Mark Lesko
Encyclopedia
Mark J. Lesko is an American
politician
and former Assistant U.S. Attorney. He recently won the special election for supervisor in the town of Brookhaven, New York
. Lesko replaced former supervisor Brian X. Foley
who was elected to the New York State senate in the November 2008 election.
. He is a graduate of Yale University
, where he was a quarterback on the varsity football team. In 1994, Lesko received his law degree from Georgetown University Law School, graduating on the Dean's list and serving as a Notes Editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.
Lesko practiced law at firms in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
He then served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for 10 years, from 1999-2002 in the District of Columbia and 2002-2009 in the Eastern District of New York.
In 2009, Lesko was the Democratic candidate for the open Brookhaven
Town Supervisor position, which was vacated by Democrat
Brian X. Foley
. Lesko's opponent for the special election to fill the seat was a town councilman, Republican
Tim Mazzei. The special election for town supervisor was held on March 31, 2009 and Lesko topped the sitting Councilman Mazzei with almost 55% of the vote. Supervisor Lesko beat Martin Haley in the general election on November 3, 2009, receiving 56% of the vote.
Lesko and his wife Karen reside in East Setauket, New York
.
Criminal Division, where he ran the U.S. Attorney's Office on Long Island
leading all federal investigations and prosecutions in Brookhaven
.
Some of his successful cases as Lead Prosecutor include:
Mark also has overseen and managed the federal prosecutions leading to conviction in:
government. Lesko has forged a partnership with a Republican Councilwoman, Deputy Supervisor and Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, and has appointed a new bi-partisan management team.
Lesko has applied fiscally conservative principals to Town government. He has froze property taxes in his 2010 and 2011 budgets in all funds and has cut spending in the General Fund by 26%.
Lesko supported a property tax cap, a spending cap, and a debt management cap for Brookhaven
Town, and voters overwhelmingly approved all three measures, which were referendums on the ballot in November 2010. In addition, at the end of 2010 and in March 2011, Wall Street Rating agencies affirmed Brookhaven’s high bond ratings due to Lesko’s proactive management of fiscal challenges.
Lesko has focused on economic development in the Town and is the brainchild of "Accelerate Long Island", an initiative to connect research conducted at Long Island's major universities and research institutions and connect them with entrepreneurs to create start-up companies on Long Island
.
Lesko has also focused on redeveloping the blighted areas of the suburbs and redirecting development away from virgin land through a program he developed called "Blight to Light".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former Assistant U.S. Attorney. He recently won the special election for supervisor in the town of Brookhaven, New York
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
. Lesko replaced former supervisor Brian X. Foley
Brian X. Foley
Brian X. Foley was a State Senator representing the 3rd District of the New York State Senate. He was elected to his first political office in 1993, representing the Seventh District in the Suffolk County Legislature. He was re-elected five times to the seat once held by his father, John Foley. In...
who was elected to the New York State senate in the November 2008 election.
Biography
Lesko is a native of Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He is a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was a quarterback on the varsity football team. In 1994, Lesko received his law degree from Georgetown University Law School, graduating on the Dean's list and serving as a Notes Editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.
Lesko practiced law at firms in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He then served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for 10 years, from 1999-2002 in the District of Columbia and 2002-2009 in the Eastern District of New York.
In 2009, Lesko was the Democratic candidate for the open Brookhaven
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
Town Supervisor position, which was vacated by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Brian X. Foley
Brian X. Foley
Brian X. Foley was a State Senator representing the 3rd District of the New York State Senate. He was elected to his first political office in 1993, representing the Seventh District in the Suffolk County Legislature. He was re-elected five times to the seat once held by his father, John Foley. In...
. Lesko's opponent for the special election to fill the seat was a town councilman, 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...
Tim Mazzei. The special election for town supervisor was held on March 31, 2009 and Lesko topped the sitting Councilman Mazzei with almost 55% of the vote. Supervisor Lesko beat Martin Haley in the general election on November 3, 2009, receiving 56% of the vote.
Lesko and his wife Karen reside in East Setauket, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Career as Assistant United States Attorney
Lesko most recently served as Deputy Chief of the 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...
Criminal Division, where he ran the U.S. Attorney's Office on Long Island
Long 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...
leading all federal investigations and prosecutions in Brookhaven
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
.
Some of his successful cases as Lead Prosecutor include:
- Muttontown Slavery Case − a Muttontown couple were found guilty of abusing two Indonesian women and holding them as slaves in their home.
- The Lawrence Aviation Environmental Pollution Case - The leadership of Lawrence Aviation Incorporated was convicted for dumping 12 tons of hazardous waste into the ground of Port Jefferson Station, New YorkPort Jefferson Station, New YorkPort Jefferson Station is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,527 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
- The Symbol Technologies Fraud Case − Virtually all of the company's senior management were found to be involved.
- A racketeering case involving the murder of an innocent man by gang members.
Mark also has overseen and managed the federal prosecutions leading to conviction in:
- The "Asphalt Cartel" Case − Involving the owners of major asphalt companies in Suffolk County for conspiracy to rig bids.
- The prosecution of officials of the William Floyd School District for tax evasion.
- The conviction of a sitting New York State Judge.
Major Initiatives As Supervisor
As Supervisor, Lesko has made it a priority to take the politics out of BrookhavenBrookhaven
Brookhaven may refer to:Places in the United States:*Brookhaven, Georgia, a community just north of Atlanta**Brookhaven/Oglethorpe , a passenger rail station in Brookhaven, Georgia*Brookhaven, Mississippi...
government. Lesko has forged a partnership with a Republican Councilwoman, Deputy Supervisor and Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, and has appointed a new bi-partisan management team.
Lesko has applied fiscally conservative principals to Town government. He has froze property taxes in his 2010 and 2011 budgets in all funds and has cut spending in the General Fund by 26%.
Lesko supported a property tax cap, a spending cap, and a debt management cap for Brookhaven
Brookhaven
Brookhaven may refer to:Places in the United States:*Brookhaven, Georgia, a community just north of Atlanta**Brookhaven/Oglethorpe , a passenger rail station in Brookhaven, Georgia*Brookhaven, Mississippi...
Town, and voters overwhelmingly approved all three measures, which were referendums on the ballot in November 2010. In addition, at the end of 2010 and in March 2011, Wall Street Rating agencies affirmed Brookhaven’s high bond ratings due to Lesko’s proactive management of fiscal challenges.
Lesko has focused on economic development in the Town and is the brainchild of "Accelerate Long Island", an initiative to connect research conducted at Long Island's major universities and research institutions and connect them with entrepreneurs to create start-up companies on Long Island
Long 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...
.
Lesko has also focused on redeveloping the blighted areas of the suburbs and redirecting development away from virgin land through a program he developed called "Blight to Light".
External links
- marklesko.net, official campaign website
- The Mark Lesko Campaign on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- "Supervisor candidates go head to head" by Kelly Campbell. Times Beacon Record Newspapers. 2009-01-19.
- "Mazzei and Lesko step up fundraising efforts by Rick Brand, William Murphy & James T. Madore. Newsday.com. 2009-01-29.
- "Let's Go Lesko!" by Amy Ellis. The Statesman (Stony Brook University). 2009-02-23.