William Stachowski was an American politician and a Democratic

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...

 State Senator

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

 from the 58th district for the State of 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...

. He was first elected in 1981, but lost the renomination as a Democrat in the 2010 primary election. He was endorsed by the Working Families and Independence parties.

Previously Stachowski served in the Erie County Legislature (3rd District). He served in the Legislature until November 20, 1981, when he replaced then Senator Raymond Gallagher (56th District).

He attended Bishop Ryan High School where he graduated with honors (Bishop Brzana Chapter). He went on to graduate from the College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...

 in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

.

Stachowski chaired the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee. This committee works closely with the Empire State Development Corporation. Stachowski also sat on the Public Authorities Control Board and the Legislative Commission on the Development of Rural Resources. In addition, Stachowski was a member of the Upstate Caucus

On December 2, 2009, Stachowski was one of eight Democratic state senators to vote against same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage in New York

Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of New York became legal on July 24, 2011, under the Marriage Equality Act, which was passed on June 24, 2011, by the New York State Legislature and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on the same day...

 legislation, which failed to pass the Senate.

He worked closely with SUNY Buffalo President John B. Simpson

John B. Simpson

John Barclay Simpson is a former president of the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York system. He assumed this position on January 1, 2004, after leaving his position as executive vice chancellor and provost of the University of California, Santa Cruz. On August 30,...

 to carry out the UB 2020 plan. Stachowski sponsored and passed legislation in support of UB 2020 in the Senate.

Stachowski was defeated by Erie County

Erie County, New York

Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...

 Legislator Tim Kennedy

Timothy M. Kennedy (politician)

Timothy M. Kennedy is an American politician from New York. He is currently a Democratic member of the New York State Senate, representing the 58th District since 2010...

in the 2010 Democratic primary election. Kennedy went on to win the general election.