Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino Dead At 71

BABYLON VILLAGE, NY — Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino died Thursday, according to village officials. He was 71.

Scordino served as mayor for 16 years after serving as deputy mayor and trustee for over 15 years.

According to his profile on the Better Babylon Party website, he and his wife Linda were married for over 44 years and raised two children in Babylon. He was also the grandfather of 6-year-old twin girls.

Additional information and arrangements have not yet been released.

Several local officials have reacted to the news of the mayor's sudden passing.

Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer released the following statement in response:

The Town Board and I are shocked and saddened by the news of Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino's unexpected passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Linda, Dina and Spiro, Paul and Jamie and grandchildren, Ava and Olivia, during this difficult time. Mayor Scordino was always a great partner through all of the years here in the Town of Babylon. He provided steadfast leadership through both Superstorm Sandy and, more recently, the outbreak of COVID-19 for his residents. Most importantly, Mayor Scordino was the quintessential public servant who took pride in returning every phone call, responding to every inquiry and developing solutions to issues that came up under his watch. It was an honor to serve beside him during my time as Town Supervisor. It was a greater honor to call him a friend. He will be sorely missed by many. May he rest in peace.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, also released a statement following the news of Scordino's death:

We have lost a real giant in our community. Mayor Ralph Scordino dedicated his life to public service and to the village that he loved and led for so many years. It is no coincidence that under his leadership Babylon Village thrived with a downtown that is regarded as one of the most vibrant in the region. I have worked closely with Mayor Scordino for nearly two decades as Babylon Town Supervisor and now Suffolk County Executive. I am shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of my friend and colleague and my thoughts and prayers are with his family today.

Local assemblyman Phil Boyle also released a statement:

I am deeply saddened with the news of the unexpected death of Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino. We have lost an incredibly dedicated local leader, an icon, who cared deeply for all of the residents and merchants of Babylon Village.

I have known and worked with Ralph, both in his capacity as Village Trustee and as Mayor, spanning a career of over 33 years. Under his leadership, the Village has prospered greatly and remains a highly desirable community to live, work and play.

Mayor Scordino was the catalyst behind many successful projects in Babylon Village during his tenure in public service. He also led us during some of our most trying periods such as the Covid-19 Pandemic and our rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy did tremendous damage to his beloved Babylon Village.

My heart aches for his wife, Linda, and the entire Scordino family and I want them to know that the Babylon Village Community owes a great debt of gratitude to the Mayor.

I was proud to call Ralph a colleague, mentor and, most importantly, a friend. He will be deeply missed by us all.