John Faso - Political Life

Political Life

He was first elected to the State Assembly from Kinderhook, New York.

Faso was the frontrunner for the 1994 Republican nomination for New York State Comptroller and might have been nominated for Comptroller at that year's Republican State Convention, but was asked to withdraw from the comptroller's race that year to let Herbert London to run for comptroller instead.

In late 1994, Faso served as a member of George Pataki's transition team, where he chaired the budget committee and drafted the first draft of Pataki's 1995 state budget proposal. In 1995, Faso became the Ranking Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Members of Faso's staff included future Assemblyman Pete Lopez.

Faso ran for New York Comptroller in 2002, losing to Alan Hevesi by a 50%-47% margin. He gave up his role as minority leader during the campaign and did not seek reelection to his Assembly seat in order to seek the comptroller's office.

After leaving the Assembly, Faso became a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and was appointed by Pataki to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. In this role, Faso works with other authority commissioners to stabilize Buffalo finances and oversee the management of the city's budget.

Awards:

  • 1996 "Guardian of Small Business" -National Federation of Independent Businesses
  • 1997 "Distinguished Public Service" -Nelson A. Rockefeller College

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