ny_gov_VALLONE
NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN PETER VALLONE
Age: 63 Born: December 13, 1934; Astoria, New York Education: Fordham University, J.D., (1959); B.A. (1956) Military: None Family: Married - Tena; Three children and five grandchildren Hometown: Astoria, New York Religion: Catholic Career: Speaker of New York City Council (1987-present); New York City Councilman (1974-present); Practicing attorney (1959-present) |
• A lifelong New Yorker from Queens, Vallone has never strayed far from home. He still lives just a block and a half from the Astoria apartment in which he grew up. His father, former Judge Charles Vallone, founded the Astoria Civic Association and was a local Democratic power broker. His mother was a teacher and Democratic Party district leader.
• Vallone attended public schools and went to college and law school at Fordham University. After graduating from law school in 1959, he set up his own law practice in Astoria, which he still maintains.
• In 1970, Vallone ran for Congress, but he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Herman Badillo. Vallone lost by just 500 votes. In 1973, he ran for City Council and was elected to represent the 22nd district in Queens. He is such an institution that he has not had serious opposition since.
• Vallone became Speaker of the 51-member New York City Council in 1987. Over the last decade, he has built a reputation as a consensus builder. Since the 1993 election of Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, as Mayor of New York, Vallone has become the most powerful Democrat in New York City. Some critics have complained that Vallone has been more closely allied with Giuliani's moderate Republican positions than with the more liberal policies of former Mayor David Dinkins, a Democrat.
• Devoutly Catholic, Vallone attends mass every morning before he goes to work. He also is a devoted family man, and is homfor dinner almost every night with his wife, Tena.
• Vallone began positioning himself to run for statewide office before the 1994 election, in case then-Governor Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, chose not to run for re-election. Ultimately, Cuomo did run but he was unseated by the state's current Governor George Pataki. Vallone never really stopped raising money and trying to raise his public profile. Vallone easily won the Democratic nomination this year. He trounced his closest opponent, Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey Ross, by 56% to 21%.