LoCurto was an aide to then-Assemblyman Sam Hoyt when he was tapped by Democrats in March 2006 to fill the Delaware District Council seat vacated when Marc A. Coppola was elected to the State Senate.

He was in his 10th year when he resigned from the Council in July 2015 to become deputy commissioner in the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning. LoCurto, who had a master's degree in urban and regional planning, called the move a "tough decision."

When he resigned from the Council, city lawmakers praised him for his independence, intelligence and willingness to take on issues such as support for participatory budgeting, gay rights and opposition to big-box development on the waterfront. He said at the time that he viewed his Council role as an opportunity to "give voice to people who often don't have a voice in government."

Council President Darius G. Pridgen remembered LoCurto for his quiet demeanor and his work ethic when it came to representing the Delaware District.

"Some may have taken his quietness for absence," but he was a fighter for his district in meetings, Pridgen said, recalling that LoCurto was the first Council member to approach him about seeking the presidency.