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John DeFrancisco

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John DeFrancisco
Deputy Majority Leader of the New York Senate
In office
July 30, 2015 – December 31, 2018
LeaderJohn Flanagan
Preceded byTom Libous
Succeeded byMichael Gianaris
Member of the New York Senate
from the 50th district
In office
January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2018
Preceded byJames Seward
Succeeded byBob Antonacci
Member of the New York Senate
from the 49th district
In office
January 1, 1993 – December 31, 2002
Preceded byTarky Lombardi, Jr.
Succeeded byNancy Larraine Hoffmann
Personal details
Born (1946-10-16) October 16, 1946 (age 78)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLinda DeFrancisco
Children3
EducationSyracuse University (BS)
Duke University (JD)
WebsiteSenate website

John A. DeFrancisco (born October 16, 1946) is an attorney and Republican politician who formerly represented District 50 in the New York State Senate from 1993 to 2018. Senate District 50 comprised Skaneateles, Pompey, Van Buren, most of Onondaga County, and the western half of Syracuse, among other communities located in Upstate New York.

Early life, education, and military service

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John DeFrancisco graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, New York.[1][2] DeFrancisco received his Bachelor's Degree from Syracuse University,[3][4] where he played college baseball,[5] and later graduated from Duke University Law School.[3] He is a veteran of the United States Air Force,[6] where he served as a Judge Advocate.[3]

Political career

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First elected to the Senate in 1992, DeFrancisco previously spent eleven years on the Syracuse Common Council as both a Councilor-at-large and then the Council President. He has also served in the past as the President of the Syracuse City School District Board of Education and the Vice-President of the Conference of Large City Boards of Education. He was also of counsel at the law firm of DeFrancisco and Falgiatano;[7] an associate with the law firm of Simpson, Thatcher and Bartlett; a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force; and the Assistant District Attorney in Onondaga County from 1975 until 1977.[8]

The Albany Times Union has described DeFrancisco as "an outspoken lawmaker and attorney known for his skills in floor debates.[9] In 2010, after Republicans had lost their majority status in the Senate, DeFrancisco was "appointed chief interrogator for the Senate Republican Conference with carte blanche to grill Democrats and spotlight their flaws."[10] A former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee[11] and the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. DeFrancisco "authored the legislation that led to the implementation of the Amber Alert system"[12] and secured state funding for a "cord blood bank [in Syracuse] that will transform medical waste into life-saving treatments."[13] DeFrancisco opposes public financing of political campaigns, and has voted against medical marijuana legislation, the DREAM Act, and the gun control law known as the NY SAFE Act.[14] DeFrancisco also voted against allowing same-sex marriage in New York during Senate roll-call for the 2011 Marriage Equality Act, which the Senate narrowly passed 33-29.[15]

In 2011, DeFrancisco supported legislation that would increase medical malpractice legal fees; at the time, he was still practicing law at a firm that specialized in medical malpractice. Common Cause/New York, a good government group, accused DeFrancisco of acting in his own self-interest.[15]

In 2015, following the resignation of Dean Skelos as Senate Majority Leader, DeFrancisco sought to succeed him in that post; however, Senate Republicans chose John J. Flanagan.[16] Sen. DeFrancisco was elevated to his current post as Senate Deputy Majority Leader in July 2015.[9]

During initial review of the I-81 Viaduct Project in 2016, DeFrancisco was critical of the community grid, arguing that it would not be pedestrian-friendly and would end up like Erie Boulevard.[17] He supported the tunnel option, and when this choice was eliminated from the planning, he supported having a tunnel or tunnel and community grid hybrid option, for the rest of his tenure.[18]

