Greg Ball (politician)

Greg Ball
Assemblyman, 99th District
In office 2007–incumbent
Preceded by	Willis Stephens, Jr.
Personal details
Born	200px September 16, 1977 Pawling, New York
Died	200px
Resting place	200px
Political party	Republican
Parent	200px
Residence(s)	Carmel, New York
Occupation	Businessman Air Force Officer Legislator
Website	ballforcongress.com
Military service
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	2001–
Rank	Captain
Official Biography

Gregory R. Ball (born September 16, 1977) is an American business executive, former active duty Air Force officer and member of the New York State Assembly. He serves as the ranking member on the Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions committee and is a resident of Carmel, New York.

Beginning his political career in 2005, he defeated six-term incumbent Willis Stephens in a primary in September 2006, running of a platform of reforming the legislature in Albany. Since being elected, Ball has been active in issues involving school and property tax reform, second amendment rights, animal protection, the environment, renewable energy and conservation, veteran's affairs, and illegal immigration, and was the author of the measure enacted in the 2008 New York State budget offering free college tuition to military veterans.. He currently a candidate for higher office, and has called himself "Albany’s loudest advocate for reform."

Early career and background

Air Force Captain Greg Ball graduated from the United States Air Force Academy.

Ball was born in Pawling , New York, and grew up on the Kennedy estate of Stephen and Jean Kennedy-Smith, sister of President John F. Kennedy, where his parents were both caretakers. In 1996, he was awarded the Falcon Foundation Scholarship and attended the Valley Forge Military Academy before receiving an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy from Congresswoman Sue Kelly. He was the first member of his family to attend college. While at Valley Forge, Ball interned in the White House Drug Policy Office during the term of President Bill Clinton.

Ball received a Bachelors of Arts in Government in 2001, graduating with the highest GPA in his major. He is currently completing a Masters thesis in International Affairs at Georgetown University, and was a fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency from 2002 to 2003. Ball is a board member of the Valley Forge Military Academy & College Association of Graduates, and is a member of several area Chambers of Commerce and business associations.

USAF service

"Learning about Hispanic-Americans year-round is important to truly understand the history and future of this country. As citizens of a global community we find ourselves engaging others across borders without the constraints of distance as in years past. Indeed, our national family is benefiting greatly from the cultural infusion of many Hispanic practices that include a strong and committed work ethic, an undying appreciation and commitment to family, sincere patriotism and respect for others. Today, Hispanic culture continues to be a growing and essential facet of the American experience. There are more than 30 million Americans of Hispanic origin and they contribute to every facet of American life. Food, art, religion, government, language, music, science, business, agriculture, education and the military are just some of the examples of how Hispanic Americans contribute to the progress of America. As citizens of an increasingly diverse national community, we knowingly and unknowingly celebrate Hispanic heritage each and every day through our growing appreciation of Hispanic art, music, food and custom. Let us all take this blessed time to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of Hispanic heritage–a shared American treasure!"

1LT Gregory R. Ball in the Bolling AFB post newspaper, October 11, 2002.

Ball was commissioned as an Air Force Lieutenant and requested an assignment with the Air Force Academy's Diversity Recruitment Office, and was posted in Philadelphia for a one year tour working as a Minority Admissions Officer. While stationed there, he created a charity polo event for underprivileged youth known as the Courage Cup, which presented $10,000 to charities in 2004.

Ball was then assigned to the 11th Wing at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. as protocol officer, a newly created services career field. The Ceremonies & Protocol office was responsible for planning, organizing and devolping projects for the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as coordinating honor guard burial services at Arlington National Cemetery.

During his time in the Ceremonies & Protocol Office, Ball was a Project Officer for numerous events. The largest may have been the 2003 Global Air Chief's Conference, the first since 1997, which he coordinated for 90 air power leaders from around the world, as well members of Congress, national dignitaries, industry leaders and diplomats on the 100th anniversary of powered flight.

The young lieutenant was charged with directing National Hispanic Heritage Month in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He organized special exhibits and demonstrations to recognize the many contributions made by Hispanic countries and cultures, and hosted Alberto Gonzales, then White House Counsel, in 2003. Along with a volunteer committee, Ball washed cars in the base parking lot to raise donations for wing wide events to celebrate and recognize Hispanic-American service members and their contributions through out history.

