Joseph J. DioGuardi
Encyclopedia
Joseph J. DioGuardi is a certified public accountant
and a Republican
politician
. DioGuardi served in the House of Representatives
representing the 20th Congressional district of New York
from 1985 to 1989. He was also the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New York during the 2010 special election
, but lost to incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
.
DioGuardi, a former partner at Arthur Andersen & Co., also serves as president of the Albanian American Civic League
, an organization he co-founded with his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi. He is the father of former American Idol
judge Kara DioGuardi
.
: Albanians who came to Italy to avoid Ottoman
persecution. His father eventually established a grocery and vegetable store in East Bronx. The family moved to Westchester County, New York
, in 1957. Joseph Sr. married Grace Paparella on January 8, 1939, and the couple settled in Orchard Hills in White Plains. Their son, Joseph J., is the oldest of three DioGuardi children. After the family's move to Westchester, he attended Fordham Preparatory School
. In 1957, he landed a summer job as a busboy
for Elmwood Country Club in Westchester County. He advanced to a waiter position, where he continued, following his admission to Fordham University
.
and achieved partner status at age 31, after 10 years at the firm. DioGuardi specialized in federal and state taxation for non-profit organizations, as well as the tax economics of charitable giving.
, who had relocated from Greenwich Village in Manhattan to Mount Vernon.
He was the original author of the Chief Financial Officer and Federal Financial Reform Act (CFO Act), signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The act mandated the assignment of a Chief Financial Officer
to each major department and agency of the U.S. government. Former Comptroller General of the United States
Charles Bowsher later said in testimony before the U.S. Senate that since the enactment of the bill, “We have seen important progress in directly confronting serious financial management weaknesses.”
He founded and co-chaired the Congressional Long Island Sound and Hudson River Caucuses, which secured substantial increases in federal support. He co-founded with Congressman Jerrold Nadler
the New York Task Force for Port, Rail and Industrial Development in order to restore lost jobs to New York's manufacturing and transportation sectors and preserve a portion of the Port of New York on the New York side of the harbor.
Of the 1.55 million Black American military servicemen, not one had received the Congressional Medal of Honor. DioGuardi and Democratic Congressman Mickey Leland
initiated legislation to confer the honor on Black World War I and World War II military heroes who had been recommended for, but had not received, the medal. Nine Congressional Medals of Honor have since been awarded.
DioGuardi was an active member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) and worked with Caucus founder Tom Lantos
(D-CA) on apartheid in South Africa
, and on the repression of Jews in the Soviet Union and the Tibetan people
and monks in China.
. During the campaign, the New York Times reported: "Several employees explained in interviews that they were given $2,000 each in company checks and were asked to deposit them into their own bank accounts and then write personal checks for the same amount to the DioGuardi campaign. Joseph Crabtree, the company's chief executive, and his son Robert, the company's president, served on the campaign's finance committee." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission and Mr. Crabtree resigned from the campaign. DioGuardi steadfastly denied the charges and his campaign also filed its own complaint with the State Board of Elections that argued, contrary to his opponent's commercial, that the employees in question put funds in a separate "People For DioGuardi" campaign account as required by state law.
, to endorse a candidate. DioGuardi finished third out of three candidates in the endorsement process
. Gillibrand had been appointed to the seat by Gov. Paterson after it was vacated by Hillary Clinton. DioGuardi pledged to raise over $10 million in his campaign. He secured the nomination for U.S. Senate from the Conservative Party of New York
on May 28, 2010, but did not secure enough votes from the New York Republican party contingencies at their state convention on June 2 to appear on the Republican line in the New York primary race on September 14. On August 9, the New York Board of Elections officially certified DioGuardi's qualification for the September 14th GOP primary.
During the campaign, DioGuardi attracted some press attention for his advocacy of Albanian rights (he was photographed burning the flag of Serbia
outside the Serbian Embassy in New York City) and his statement that without his efforts, there would be no independent Kosovo
.
DioGuardi narrowly defeated David Malpass
in the primary election (with Bruce Blakeman finishing distant third), securing the Republican line in the general election. He also, after the primary, secured the line of the nascent Taxpayers Party of New York
when Malpass stepped aside.
In 1992, DioGuardi authored the book, Unaccountable Congress: It Doesn't Add Up, published by Regnery. The book was re-released in 2010 with a new introduction that claimed to explain the chronology of events leading to the financial crisis of 2008.
