I am from the Southern Tier and live in Western NY!
Where it all started...Though my ancestry in this land can be traced back to the 1600's, my journey began in Broome County. I grew up in rural NY, with all the country-style living and friendships that go with it! Broome County, south of Binghamton, was a terrific place to live and still is. Baseball, football, swimming, fishing, hunting, jobs on the dairy farm, paper routes, it had it all. We had that classic neighborhood; lots of kids, safe streets for walking, jogging or bike-riding, everyone knew everyone, and kids' ballparks in nearly every yard! Many of the childhood friendships forged in those days have continued to today!
Now that I have been in Chautauqua County for the past six years, my life is all about raising a family with my wonderful wife, Sarah, and our three young children. We are close to my wife's family and with her work as a schoolteacher, we landed in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area. We enjoy New York's great schools and the familiar, rural environment that I grew up with in Broome County. I also have two amazing grown daughters with their own families, and I have six grandchildren.
After graduating from Susquehanna Valley High School, I attended Broome Community College, SUNY Geneseo and The Rochester Institute of Technology. I ended my formal education with the Management Diploma program at RIT, due to the managerial path that I was on with my then-employer, General Foods/Birdseye.
I schooled at SUNY Geneseo in Livingston County and RIT in Monroe County. When I worked in Avon, I lived on the shores of Conesus Lake, and have spent a lot of time with friends on Silver Lake. Whether I lived in Avon, Geneseo, Cuylerville, Mount Morris or Groveland, my time and travels in western NY and the southern tier, helped to shape the person that I am.
My career path afforded me many senior management-level opportunities giving me the practical experience I need to serve the 23rd District. With a career in the food manufacturing sector, I traveled extensively, and gained experience in every facet of human relations and manufacturing.
In the past 25 years I have balanced budgets in excess of 150M/yr, achieved record/sustainable profits in every location, and secured customer contracts with brand name companies through improved performance. I have been on both sides of the negotiating table with the Teamsters and the UFCW. I have walked a picket line with our striking workers as a member of management. I have been asked by the people of a striking union in Canada to bring the company, the union and the labor ministry, to terms to resolve their strike, when I lived in the USA. And I have negotiated collective bargaining agreements, successfully, where all parties were satisfied. Each of these experiences has added to the skill set that I bring to you for our 23rd District and Washington, DC.
I have learned about America, business, and politics in my travels for work. I have enjoyed the teams of people that I have worked with across the country, the UK and Canada, including Avon and Johnstown, New York; Bentonville, Arkansas; Birmingham, UK; Chicago, Illinois; Mississauga and Brantford, Ontario; Lakeville, Minnesota; and Macomb, Ohio. What my travels have taught me is that 'we' are the same, that we share 'common ground' and that we can accomplish anything that we need to when we work together!
With three young children, Sarah and I are busy with the constant errands, appointments, homework, playdates, etc., the same as many of you. We share with you the issues of the cost of living, the price of gas, the difficulty that we all have to the access to the best healthcare, and personal security. We get it! We know that world. We also know the challenge of holding it all together while working for a living, and the issues surrounding retirement.
If you are reading this, you have to know that my children and grandchildren, my wife and my family, my friends and my colleagues, are my motivation to seek public office at this time. The people in our lives are what means the most to each of us! I am concerned that our elected representatives are not working for the future of our families, our country and our well-being. The competence and motivation of many of the members of Congress is at an all-time low. The worst and most extreme in the parties are doing most of the talking, besides being an embarrassment, they are not legislating to make our lives better! I can help us!
We need to return to honest, respectful leadership, that is not concerned with re-election or greed. I am ready to help us to move the ball forward!
tc in 2024!