In 2003, Ball was nominated as "Military Volunteer of the Year" for the 11th Wing. He was awarded an achievement medal for outstanding service by General John P. Jumper and was honorably discharged from active duty in January 2005 at the rank of Captain. Ball remains in the U.S. Air Force Ready Reserve.

Business career

While serving as a State Assemblyman, Ball maintains a commission as a Captain in the Air Force Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).

Upon his separation from active duty, Ball was recruited by the Antioch, Illinois based Exceed International, a commercial development corporation with a presence in India, Turkey and Tunisia. Placed in charge of the marketing department, he served as a team member with the Company President on a 38-company executive mission to an economic summit in New Delhi, which included representatives from companies such as Amex, Cargill, New York Life, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Bechtel, and Cognizant. Later, Exceed invested $11.1 million in India to expand operations. Construction began on six projects in Chennai, which included the ESPEE IT Park, and the Bascon Technology Park, which helped Exceed establish a foothold in India. The company also invested as a joint venture partner in mixed use residential projects such as a water treatment facility.

Eventually, Ball was elevated to Vice President of Exceed's Northeastern United States division and returned to New York. The Illinois based developer employs nearly 400 people in various fields such as project management, development, architecture, engineering, construction, government relations, finance, and technology. In 2006, Exceed proposed a $75 million urban renewal project for the village of Brewster which would generate some $2 million a year in tax revenue for the town. The village's Mayor noted that "All of the infrastructure work recently completed by defining our identity within the watershed has paid off. Brewster finds itself in a situation where people are eagerly interested in working with the village in partnership to see our village revitalized".

Political career

Greg Ball, a Vice President of Exceed International Corporation, during an economic development tour of India in 2005.

In early 2005, Ball announced his candidacy for State Assembly as a Republican and stated he would attempt to unseat the incumbent Assemblyman Will Stephens in a primary. Stephens' family had held the seat nearly continuously for eighty years: his grandfather, D. Mallory Stephens, represented the district from 1926 to 1952; his father, Willis Stephens Sr., held the seat from 1952 to 1982; and Stephens himself served from 1994 to 2006. Ball received over $110,000 in campaign contributions for the race. He was placed on the primary ballot by the signature of over 1800 petitioners.

At times Ball's campaign was noted for its unorthodoxy, including hiring a man in a chicken suit to follow around the incumbent after Stephens refused to debate him. Ball again garnered attention at an event in August 2006 where he carried trash bags to a press conference and drew attention to Stephens, who also served as the legal counsel to the town of Southeast, New York, for having accepted $9,355 from Waste Hauling CEO, convicted felon and reputed mob boss James Galante, who was later awarded a $1.5 million no-bid garbage contract by the town board on Stephens' recommendation. He was joined at this event by his eventual opponent in the general election, Democrat Ken Harper. Both Ball and Harper referred to the State Legislature as "dysfunctional" during their campaigns.

On September 12, 2006, in the Republican Primary for New York's 99th District, Ball defeated Stephens in a landslide with 70.4% (5,165 votes) to 29.6% (2,176 votes) for Stephens, the lowest vote total for any incumbent running for reelection to the State Assembly that day. Stephens was the victim of a negative campaign, and cited mailings that were distributed calling him a 'country-club liberal' and highlighting his close relationship with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. However, Stephens himself drew criticism when he refused to repudiate a letter about challenger Greg Ball which falsely claimed Mr. Ball had received a dishonorable discharge from the United States Air Force. Ball did not dispute that he ran hard for his seat, knocking on 10,000 doors prior to the primary.

At a 2006 United Taxpayers of Yorktown event with Assembly Minority Jim Tedisco, candidate Greg Ball discusses school tax reform.

Due to New York's electoral fusion system, the Assemblyman had vowed to remain in the race on the Conservative and Independence lines. Ultimately, Stephens decided to withdraw from the race altogether, instead taking a nomination for a Judgeship on the New York State Supreme Court in Queens, in order to allow Ball ballot access on the Independence and Conservative lines. Although Stephens attempted to have his name removed from the ballot, Ken Harper, the Democratic nominee, sued the State Board of Elections claiming that Stephens had filed a certificate declining his nomination eight days too late. The New York Court of Appeals eventually ruled that Stephens name should remain on the ballot.

