- Mark Grisanti
-
Mark Grisanti Member of the New York Senate
from the 60th districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2011Preceded by Antoine Thompson Personal details Born Mark John Grisanti
October 21, 1964
Buffalo, New York, United StatesPolitical party Republican[1][2] Spouse(s) Maria Grisanti Children Three Residence Buffalo, New York, United States Alma mater Thomas M. Cooley Law School Profession Lawyer, politician Religion Roman Catholic Website senatormarkgrisanti.com Mark John Grisanti (born October 21, 1964) is a lawyer and politician.
On January 3, 2011, he assumed office as the Republican[1][2] New York State Senator representing New York's 60th Senate District – which encompasses the areas of Buffalo, Tonawanda, Niagara Falls and Grand Island, New York – having won the seat during the state's 2010 elections held on November 2, 2010.
Contents
Early life and education
Grisanti was born and raised in Buffalo, the youngest of six brothers and sisters.
He graduated from Sweet Home High School, located in Amherst, New York, and attended Canisius College, located in Buffalo, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After finishing his undergraduate degree he received his Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, located in Lansing, Michigan. Throughout college he was a member of the Student Bar Association, received numerous certificates and book awards, and was a member of the Entertainment Committee for the Bar Association and the Italian Law Society.
Career
Lawyer
After graduating law school, Grisanti worked at his father’s law firm that his grandfather had founded in 1921. As a third-generation attorney, he has worked at his family’s practice for over eighteen years. Grisanti first became interested in running for State Senate when practicing law on the lower-west side of Buffalo.[3]
State Senate politician
2008 Democratic primary defeat
Grisanti was defeated in the 2008 Democratic primary for the 60th Senate District, losing heavily to Antoine Thompson, 72 to 28 percent;[4][5] Thompson went on to win the senate seat in the state's 2008 general election.[citation needed]
2010 general-election victory as Republican
Grisanti stood for election to the State Senate seat again in the 2010 state senate elections. His 525-vote victory over incumbent Thompson, which was initially contested, was considered an upset.[6][7]
The 60th Senate District is the most Democratic-leaning of the all Republican-held Senate seats, with 104,000 registered Democrats and 22,000 registered Republicans.[6] Although Grisanti was a registered Democrat during the race, he received a waiver to run on the Republican line; after his victory, he agreed to caucus with Senate Republicans and switched his party registration to Republican.[1]
The contest between Grisanti and Thompson was marked by mailers attacking Grisanti for his criminal-defense work[8] and allegations that Thompson had improperly interceded in redirecting a state grant from the City of Niagara Falls to a private firm owned by a real-estate developer.[7]
The fallout from the grant allegations hurt Thompson and he received only 36 percent of the vote in Niagara Falls, bolstering Grisanti's 525-vote district-wide victory.[7]
State Senator
Grisanti has received significant support and visibility from Senate Republicans, who have been engaged in a "Protect Grisanti" effort to increase his electability in the lead-up to the state's 2012 elections.[6] Senate Republican leadership have included Grisanti in a number of highly visible initiatives to boost his press coverage and voter favorability.[6]
- Same-sex marriage
During a March 4, 2011, concert in Buffalo, the singer-songwriter Lady Gaga asked her fans to email Grisanti and urge him to vote yes for same-sex marriage in the state senate. Grisanti's office received about 600 emails, both for and against same-sex marriage.[9]
Grisanti has been criticized for his comments on same-sex marriage.[citation needed] In a radio interview on March 8, 2011, he said:
Civil unions and all the proponents that go along with that, I have no problem with. I have a problem with the term marriage itself. To me, marriage is between a man and a woman. It's been a term, a term of ours for years that has been around for thousands of years. It's like calling a cat, a dog. I don't think that that needs to be changed.[10]
State Senator Thomas Duane called Grisanti's comments "sad and unfortunate".[10]
On March 9, 2011, Grisanti said Duane was taking his words out of context, saying he was simply trying to say he views the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman:
So if he doesn't understand that concept of what I was trying to say, then I'm sorry for his misunderstanding of what I'm saying, but that's my opinion of what marriage is.[11]
On May 17, 2011, it was reported that Grisanti had publicly stated that he would vote "no" on same-sex marriage.[12]
On June 17, 2011, it was reported that he had changed his position on same-sex marriage to "undecided".[13]
On June 24, 2011, Grisanti voted in favor of the Marriage Equality Act, which allows gender-neutral marriages for both same- and opposite-sex couples in New York, saying that he had researched the issue and that "a man can be wiser today than yesterday, but there can be no respect for that man if he has failed to do his duty." Grisanti said this even though he was raised Catholic to believe marriage is between a man and woman.[14] "I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife," Grisanti said on the floor of the State Senate, prior to his vote.[15]
Personal life
Grisanti attends St. Rose Catholic Church, and resides in North Buffalo with his wife Maria, and three children, Ashlee, John, and Theresa.[3]
See also
- List of Canisius College people
- List of New York State Senators
- List of people from Buffalo, New York
References
- ^ a b c Fairbanks, Phil (November 11, 2010). "Grisanti’s Loyalties Lean Toward Senate GOP – Democrat Could Hold Key to Albany Power". The Buffalo News. http://www.buffalonews.com/city/capital-connection/albany/article249184.ece. Retrieved June 25, 2011. "Grisanti confirmed late Tuesday his intention to caucus with Republicans if he is declared the winner of the contested race in the 60th District[...]. The registered Democrat also announced his intention to switch his party enrollment to Republican."