On January 30, 2018, DeFrancisco announced that he was running for the Republican nomination for Governor of New York; he stated that "'enough is enough.'"[19] On April 25, 2018, he conceded the race to Marcus Molinaro; while he considered Molinaro an inferior candidate and was disappointed by some endorsers abandoning his campaign for Molinaro's, DeFrancisco refused to divide the party with a primary battle.[20] He nonetheless refused to endorse Molinaro, instead endorsing Stephanie Miner, a Democrat running against Cuomo on a third-party line.[21] On April 26, DeFrancisco announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in November.[22]

Personal life

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DeFrancisco and his wife, Linda, have three children and eight grandchildren.[23] They reside in DeWitt, New York.[11] DeFrancisco plays the saxophone;[24] according to Russ Tarby of Syracuse New Times, he "blows a mean sax on Night Train."[25] He is a Roman Catholic.[5]

Notes

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  1. ^ Doran, Elizabeth (2 June 2014). "CBA lands its biggest donation ever". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Eight To Be Honored As Distinguished Alumni On Nov. 4". Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Stephen (7 February 2018). "Local senators endorse John DeFrancisco for governor". DailyGazette.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  4. ^ DeWitt, Karen (30 January 2018). "Third GOP Candidate Enters NY Gov. Race". WAMC.org. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  5. ^ a b Weaver, Terri (11 May 2015). "Who is John DeFrancisco, the Upstate guy who may become NY Senate leader". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  6. ^ Harding, Robert (27 December 2013). "DeFrancisco: Cuomo signs bills ending double sales tax vehicles for military servicemembers, revising Youth Works tax credit". AuburnPub.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  7. ^ Velasquez, Josefa (3 January 2018). "Gov. Cuomo Unveils Litigious Agenda for New York State". Law.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. ^ "About John A. DeFrancisco | NY State Senate". www.nysenate.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-12-15.
  9. ^ a b Bragg, Chris (30 July 2015). "DeFrancisco named deputy majority leader". TimesUnion.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Delen (22 June 2010). "NY State Sen. John DeFrancisco becomes GOP's 'pit bull'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  11. ^ a b Precious, Tom (30 January 2018). "Syracuse-area GOP senator announces bid for governor". BuffaloNews.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  12. ^ Santora, Sally (19 August 2017). "Livingston County Republican Committee celebrates 50 years". TheLCN.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  13. ^ Mulder, James (9 February 2017). "Long-awaited Syracuse cord blood bank turns waste into life-saving treatments". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  14. ^ Weaver, Teri (11 May 2015). "Who is John DeFrancisco, the Upstate guy who may become NY Senate leader". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  15. ^ a b Lovett, Kenneth (21 March 2011). "Lawyer pol John DeFrancisco urges attorney malpractice fee boost". Daily News. New York, New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  16. ^ Campbell, Jon (11 May 2015). "Skelos out, Flanagan in as NY Senate leader". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  17. ^ "NY Sen. John DeFrancisco still wants tunnel alternative for I-81 – AGC NYS". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  18. ^ Lohmann, Patrick (2018-06-27). "What happens to tunnel-hybrid for I-81 now that DeFrancisco is retiring?". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  19. ^ Roy, Yancey (31 January 2018). "Upstate senator jumps into governor's race: 'Enough is enough'". Newsday. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  20. ^ Lovett, Kenneth (April 25, 2018). "Sen. John DeFrancisco suspends bid for N.Y. governor after announcing, 'I am not going to be actively campaigning'". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  21. ^ Gormley, Michael (June 19, 2018). "Ex-Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner to run for governor". Newsday. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  22. ^ Harding, Robert (April 26, 2018). "Longtime state Sen. John DeFrancisco will not run for re-election". AuburnPub.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  23. ^ Karlin, Rick (30 January 2018). "DeFrancisco announces gubernatorial run". Times Union. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  24. ^ Vielkind, Jimmy (10 June 2015). "DeFrancisco's L.C.A. Show rebuttal". Politico.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  25. ^ Tarby, Russ (21 December 2016). "Winter Blues Blowout". SyracuseNewTimes.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate, 49th District
1993–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York State Senate, 50th District
2003–2018 		Succeeded by
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