Michael P. Kearns

Michael P. "Mickey" Kearns is an American politician who serves as Clerk of Erie County, New York. Kearns previously represented the 142nd New York State Assembly District, which spans South Buffalo, half of the city of Lackawanna, West Seneca and Orchard Park, from 2012 to 2017;[1] he has also served on the Buffalo Common Council. Kearns was elected Erie County Clerk in a 2017 special election.

Mickey Kearns
Michael P. Kearns in 2009
County Clerk of Erie County
Assumed office
December 5, 2017
DeputyKaren McCarthy
Preceded byChris Jacobs
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 142nd district
145th district (2012)
In office
March 21, 2012  December 4, 2017
Preceded byMark J.F. Schroeder
Succeeded byErik Bohen
Member of the Buffalo Common Council
from the South District
In office
January 2006  March 2012
Preceded byJeffrey M. Conrad
Succeeded byChristopher Scanlon
Personal details
Born1969/1970
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations
Republican (electorally)
Spouse(s)Erin
Children1
ResidenceSouth Buffalo, New York
Alma materErie Community College
Canisius College

Early career

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Kearns served as South Buffalo's representative on the Buffalo Common Council,[2] where he was elected to succeed Jeffrey M. Conrad.[3] Kearns unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in a Democratic primary in the 2009 Buffalo mayoral election.[4]

State Assembly

Kearns is a registered Democrat. He ran for Assembly in a March 2012 special election[5] without the Democrats' support on the lines of the Republican and Independence Parties.[6] He was elected in a special election on March 20, 2012, defeating Chris Fahey, the endorsed Democrat.[7] While he stated his intention to caucus with the Democrats, Kearns also stated that he would not support Speaker Sheldon Silver; this stance mirrored the position taken by Kearns's predecessor, Mark J. F. Schroeder. On May 20, 2013, Kearns left the Assembly Democratic Conference and called for Silver to resign from his post as Speaker of the Assembly; Kearns took these steps after Silver's confidential, taxpayer-funded settlement of sexual harassment claims against fellow Assembly Democrat Vito Lopez became public.[8][9] Following the ouster of Speaker Silver, Kearns rejoined the Assembly Democratic Conference.[10][11]

While in the Assembly, Kearns pushed for accountability for banks who allow properties that are the subject of abandoned foreclosures to fall into disrepair,[12] and he fought against a bill that allowed the Western New York Children's Psychiatric Center to be closed or relocated.[13]

Kearns resigned his Assembly seat after being elected Erie County Clerk.[14]

Erie County Clerk

Kearns announced his candidacy for Erie County Clerk in mid-2017 against Democratic candidate and former WBEN host Steve Cichon.[15] The position had been vacant since January 2017, when then-Clerk Chris Jacobs resigned the post after being elected the New York State Senate. Kearns ran for County Clerk on the Republican, Conservative, Independence, and Reform Party lines,[16] was elected County Clerk in November 2017,[17] and was sworn in on December 5, 2017.[18]

After becoming Erie County Clerk, Kearns urged the State of New York to delay the January 31 recertification deadline for pistol permit holders who obtained their permits before January 2013, arguing that a delay would allow state and county governments to work out kinks in the process. Kearns explained, "'We should not be making law-abiding citizens into criminals based on them not re-certifying.'"[19]

Kearns won re-election to the position of Erie County Clerk in 2018.[20]

References

  1. District 145 map. New York State Assembly. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  2. Scanlon, Scott (12 January 2018). "Wellness effort afoot after deplorable Erie County health rankings".
  3. Besecker, Aaron (19 January 2019). "Catholic Charities official announces run for Buffalo School Board".
  4. McCarthy, Robert J. (12 June 2017). "Kearns may skip Democratic primary for county clerk".
  5. http://nyassembly.gov/mem/Michael-P-Kearns/bio/
  6. "Wayback Machine". 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Cite uses generic title (help)
  7. McCarthy, Robert (March 21, 2012). Kearns is winner in landslide upset; Defeats Fahey for Assembly seat. The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  8. Fetouh, Omar. "Kearns leaves Democratic caucus, calls on Silver to resign speakership". news.wbfo.org.
  9. http://newyork.newsday.com/news/new-york/michael-kearns-democratic-assemblyman-calls-on-sheldon-silver-to-resign-1.5300675%5B%5D
  10. Mahoney, Bill. "Votes on Assembly GOP bills still a rare occurrence". Politico PRO.
  11. admin (1 December 2015). "Validated Kearns will rejoin Democrats after Silver conviction". CSNY.
  12. admin (13 May 2016). "Kearns redoubles attack on 'zombie properties'". CSNY.
  13. "Cuomo Vetoes WNY Children's Psych Center Bill". www.nystateofpolitics.com.
  14. "EDITORIAL: Patrick B. Burke for Assembly". www.fgcueagleadvocacy.com.
  15. "Mickey Kearns for Erie County Clerk - Home". Friends of Michael P Kearns.
  16. "Erie County Election Results". www.erieelectionresults.com.
  17. "Mickey Kearns wins Erie County Clerk's race". WGRZ.
  18. "Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns". www2.erie.gov.
  19. Mroziak, Michael. "Kearns urges deadline extension for pistol permit renewals". news.wbfo.org.
  20. Sandra Tan (23 November 2018). "Incumbent 'Mickey' Kearns officially wins re-election as Erie County clerk".
Civic offices
Preceded by
Chris Jacobs
County Clerk of Erie County
2017-present
Succeeded by
incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Jeffrey M. Conrad
Buffalo Common Council Member, South District
2005 – March 2012
Succeeded by
Christopher P. Scanlon
New York State Assembly
Vacant
Title last held by
Mark J. F. Schroeder
New York State Assembly, 145th District
April 2012 – December 31, 2012
Succeeded by
John D. Ceretto
Preceded by
Jane L. Corwin
New York State Assembly, 142nd District
January 1, 2013 – December 4, 2017
Succeeded by
Erik Bohen
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.