, with his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, a writer, foreign-policy analyst, human rights activist and former book publisher. His first wife, Carol, died in 1997 of ovarian cancer. His son John is a counselor at the Phoenix House
, a national non-profit drug treatment organization on whose board Joseph has served since 1972. His daughter Kara DioGuardi
is a songwriter and artist who has appeared as a judge on the American Idol
show, and has also been involved in Phoenix House.
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
and a Republican
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. DioGuardi served in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
representing the 20th Congressional district of New York
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...
from 1985 to 1989. He was also the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New York during the 2010 special election
United States Senate special election in New York, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in New York took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections...
, but lost to incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten 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...
.
DioGuardi, a former partner at Arthur Andersen & Co., also serves as president of the Albanian American Civic League
Albanian American Civic League
Albanian American Civic League is the only Albanian lobby in Washington, DC, representing the concerns and interests of the Albanian people. The Civic League was founded by former Congressman Joseph DioGuardi and a board of Albanian Americans in 1989...
, an organization he co-founded with his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi. He is the father of former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judge Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
.
Background
DioGuardi's father, Joseph Sr., immigrated to the United States from Greci, Italy, a town with a Catholic Albanian majority. The family traces its roots to the ArbëreshëArbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
: Albanians who came to Italy to avoid Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
persecution. His father eventually established a grocery and vegetable store in East Bronx. The family moved to Westchester County, New York
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...
, in 1957. Joseph Sr. married Grace Paparella on January 8, 1939, and the couple settled in Orchard Hills in White Plains. Their son, Joseph J., is the oldest of three DioGuardi children. After the family's move to Westchester, he attended Fordham Preparatory School
Fordham Preparatory School
Fordham Preparatory School is a private Jesuit all-boys high school located in the Bronx, New York City, with an enrollment of approximately 950 students. It is located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University....
. In 1957, he landed a summer job as a busboy
Busboy
Busser, busboy and busgirl are terms used in the United States for someone who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables and otherwise assisting the waiting staff....
for Elmwood Country Club in Westchester County. He advanced to a waiter position, where he continued, following his admission to Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
.
Education and early career
DioGuardi graduated from Fordham University in 1962 and was hired at Arthur Andersen & Co.. He became a Certified Public AccountantCertified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
and achieved partner status at age 31, after 10 years at the firm. DioGuardi specialized in federal and state taxation for non-profit organizations, as well as the tax economics of charitable giving.
Elections and political career
DioGuardi ran for and was elected to Congress in 1984 as a Republican, in a Congressional district that was predominantly Democratic, with a sizable minority population in Mount Vernon, Yonkers and New Rochelle. In his second congressional race in 1986, DioGuardi defeated former congresswoman Bella AbzugBella Abzug
Bella Savitsky Abzug was an American lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus...
, who had relocated from Greenwich Village in Manhattan to Mount Vernon.
He was the original author of the Chief Financial Officer and Federal Financial Reform Act (CFO Act), signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The act mandated the assignment of a Chief Financial Officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
to each major department and agency of the U.S. government. Former Comptroller General of the United States
Comptroller General of the United States
The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office , a legislative branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and managerial accountability of the federal government...
Charles Bowsher later said in testimony before the U.S. Senate that since the enactment of the bill, “We have seen important progress in directly confronting serious financial management weaknesses.”
He founded and co-chaired the Congressional Long Island Sound and Hudson River Caucuses, which secured substantial increases in federal support. He co-founded with Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Nadler is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1992. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes the west side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the site where the World Trade Center stood...
the New York Task Force for Port, Rail and Industrial Development in order to restore lost jobs to New York's manufacturing and transportation sectors and preserve a portion of the Port of New York on the New York side of the harbor.
Of the 1.55 million Black American military servicemen, not one had received the Congressional Medal of Honor. DioGuardi and Democratic Congressman Mickey Leland
Mickey Leland
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland was an anti-poverty activist who later became a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus...
initiated legislation to confer the honor on Black World War I and World War II military heroes who had been recommended for, but had not received, the medal. Nine Congressional Medals of Honor have since been awarded.
DioGuardi was an active member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) and worked with Caucus founder Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
(D-CA) on apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and on the repression of Jews in the Soviet Union and the Tibetan people
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
and monks in China.
Re-election campaign in 1988
DioGuardi ran for re-election in 1988 and was defeated by Nita LoweyNita Lowey
Nita Melnikoff Lowey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously represented the 20th district from 1989 to 1993.-Early life, education and career:...