Despite Stephens name remaining on the ballot, Ball went on to win a plurality of votes in the general election on November 6, 2006. He was also buoyed by endorsements from the Poughkeepsie Journal, Fraternal Order of Police, Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith and Duchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson prior to the election. Inside of the district, Ball received more votes then any other candidate, including candidates running for Governor, Attorney General, Senate, Congress, and State Senate. His upset victory earned him the title of "Newsmaker of the Year" from one local publication and he also shared a front-page cover The Journal News with fellow upset winner John Hall the day after the election.

The Courage Cup

File:Gregball7.jpg

Assemblyman Ball and supporters at his 2008 campaign kickoff in Yorktown, New York.

As the Washington Post would report in 2007, a significant portion of Ball's funds for his 2006 assembly race were raised through a charity polo match in Washington, D.C. called "The Courage Cup" in 2005. Ball had been stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., when the first Courage Cup was held in 2004, raising money for charities including nearly $8,000 for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based Work to Ride program.

The event was created to bring together Washington professionals and the polo community together for a good cause, and a good time, and grew to become one of the largest polo events on the east coast. Ball founded the charity in 2004, prior to his run for office. His former friends resisted his attempt to retake a leadership role in 2007, and Ball countered that he was The Courage Cup's rightful owner and that the two women stole his intellectual property.

A Washington Post article from June 2007 reported that one of the event directors offered tickets at different price level with proceeds going to a Political Action Committee named Citizens United for Ethical Growth (CUEG), which Ball operated as President in Fall of 2004. Ball's campaign stated it had nothing to do with the fund raising and the destination of profits from the event were clearly stated in one section of an online contribution form.

Several Courage Cup attendees told the Post that what they were unaware their contributions would be used for political purposes. Under a new President, CUEG transferred $18,000 into Assemblyman Ball's campaign fund in 2006, which included $610.09 raised from the 2004 Courage Cup event. The Assemblyman later provided refunds to two of the seven contributors who gave money to CUEG through the courage cup.

New York State Assembly (2007 – )

Former Active Duty Air Force Captain Gregory R. Ball participates in the 2007 Veterans Day parade of Pawling, NY  carrying the flag of the POW-MIA.

Ball has stated that "since my election victory, we have made extraordinary progress by elevating the debate on tough issues like taxes, illegal immigration and dysfunction in Albany." He was sworn into office on January 8, 2007. The first time Ball rose to speak in the Assembly chamber, he called the legislature "dysfunctional", and withstood boos from his colleagues. He was unhappy because lawmakers voted to elect a colleague, Thomas DiNapoli as the new State Comptroller, disregarding the recommendations of a bipartisan panel appointed by former Governor Eliot Spitzer consisting of former state Comptrollers who suggested three separate finalists and had not found DiNapoli to be qualified for the job. The next day, Governor Spitzer called Ball to express support for his sentiments.

Ball stated that "It was not easy getting up as the new guy and standing up to tell a group of people what they don’t want to hear" but his speech became so popular that soon dozens of reporters began calling, he appeared on Fox News, excerpts from the floor speech popped up on numerous political blogs, his campaign web site received so many visits that its server crashed, and, a YouTube video of his remarks was ranked 80th among new videos the day it was uploaded. Although the remarks were contentious, they echoed a fifty-six page study from the nonpartisan New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice, which referred to the legislature as "the least deliberative and most dysfunctional in the nation".

Assemblyman Ball participated in Greasestock, an event in Yorktown, NY to encourage the use of renewable energy sources.

Ball again joined Spitzer, this time calling for property tax reform, and proposed an inflation-indexed cap on spending and school and property tax increases known as the "New York State Property Taxpayers Protection Act" similar to the measure adopted by Massachusetts and fourteen other states.

He has voted dozens of times against any bill that proposes tax increases, including opposition a measure to raise the Putnam County sales tax by half a percent from 3.5% to 4% that was supported by State Senator Vincent Leibell, a fellow local legislator. Ball was also dismayed when asked by Putnam county legislators to carry a bill to Albany during the 2007 county "budget crisis", requesting a sales tax increase to 8.375%, which County Executive Robert Bondi, a fellow Republican, claimed was necessary to ward off a projected 66% property tax increase.

