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Antoine Thompson

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Antoine Thompson
New York State Senator Thompson speaks at a Barack Obama rally at the Erie County Democratic Headquarters. (October 29, 2008)
Member of the New York Senate
from the 60th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Preceded byMarc Coppola
Buffalo, New York Councilman
In office
January 4, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byByron Brown
Succeeded byDemone Smith
ConstituencyMasten District
Personal details
Born (1970-03-01) March 1, 1970 (age 54)
Buffalo, NY
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMerle Thompson
ChildrenDeja LaShay and Joseph Antoine Alexander Thompson
ResidenceBuffalo, NY
Alma materState University of New York at Brockport
ProfessionPolitician
CommitteesDemocratic Senate Campaign Committee; Senate Environmental Conservation Committee; Finance; Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business; Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development and Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committees.[1]
Websitewww.nysenate.gov/senator/antoine-m-thompson

Antoine Maurice Thompson (born March 1, 1970) is a Democratic New York State Senator who represents the state's 60th Senate district, which includes parts of Buffalo and Tonawanda, the City of Niagara Falls and the Town of Grand Island. Thompson previously served for six years as the Masten District councilman in the Buffalo Common Council.[2] Thompson has been a lifelong Buffalonian and held political and politically-related professional positions in Buffalo before his service in elective politics.

Antoine was appointed to the city council in 2001 and was twice re-elected. He was discouraged from pursuing his interest in election to the United States House of Representatives in 2005. He was encouraged to pursue his current New York Senate Seat, but was not nominated by the Democratic Party when the seat first became available in a special election. However, during the regular general election for the seat, he was victorious after a successful election campaign. January 2009 marked the beginning of his second term in the New York State Senate.

Personal

Born in Template:City-state, Thompson is a 1994 graduate of State University of New York at Brockport where he received a bachelor of science in history.[3] He was raised in Buffalo and was a graduate of public schools #60, #61 and Bennett High School.[2] He is the son of Richard Allen Thompson and Wanda Strong Thompson, the husband of Merle Thompson, and the father of Deja LaShay and Joseph Antoine Alexander Thompson.[2] In high school, he served as captain of both the cross-country and track & field teams and earned All-Western New York Honors in both.[2] Thompson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.[4]

Early career

Starting in 1996, he served two years as a legislative assistant to the Buffalo Common Council.[5] In early 1998, he was named executive director of the Office of Urban Initiatives, which is a community development corporation that endeavors to improve business opportunities for minorities.[3][6] After then-City Councilman Byron Brown was elected to the New York State Senate in November 2000, Thompson was a favorite to be appointed as his city council successor because of his relationship with both Brown and Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon.[7]

Councilman

Thompson was sworn in as the Masten District City Councilman on January 4, 2001 after being appointed by the Democratic Committee.[8] His east side district included 27% of Buffalo's African-American population.[9] The Buffalo City Council had a brief African-American majority during Thompson's appointed half term that ended following the subsequent elections in September and November 2001.[10] After African-Americans lost their majority the council voted along racial lines by a 7–6 margin to shrink the common council from thirteen to nine members by eliminating the four at-large positions (three of which were held by African-Americans).[11] The city voters endorsed the proposal by a 35,849–19,036 margin which largely went along racial lines.[12] Thompson retained his council position in the 2001, 2003 and 2005 elections. Thompson served as a John Edwards delegate at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.[13]

As a councilman, Thompson fought against crime and the economic despair of the residents in his district.[14][15] He attempted to foster economic development and encourage support of worker training.[16][17] Although his district's residents were troubled, Buffalo's East Side, which included his district, was a hub for employment activity that lured suburban residents.[18] Thompson also engaged in urban planning to restore public parks.[19][20] As a city councilman, he co-sponsored a resolution with David Franczyk against continued military involvement in the Iraq War.[21]

Higher office

In 2005, Thompson began testing the waters for higher office. He raised campaign funds and consulted party leaders about the possibility of challenging United States House of Representatives then 77-year-old congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter who was already a 10-term veteran. Slaughter's New York's 28th congressional district was 29 percent African American, and minorities comprised nearly 40 percent of the Democratic primary vote. Charles B. Rangel warned that Slaughter had strong ties to the Congressional Black Caucus, and she supposedly had support from labor, women's and pro-choice groups.[22]

