 beds on a draft environmental impact statement to a limit of 1,000 beds, and stated that this amounted to "our fair share" of city jail space.

On March 22, 1989, the United States Supreme Court unanimously decided that the New York City Board of Estimate violated constitutional protections of one-man, one-vote – since Lamberti's vote, at that time represented about 400,000 Staten Islanders, and carried the same weight as Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden's, representing 2.3 million. This decision led to Lamberti being the last Staten Island Borough President to serve on the Board of Estimate. At the time of his death in 2025, Lamberti remained the most recent Democrat to serve as Borough President of Staten Island.

Personal life and death A lifelong Staten Islander, Lamberti lived with his wife in the Sunset Hill neighborhood. They had four adult children and five grandchildren.

Accolades In 2001, NECO awarded Lamberti the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. This medal is presented to American citizens "who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while exemplifying the values of the American way of life".

In 2007, he was given the Outstanding Community Member Award by Wagner College.

St. John's University honored Lamberti with an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree.

Committees Lamberti served various roles on several Staten Island committees, including Chairman of Snug Harbor Cultural Center Chairman of the Wagner College DaVinci Society Chair of the Staten Island United Way Founder of the annual Harmony Street Fair President of the Staten Island Council of the Boy Scouts of America He also served as a member of the boards of various charities and community service groups, including the American Red Cross, the Aid for Retarded Children, the VNA, the Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.