Ball felt that the County legislature could have eliminated more "pork" from the county budget. Another state legislator, Sandra Galef, eventually introduced the tax increase bill to the Assembly. Ball later joined with a county legislator in calling on Bondi to resign, citing his "incompetence and stubbornness" in proposing a budget with a 40% increase in the property tax levy. Hundreds of residents of Putnam County demonstrated outside Bondi's office in opposition to the tax increase, which was defeated.

As ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Ball announced legislation expanding the eligibility for veterans to receive tax exemption benefits, including the exemption of real property owned by certain disabled veterans from property taxation. Ball authored the bill that created the tuition remission program for veterans, offering them free tuition at both SUNY and CUNY undergraduate and graduate institutions. Governor Eliot Spitzer included the measure in his 2008 executive budget proposal, and the measure was kept funded in Governor David Paterson's version.

According to The Journal News, one key to Ball's success was that his campaign identified the concern local voters cared most about: illegal immigration. The New York Sun reported that Ball defines himself as a moderate on the immigration issue.

Assemblyman Ball delivering a speech from the floor of the Assembly Chamber in October 2007.

Ball made illegal immigration a focal point of his bid for office. In October 2007, he strongly criticized Governor Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. He was at the forefront of the opposition to the plan, and his Statewide petition to stop it led to the Assembly Minority Conference's decision to sue the Governor to stop the plan.

Former Governor Spitzer and Assemblyman Ball disagreed on a number of issues, but worked together on several reform packages.

Ball has worked to promote businesses that hire legal immigrant laborers, and has begun to create a database for usage on his campaign website. His campaign headquarters in Pawling, New York  may have been targeted over the contentious issue, and was vandalized with swastikas in October 2006, although the person or persons responsible misspelled the word "Fascist" twice. An oft-quoted line from his campaign literature was that "Illegal Immigration is Illegal".

In June 2008, Ball's campaign sent out an e-mail piece that quoted from a Government Accountability Office study on illegal aliens and crime, which alleged that 55,322 illegal alien respondents had been arrested a total of 459,614 times. A local journalist noted that the study linked in the e-mail pertained to prison inmates, and stated that 68% of the 46,023 convictions were for immigration-related crimes, followed by 21% for drug-related crimes and 11% for other offenses.

The Assemblyman supported Greasestock, an yearly event held in Yorktown to showcase clean renewable energy. The event was founded in 2003 by individuals interested in vegetable powered vehicles. The event now includes a number of alternative fuel exhibits, showcasing new green technologies for vehicles and other applications.

2008 election

See also: New York's 99th assembly district § 2008 election

At his Pawling, New York campaign headquarters, Assemblyman Ball and campaign volunteers gear up for his reelection bid in May 2008.

Ball was referred to as "one of the rising stars in the Republican Party" during speculation that he would run against freshman Congressman John Hall in 2008, although he later ruled out a challenge against Hall. Ball sent out a statement stating that, "I love being the assemblyman. There's a lot I'm accomplishing at the local level and there's still a lot that needs to be done."

In early May 2008, John Degnan, the former Mayor of Brewster, New York, announced he would be mounting a challenge to the freshman Assemblyman. In the September 9th, 2008 primary, Ball was reelected by a 3 to 1 margin amongst Republicans. He again faced Degnan, who had the Democratic nomination, in the general election, and was re-elected wth 60% of the vote.

On July 9, The Westchester Fair Campaign Practices Committee, a group of volunteer members of the League of Women Voters, met to review a mailer distributed by the Ball campaign following complaints by his opponent. The committee claimed that 10 of 12 claims submitted were "unfair" statements made in campaign literature published in newspapers and issued as a mailer in June about his opponent, John Degnan. Following the ruling, Ball contended that the committee was biased, since it contained one registered Republican, one Independent, and eight Democrats, and has made similar rulings against other Repbulicans in the past.