Thompson was encouraged to pursue Brown's New York State Senate seat that was to be filled by special election on February 28, 2006 after Brown ascended to be the Mayor of Buffalo on January 1, 2006 following the 2005 election.[23] The district has a 4–1 ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans.[24] In 2006, the Erie County Democratic Party chairman was Leonard Lenihan, and he noted that Thompson had not been timely in entering the special election process.[25] The Erie and Niagara County Democratic committees bypassed Thompson as their nominee in favor of Marc Coppola despite Brown's backing.[24] Thompson had issued a threat that without backing for the State Senate seat, he would challenge Slaughter in the September primary election, but Lenihan was unimpressed with the threat and noted that Thompson needed to take the "Dale Carnegie course in terms of how to win friends and influence people".[25][26]

Brown and Lenihan were at odds over various political positions after Lenihan played a major role in Brown's election to the office of Mayor. Brown supported Andrew Cuomo for New York Attorney General, David Paterson for Lieutenant Governor of New York and Thompson for 60th District New York Senator. Lenihan disagreed with each of these choices.[27] Brown was upset that he did not get to select his successor and there was a consideration of boycotting the special election due to a perceived racial slight. Lenihan pointed out that neither Anthony Masiello nor James D. Griffin was granted the right to pick their successor.[28]

Thompson subsequently decided to run for the New York Senate seat in the November general election.[29] Marc Coppola only won the special election by a 56–44% margin in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 6:1.[30] Thompson opposed incumbent Senator Marc Coppola as well as his cousin Former State Sen. Al Coppola in the September 2006 Democratic Primary for a full two-year term in the Senate.[31] Thompson defeated them both when he received 53% of the vote and Mark Coppola 36%.[32] He then defeated Marc Coppola again in the General election where Coppola ran as an Independent.[33]

Senator

Thompson speaks on the night of the 2008 United States presidential election at the Erie County Democratic Headquarters.

Thompson assumed office in a conservative Upstate New York district.[34] When Thompson took office in January 2007, he became part of a triumvirate (along with Diane Savino and Jeffrey D. Klein) that assumed the chairmanship of the New York Democratic Senate Campaign Committee by assuming control of Democratic campaigns development.[2][35] He retained this position through the 2008 general election.[36] He is the Chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. He is the former Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Cities Committee,[1] which oversees all legislation impacting the state's 62 incorporated cities and urban policy. This position was held by his two immediate predecessors in the Senate, Byron Brown and Marc Coppola.[2] He served for a month as the Acting Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, prior to the election of Sen. Craig Johnson of Long Island. He also serves on the Finance; Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business; Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development and Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committees.[1]

When Thompson assumed office, he continued his fight against economic blight with economic revitalization plans, with special focus on redevelopment of brownfield land,[37][38][39] but he had to combat government inaction and bureaucracy in this effort.[40]Thompson has been allied with NY City developer Howard Milstein. In 2010 Thompson arranged for a $400,000 grant from NY State’s Economic Development Program for the Manhattan billionaire’s Niagara Falls Redevelopment company to demolish properties in NiagaraFalls,NY.[41] Thompson was a vocal spokesman against the May 2007 bill to raise State Senator salaries because the lack of raises for Buffalo city workers made it seem wrong to him.[42] After refusing to comment on the issue for some time,[43] Thompson was one of eight Democratic defectors on Elliot Spitzer's unpopular policy allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses.[34] Thompson was one of eleven New York State Senators to be uncontested in the November 2008 general election.[44] He also supported the streamlining of minority- and woman-owned business certification.[45]

