John Faso
Encyclopedia
John Faso was the Republican
nominee for Governor of New York in 2006, and was defeated by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer
in the largest defeat for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. This followed his loss to Alan Hevesi
four years earlier in his run for State Comptroller. He was a former member of the New York State Assembly
, and minority leader from 1998 until April 2002.
in Queens, NY
, graduating in 1970. He then graduated from State University of New York at Brockport
and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center
in 1979. He currently serves as a partner in the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
law firm and lives in Kinderhook
with his wife Mary and his two children, Nicholas and Margaret. He is a Roman Catholic.
Faso was the frontrunner for the 1994 Republican nomination for New York State Comptroller and might have been nominated for Comptroller at that year's Republican State Convention, but was asked to withdraw from the comptroller's race that year to let Herbert London
to run for comptroller instead.
In late 1994, Faso served as a member of George Pataki
's transition team, where he chaired the budget committee and drafted the first draft of Pataki's 1995 state budget proposal. In 1995, Faso became the Ranking Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Members of Faso's staff included future Assemblyman Pete Lopez.
Faso ran for New York Comptroller in 2002
, losing to Alan Hevesi
by a 50%-47% margin. He gave up his role as minority leader during the campaign and did not seek reelection to his Assembly seat in order to seek the comptroller's office .
After leaving the Assembly, Faso became a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and was appointed by Pataki to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. In this role, Faso works with other authority commissioners to stabilize Buffalo finances and oversee the management of the city's budget.
Awards:
. He originally faced former Massachusetts Governor William Weld
, former Secretary of State Randy Daniels
, and Assemblyman Patrick Manning. Daniels and Manning both dropped out and Faso became the main opposition to Weld.
It has been reported that in early 2006, Weld offered Faso the chance to join his ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor
, an offer Faso reportedly declined. Faso gained increasing support from party leaders in various counties, including Westchester
and Suffolk
, both of which had large delegate counts to the state convention.
In late May 2006, Faso received the nomination of the Conservative Party for governor, which guaranteed him a spot on the November ballot. He pledged to continue running for governor on the Conservative line if he lost the Republican primary to Weld. On the day he received the Conservative nomination, Faso announced his selection of Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
as his running mate
for lieutenant governor.
On June 1, 2006, the Republican State Convention voted 61% to 39% to endorse Faso. By achieving over 50 percent of the vote, Faso was the designated Republican Party candidate in the September primary against Weld, but Weld still had enough to force a primary. As the Washington Post put it, "now it turns out whoever loses the GOP primary will stay in the race -- in a position likely to siphon votes from the Republican nominee." For this reason, Weld was under tremendous pressure to drop out of the race. On June 5, Stephen J. Minarik
, the chairman of the state Republican Party, who had been Weld's most prominent backer, called on Weld to withdraw in the interest of party unity. Weld formally announced his withdrawal from the race, and his support of Faso, the following day.
John Faso has made fighting increases in school property taxes a central theme of his campaign. In April, he announced a plan to stop the growth in school taxes and charged that Democrat Eliot Spitzer's plan for this issue would lead to a tax increase.
Faso was the original sponsor of charter school legislation and was a leading figure in the passage of Governor Pataki's proposal to create charter schools in New York State in 1998. He supports expanding the current cap on charter schools.
After being vastly outspent, Faso was swamped by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer
, who attained 69% of the vote.
Interestingly, both candidates to whom Faso lost statewide elections, Eliot Spitzer and Alan Hevesi, were forced to resign their offices in personal and legal scandal.
in New York's 20th congressional district
, and was even endorsed by the Greene County Republican Party, however the nomination
eventually went to Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco
.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee for Governor of New York in 2006, and was defeated by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
in the largest defeat for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. This followed his loss to Alan Hevesi
Alan Hevesi
Alan G. Hevesi is a Democratic politician whoserved as a New York State Assemblyman from 1971 to 1993, as Comptroller of the City of New York from 1994 to 2001, and as State Comptroller for the State of New York from 2003 to 2006...
four years earlier in his run for State Comptroller. He was a former member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, and minority leader from 1998 until April 2002.
Personal life
His dad, John Sr. was a small businessman, running a tool rental and television repair store, while his mother Frances stayed at home raised five children. Faso attended Archbishop Molloy High SchoolArchbishop Molloy High School
Archbishop Molloy High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic school for grades 9-12, located on in the Briarwood section of Queens in New York City, thirty minutes east of Manhattan. Molloy currently has an endowment of about $6,000,000 . The school's current principal is Br...
in Queens, NY
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, graduating in 1970. He then graduated from State University of New York at Brockport
State University of New York at Brockport
The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...
and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1979. He currently serves as a partner in the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm of more than 400 attorneys and other professionals founded in 1965. The firm earned revenues of nearly $260 million in 2010...
law firm and lives in Kinderhook
Kinderhook (town), New York
Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,296 at the 2000 census. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in the language of the original Dutch settlers . The town of Kinderhook contains two villages, one of which is also...
with his wife Mary and his two children, Nicholas and Margaret. He is a Roman Catholic.
Political life
He was first elected to the State Assembly from Kinderhook, New York.Faso was the frontrunner for the 1994 Republican nomination for New York State Comptroller and might have been nominated for Comptroller at that year's Republican State Convention, but was asked to withdraw from the comptroller's race that year to let Herbert London
Herbert London
-Early life:He was born in Brooklyn, New York circa 1939 and attended Columbia University, graduating in 1960. Standing 6'5", he was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League, but did not play for them because of injuries. He was a social studies secondary school teacher...
to run for comptroller instead.
In late 1994, Faso served as a member of George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
's transition team, where he chaired the budget committee and drafted the first draft of Pataki's 1995 state budget proposal. In 1995, Faso became the Ranking Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Members of Faso's staff included future Assemblyman Pete Lopez.
