Anthony Masiello

Anthony M. Masiello (born April 28, 1947) is an American politician and former basketball player who served as Mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1994 to 2005. Prior to being mayor, he served as a member of the New York State Senate.

Anthony Masiello
61st Mayor of Buffalo
In office
January 1, 1994–December 31, 2005
Preceded byJames D. Griffin
Succeeded byByron Brown
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 55th District
In office
1981–1993
Preceded byJoseph A. Tauriello
Succeeded byAnthony Nanula
Personal details
Born (1947-04-28) April 28, 1947
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kathleen McCue
Children3
Alma materCanisius College

Early life and education

A Buffalo native, Masiello is the oldest of seven children born to Bridget and Dan Masiello. Masiello graduated from Canisius College in 1969, where he played as a member of the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team. He was then drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1969 NBA draft, and played on the team during the 1969–1970 season.[1][2]

Career

In 1971, Masiello began his career politics when he was elected as a district representative to the Buffalo Common Council. He was subsequently elected to an at-large seat on the council and served as Democratic Majority leader in 1976. He also served as Chairman of the Council Finance Committee.

Masiello was a member of the New York State Senate from 1981 to 1993, sitting in the 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th and 190th New York State Legislatures. Masiello's Senate district originally comprised mainly Buffalo and other parts of Erie County, New York. During the final year of his Senate service, his district encompassed part of Buffalo, as well as Grand Island, Niagara Falls and Tonawanda. In the State Senate, Masiello ascended to Minority Whip and served as Chair of the Democratic Conference. As a senator, Masiello served as the Ranking Minority Member of various committees, including the Child Care Committee and the Energy Committee.

Mayor of Buffalo

Masiello was sworn in as the 61st Mayor Buffalo on January 1, 1994. Masiello received 65% of the Democratic Primary vote and 67% of the General Election vote in 1993. He was re-elected to second term in 1997 and again to a third term in 2001 with the joint endorsement of the Democratic and Republican parties.

As mayor, he focused on economic development, governmental restructuring, and education. He cut over 1,000 jobs from the city payroll by restructuring management and the police department. He successfully sought approval from the state to create a joint construction fund for the city schools, which has been used to renovate and build city schools. He unsuccessfully sought to take control of the Buffalo Board of Education and install his own appointees. This is unlike Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City who won this authority.

In 1997, Masiello's office, and under the direction of Buffalo State College's Center for Applied Research in Interactive Technologies, launched CityNet, an advanced telecommunications network that links 14 educational and community sites in Buffalo.[3]

In 2005, he announced that he would not run for re-election. He was succeeded by Byron Brown on December 31, 2005. Following his service as mayor, Masiello joined a political consulting and lobbying firm located in Buffalo.[4]

Peace Bridge reconstruction controversy

On April 19, 2014 he was accused by Kevin P. Connor of lobbying Peace Bridge reconstruction. During the same time he also lobbied Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority but said that he doesn't have anything against stationary engineers being Fair Apportionment of Infrastructure Resources members and that he will not participate at the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority votes.[5]

Personal life

He is married to the former Kathleen Masiello (née McCue) of Washingtonville, New York. The couple have three children.

References

  1. "The rise and fall of Buffalo's college hoops golden era". The Buffalo News. 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  2. "ABA Players-Tony Masiello". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  3. Fiber-optic network links 14 educational, community sites, Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, November 25, 1997, Brady, K., Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  4. Susan Schulman (October 21, 2012). "When elected leaders retire, but insurance costs don't". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  5. Robert J. McCarthy (April 19, 2014). "Watchdog says Masiello's lobbying work conflicts with role on Peace Bridge Authority". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
New York State Senate
Preceded by
Joseph A. Tauriello
New York State Senate
55th District

1981–1982
Succeeded by
William M. Steinfeldt
Preceded by
Dale M. Volker
New York State Senate
58th District

1983–1992
Succeeded by
William Stachowski
Preceded by
William Stachowski
New York State Senate
57th District

1993
Succeeded by
Anthony Nanula
Political offices
Preceded by
James D. Griffin
Mayor of Buffalo
1994–2005
Succeeded by
Byron Brown
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