T.P.O. controversy

On August 26, 2008, a local newspaper known as The Putnam Times published court documents surrounding the break up between Ball and a Washington, D.C. woman in 2003. Ball blamed his Democratic challenger John Degnan for hiring private investigators for the newspaper article, a charge which Degnan denied. Ball stated both he and the woman both filed for orders of protection following the end of their relationship. In November 2003, both Ball and the woman asked the court to dismiss their complaints against each other, which was done without determining whether what they claimed in their complaints was true, or just two people "venting after the messy breakup of a romantic relationship."Rojas, Marcela. Ball told The Daily News that "It was just a heartfelt breakup where both parties jointly requested a 'cooling off' period, and the entire matter was mutually dismissed. My life is an open book, and always has been."

While The Putnam Times, a local paper incorrectly reported that Ball violated the order of protection by following the woman to Israel on July 20, News Channel 12, a regional network, pointed out that order of protection was filed six days earlier on July 14, and court records state Ball traveled to Israel on June 20. The Poughkeepsie Journal also later pointed out that there was never a criminal restraining order, and the documents printed by the Times was actually a temporary order of protection, which anyone can request.

Smear campaign allegations

Following the revelations that Ball's ex-girlfriend filed for an order of protection against him in 2003, on September 3, 2008 the Journal News reported that a former member of Ball's staff had accused him of sexually harassing her in a letter sent to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver detailing the incident. Perrault's accusations were later found to be fabrications and Ball was exonerated.

Initially, News 12 analyst Mike Edelman called the report "not credible," and many questioned the timing of the complaint, as the former staff member waited a year to write the letter until a few days before the primary election. The previous day, Ball had released e-mails from his former Chief of Staff, which stated that Perreault was ready to "go forward with a lawsuit and 'embellish' some of the details," calling the letter to Silver into question. Ball said the letter was part of a "smear campaign", and that the ex-Chief of Staff was a "mole" for State Senator Vincent Leibell, who was backing his primary opponent. Ball released a taped phone conversation between the ex-Chief of Staff and a local political candidate, where his former deputy stated he was working for "the senate" to "neuter" Ball. Although at first, the ex-Chief of Staff denied working for the senate to The Journal News, the next day, he admitted it in another article, but Senator Leibell denied any conspiracy.

The Assembly Ethics committee met in October 2008, reaching a ‘not guilty’ verdict and ruling that no harassment ever occurred, and unanimously voted to throw out the frivolous charges against Assemblyman Ball. The accuser, the 60-year-old Perrault, had been the target of numerous sexual harassment allegations at a prior job, where she was a supervisor. It was noted that Ball's accuser had herself settled four lawsuits for an undisclosed sum, at least three of which accused her of sexual harassment.

2010 election

In May of 2009, Ball announced he was a candidate for Congress in New York's 19th congressional district. Ball drew some attention by raising more money than incumbent Congressman John Hall in the second quarter of 2009.[2] On November 21, 2009, Ball abandoned his Congressional run and decided to run for State Senate in District 40, the seat currently held by Vincent Leibell. [3]

Electoral history

New York State Assembly, 99th district, 2008 – General Election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Greg Ball		63%	Republican hold
	Democratic	John Degman		37%

New York State Assembly, 99th district, 2008 – Republican Primary

Candidate		Votes	%	±
✓	Greg Ball (I)	5,113	73.1%
	John Degnan	1,921	26.9%
Turnout

New York State Assembly, 99th district, 2006 – General Election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Greg Ball	20,956	50.8%	Republican hold
	Democratic	Ken Harper	17,155	41.4%
	Independence, Conservative	Willis Stephens, Jr. (I)	3,228	7.8%

New York State Assembly, 99th district, 2006 – Republican Primary

Candidate		Votes	%	±
✓	Greg Ball	5,165	70.4%	Challenger pickup
	Willis Stephens, Jr. (I)	2,176	29.6%
Turnout		7,341

External links

• Official Homepage: Assemblyman Greg Ball, 99th District of New York
• Ball for Assembly Campaign Website
• Campaign events for Assemblyman Greg Ball
• Picasaweb Albums for Greg Ball
• Center for the Study of the Presidency Fellows Publications
• Hirelegally.com - Ball campaign website that encourages legal hiring practices.
• Project VoteSmart - Assemblymember Ball
• League of Women Voters Smart Voter Guide: Greg Ball

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