Faso ran for New York Comptroller in 2002
New York Comptroller election, 2002
The 2002 election was held on November 5. New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi defeated former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso.-See also:...
, losing to Alan Hevesi
Alan Hevesi
Alan G. Hevesi is a Democratic politician whoserved as a New York State Assemblyman from 1971 to 1993, as Comptroller of the City of New York from 1994 to 2001, and as State Comptroller for the State of New York from 2003 to 2006...
by a 50%-47% margin. He gave up his role as minority leader during the campaign and did not seek reelection to his Assembly seat in order to seek the comptroller's office .
After leaving the Assembly, Faso became a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and was appointed by Pataki to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. In this role, Faso works with other authority commissioners to stabilize Buffalo finances and oversee the management of the city's budget.
Awards:
- 1996 "Guardian of Small Business" -National Federation of Independent Businesses
- 1997 "Distinguished Public Service" -Nelson A. Rockefeller College
2006 Gubernatorial Race
In 2005, Faso announced his intention to run for governor. He positioned himself early as a conservative upstate candidate, while stressing his childhood roots in Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He originally faced former Massachusetts Governor William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
, former Secretary of State Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels is an American journalist and educator who served as Secretary of State of New York from 2001 to 2005. He resides in Westchester, New York and is currently employed as Vice Chairman of , a real estate investing firm....
, and Assemblyman Patrick Manning. Daniels and Manning both dropped out and Faso became the main opposition to Weld.
It has been reported that in early 2006, Weld offered Faso the chance to join his ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
, an offer Faso reportedly declined. Faso gained increasing support from party leaders in various counties, including Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, both of which had large delegate counts to the state convention.
In late May 2006, Faso received the nomination of the Conservative Party for governor, which guaranteed him a spot on the November ballot. He pledged to continue running for governor on the Conservative line if he lost the Republican primary to Weld. On the day he received the Conservative nomination, Faso announced his selection of Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef is the County Executive of Rockland County, New York and was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in the 2006 statewide elections...
as his running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
for lieutenant governor.
On June 1, 2006, the Republican State Convention voted 61% to 39% to endorse Faso. By achieving over 50 percent of the vote, Faso was the designated Republican Party candidate in the September primary against Weld, but Weld still had enough to force a primary. As the Washington Post put it, "now it turns out whoever loses the GOP primary will stay in the race -- in a position likely to siphon votes from the Republican nominee." For this reason, Weld was under tremendous pressure to drop out of the race. On June 5, Stephen J. Minarik
Stephen Minarik
Stephen J. Minarik III was a New York State political figure who served as the chairman of the Monroe County, New York and New York State Republican Committees.-Life:...
, the chairman of the state Republican Party, who had been Weld's most prominent backer, called on Weld to withdraw in the interest of party unity. Weld formally announced his withdrawal from the race, and his support of Faso, the following day.
John Faso has made fighting increases in school property taxes a central theme of his campaign. In April, he announced a plan to stop the growth in school taxes and charged that Democrat Eliot Spitzer's plan for this issue would lead to a tax increase.
Faso was the original sponsor of charter school legislation and was a leading figure in the passage of Governor Pataki's proposal to create charter schools in New York State in 1998. He supports expanding the current cap on charter schools.
After being vastly outspent, Faso was swamped by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
, who attained 69% of the vote.
Interestingly, both candidates to whom Faso lost statewide elections, Eliot Spitzer and Alan Hevesi, were forced to resign their offices in personal and legal scandal.
Political Future
In January 2009, Faso was a possible candidate to replace Kirsten GillibrandKirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
in New York's 20th congressional district
New York's 20th congressional district
The 20th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern New York. It includes all or parts of Columbia, Dutchess, Delaware, Essex, Greene, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties. It includes the...
, and was even endorsed by the Greene County Republican Party, however the nomination
New York's 20th congressional district special election, 2009
The 2009 special election for the 20th congressional district of New York was held on March 31, 2009 to fill the vacancy created in January 2009 when the district's representative, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, was appointed US senator from New York, replacing Hillary Clinton, who had been...
eventually went to Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco
James Tedisco
James Nicholas "Jim" Tedisco is an American politician. He is the Republican New York State assemblyman from the 110th District, and was the Assembly's Minority Leader from November 2005 until April 2009. He has served in the Assembly since 1983...
.
2002 New York State Republican Ticket
- Governor: George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
- Lieutenant Governor: Mary DonohueMary DonohueMary O’Connor Donohue is a Judge of the New York Court of Claims and a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State. She was first elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and reelected 2002 on a ticket with Gov. George Pataki.-Teaching and legal career:...
- Comptroller: John Faso
- Attorney General: Dora IrizarryDora IrizarryDora L. Irizarry is a Federal Judge in New York. She was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, on January 26, 1955, and was raised in the Bronx in New York City. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to graduate from Yale University in 1976 and Columbia University Law School in...
2006 New York State Republican Ticket
- Governor: John Faso
- Lieutenant Governor: C. Scott VanderhoefC. Scott VanderhoefC. Scott Vanderhoef is the County Executive of Rockland County, New York and was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in the 2006 statewide elections...
- Comptroller: Christopher Callaghan
- Attorney General: Jeanine PirroJeanine PirroJeanine Ferris Pirro is a former prosecutor, judge, and elected official from the state of New York, who is currently a legal analyst and television personality. A Republican from Westchester County, Pirro served as a county court judge before serving as the elected District Attorney of...
- U.S. Senate: John SpencerJohn Spencer (politician)John Spencer is the former Mayor of Yonkers, New York . He was the 2006 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New York and lost to incumbent Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.-Early life, military service and education:...