- ^ a b New York State Board of Elections (January 27, 2011). "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 2, 2010" (PDF format – 296 KB; requires Acrobat Reader). p. 13. http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010SenateAmended01272011.pdf. Retrieved June 25, 2011. "Mark J. Grisanti REP"
- ^ a b Staff (undated). "Official Biography of Mark J. Grisanti". senatormarkgrisanti.com. http://www.senatormarkgrisanti.com/?cat=1. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Wozniak, Mark; Riedel, Howard (September 10, 2008). "Kryzan Wins Congressional Primary, Hoyt Holds Off Kavanaugh". WBFO. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5ziQ0JUPE. Retrieved June 25, 2011. "In the 60th district Democratic primary, incumbent Antoine Thompson defeated challenger Mark Grisanti 72 to 28 percent."
- ^ Scheer, Mark (September 7, 2008). "Election: Grisanti, Thompson Vie for Democratic Line Tuesday". Niagara Gazette. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5ziJxxeYV. Retrieved June 25, 2011. "Tuesday’s Democratic primary between Grisanti and Thompson will likely be a winner-take-all affair.[...]There are no candidates on the Republican, Conservative or Independence lines."
- ^ a b c d Precious, Tom (June 13, 2011). "Style, Skill Give 'Marginal' Grisanti an Edge – A study in Contrasts, Freshman Senator Earns Respect from Colleagues on Both Sides of Aisle". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. http://webcitation.org/5ziKT3I21. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c Gee, Denise Jewell (February 20, 2011). "The Mysterious $400,000 Grant – Thompson's Office Had Funds Redirected, and Documents Shed Light on Transaction". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. http://webcitation.org/5ziPVRbSE. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Herbeck, Dan (October 23, 2010). "Lawyers Blast Thompson Ad Attacking Grisanti". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. http://webcitation.org/5ziKI5urB. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Jagow, Alison (March 7, 2011). "GOP Lawmaker on Same-Sex Marriage: 'Lady Gaga Urges Fans To Email Senator'". WGRZ. http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/112560/13/Lady-Gaga-Urges-Fans-To-E-mail-Senator. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Paybarah, Azi (March 9, 2011). "GOP Lawmaker on Same-Sex Marriage: 'Like Calling a Cat, a Dog'". The New York Observer. http://www.observer.com/2011/politics/gop-lawmaker-same-sex-marriage-calling-cat-dog. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Spector, Joseph (March 9, 2011). "Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Noncommittal On Vote In New York State Senate". WGRZ. http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=113261. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Benjamin, Liz (May 17, 2011). "Grisanti Would Vote 'No' On Gay Marriage". Capital Tonight (via Your News Now). Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ Boose, Josh (June 17, 2011). "Grisanti Now 'Undecided' on Gay Marriage Bill". WGRZ. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ Grossman, Cathy Lynn (June 25, 2011). "Key Vote for N.Y. Gay Marriage 'Not Just Catholic'". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/06/gay-marriage-passes-ny-religion-/1. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ (registration required) Confessore, Nicholas; Barbaro, Michael (June 24, 2011). "Gay Marriage Approved by N.Y. Senate". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/nyregion/gay-marriage-approved-by-new-york-senate.html?hp. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
External links
- senatormarkgrisanti.com, official website
- nysenate.gov/senator/mark-grisanti, official module on the New York State Senate website
New York State Senate Preceded by
Antoine ThompsonNew York State Senate, 60th District
2011–presentIncumbent Preceded by
Antoine ThompsonChairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation, New York State Senate
2011–presentIncumbent Categories:- 1964 births
- 20th-century American people
- 21st-century American people
- Canisius College alumni
- Living people
- American Roman Catholics
- New York Democrats
- New York lawyers
- New York Republicans
- New York State Senators
- People from Buffalo, New York
- People from Lansing, Michigan
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