. During the campaign, the New York Times reported: "Several employees explained in interviews that they were given $2,000 each in company checks and were asked to deposit them into their own bank accounts and then write personal checks for the same amount to the DioGuardi campaign. Joseph Crabtree, the company's chief executive, and his son Robert, the company's president, served on the campaign's finance committee." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission and Mr. Crabtree resigned from the campaign. DioGuardi steadfastly denied the charges and his campaign also filed its own complaint with the State Board of Elections that argued, contrary to his opponent's commercial, that the employees in question put funds in a separate "People For DioGuardi" campaign account as required by state law.
1992 Congressional campaign
In 1992 DioGuardi ran again against incumbent Nita Lowey and lost.1994 Congressional campaign
in 1994 DioGuardi ran for the Republican nomination in the race to replace Hamilton Fish Sr., but lost to Sue Kelly, who went on to win in the general election. DioGuardi contested the general election on the Conservative Party line.1996 Congressional campaign
In 1996 DioGuardi challenged incumbent Sue Kelly for the Republican nomination and lost. He contested the general election on the lines of the Conservative Party and the Right-to-Life Party.2008 Congressional campaign
On May 22, 2008, Republican delegates from each of the five counties represented in the 19th district met in Mahopac, New YorkMahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
, to endorse a candidate. DioGuardi finished third out of three candidates in the endorsement process
2010 Senate campaign
On March 16, 2010, DioGuardi announced at Grand Central Terminal in New York City that he was seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Democratic Senator 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...
. Gillibrand had been appointed to the seat by Gov. Paterson after it was vacated by Hillary Clinton. DioGuardi pledged to raise over $10 million in his campaign. He secured the nomination for U.S. Senate from the Conservative Party of New York
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
on May 28, 2010, but did not secure enough votes from the New York Republican party contingencies at their state convention on June 2 to appear on the Republican line in the New York primary race on September 14. On August 9, the New York Board of Elections officially certified DioGuardi's qualification for the September 14th GOP primary.
During the campaign, DioGuardi attracted some press attention for his advocacy of Albanian rights (he was photographed burning the flag of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
outside the Serbian Embassy in New York City) and his statement that without his efforts, there would be no independent Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
DioGuardi narrowly defeated David Malpass
David Malpass
David R. Malpass is an American economist and also ran in the 2010 Republican primary for U.S. Senate in New York. He is the founder and president of Encima Global LLC, an economic research and consulting firm based in New York City...
in the primary election (with Bruce Blakeman finishing distant third), securing the Republican line in the general election. He also, after the primary, secured the line of the nascent Taxpayers Party of New York
Taxpayers Party of New York
The Taxpayers Party of New York State was an American political party active in the state of New York. It was not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the U.S. Taxpayers' Party , which predates it by 18 years, or the Tax Revolt Party active in Nassau County...
when Malpass stepped aside.
Writing and non-profit work
In 1989, DioGuardi founded a non-profit organization that is known as Truth in Government. According to its website, "the mission of Truth in Government is to strengthen our country’s financial foundation by promoting accountability and transparency in Congressional spending and reporting."In 1992, DioGuardi authored the book, Unaccountable Congress: It Doesn't Add Up, published by Regnery. The book was re-released in 2010 with a new introduction that claimed to explain the chronology of events leading to the financial crisis of 2008.
Personal life
DioGuardi lives in Ossining, New YorkOssining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
, with his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, a writer, foreign-policy analyst, human rights activist and former book publisher. His first wife, Carol, died in 1997 of ovarian cancer. His son John is a counselor at the Phoenix House
Phoenix House
Phoenix House is a nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization operating in ten states with 150 programs. Programs serve individuals, families, and communities affected by substance abuse and dependency.- History :...
, a national non-profit drug treatment organization on whose board Joseph has served since 1972. His daughter Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
is a songwriter and artist who has appeared as a judge on the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
show, and has also been involved in Phoenix House.
External links
- People for DioGuardi – official campaign website
- USA Former Members of Congress profile
- Joseph Dioguardi DioGuardi family website.
- Kosova's Last Chance
- DioGuardi and Cloyes get Kosovo Bill HR 36 introduced early in the 110th Congress
- New York's Kosovo Kingpin
- A Congressional Race Turns Into a Grudge Match
- Lowey Victory: Anatomy Of an Upset
- Kelly Defeats DioGuardi In Republican Primary