Senator Thompson is host of Western New York on the Move, a weekly radio broadcast. It is on the radio every Thursday at noon on WUFO 1080 AM.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c nyssenate60.com. "2007–2008 Legislative Session". Retrieved 2009-01-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g nyssenate60.com. "Biography". Retrieved 2009-01-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Thompson To Head Urban Initiatives". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 1998-04-05. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  4. ^ "Black frat turns 100 - Alpha Phi Alpha, founded in 1906 by Troy native, celebrates, awards scholarships". The Times Union. Newsbank. 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  5. ^ Collison, Kevin (1999-04-19). "Panel Urges Reforms In Face of Swelling capital Debt". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  6. ^ "Business People". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 1998-05-09. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Robert (2000-12-17). "Fitzpatrick May Bow Out". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  8. ^ Sapong, Emma D. (2001-01-08). "Thompson Targeting Ills of the Masten District". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  9. ^ Staba, David (2004-07-19). "On Paper, Buffalo Sees Improvement; on the Streets, Many Disagree". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  10. ^ Lakamp, Patrick (2001-09-26). "In Council Races a Key Change". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  11. ^ Esmonde, Donn (2002-07-24). "It's Time For Truce, Not War". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  12. ^ Lakamp, Patrick and James Heaney (2002-11-12). "Vote To Downsize Council Reflects Racial Divide — The Referendum To Shrink The Common Council Attracted More "Yes Votes In Three Predominately White Council Districts Than All The "No" Votes Citywide". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  13. ^ Teitelbaum, Michael (2004-07-19). "Democratic Convention: New York Delegation". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  14. ^ Cardinale, Anthony (2002-03-06). "Block Club Organizing To Fight Crime". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  15. ^ "Targeting Drug Dealers". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 2002-04-09. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  16. ^ "East Side Story — Signs of Economic Life Stirring In A Troubled Part of the City". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 2002-03-26. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  17. ^ "Too Good To Lose — Program To Train Minority Workers In Building Trades Ought To Be Saved". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 2003-11-09. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  18. ^ Cardinale, Anthony (2004-02-26). "Disparity of Income On East Side Deplored At Forum On Civil Rights". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  19. ^ Theodore, Larissa (2001-07-26). "Plan To Restore King Park Wading Pool Detailed". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  20. ^ "At Last, Splash — In Martin Luther King Park, Signs of Summer and Community Will". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  21. ^ "Everybody's Column". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  22. ^ Lakamp, Patrick (2005-12-17). "Thompson may confront Slaughter for House seat". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  23. ^ McCarthy, Bob (2006-01-08). "Antoine Thompson antes up". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  24. ^ a b Staba, David (2006-02-25). "G.O.P. Sees Rare Opportunity in a State Senate Race". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  25. ^ a b McCarthy, Robert J. (2006-01-10). "Democrats won't back Thompson for State Senate — Republicans to gauge interest of School Board member Jacobs". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  26. ^ McCarthy, Robert J. (2006-01-13). "Brown, Lenihan at odds over Albany successor — Thompson, Coppola may vie in primary". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  27. ^ McCarthy, Bob (2006-01-29). "Smooth sailing, then choppy waters". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  28. ^ Watson, Rod (2006-02-09). "Will 'sit-out' be the way tosend message?". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  29. ^ Spector, Joseph (2006-02-06). "GOP may face stiff battles in House". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  30. ^ McCarthy, Bob (2006-03-05). "Coppola's story parallels cousin's". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  31. ^ Franklin, Gail (2006-09-07). "State Senate hopefuls air views". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  32. ^ Johnson, Mark (2006-09-13). "Incumbent lawmakers score primary victories — Senate's slim GOP majority is at stake in November election". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  33. ^ Watson, Stephen T. and Jay Rey (2006-11-08). "WNY voters return incumbents to State Legislature - In Assembly, Cole tops Monte, Hayes defeats Grelick Thompson wins State Senate seat". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  34. ^ a b Confessore, Nicholas (2007-10-23). "Why Some Democrats Defected on Spitzer Driver's License Plan". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  35. ^ Hakim, Danny (2008-01-08). "Albany Notebook; Health Funds at Stake, Union Keeps Watch As Budget Takes Shape". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  36. ^ Confessore, Nicholas (2008-10-19). "For Once, Western New York Is the Front Line of State Politics". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  37. ^ Thompson, Antoine (2007-05-26). "New initiatives could bolster upstate economy". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  38. ^ Fischer, Nancy A. (2007-12-02). "Taking a turn for the better — Weed and Seed helps transform Highland Ave. area". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  39. ^ Heaney, James (2008-04-13). "A meeting of 'green' minds — Summit addresses environmental, economic needs". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  40. ^ Anderson, Judith and Mathy Stanislaus (2007-10-27). "Governmental inaction blocks use of brownfields law". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  41. ^ Gee, Denise Jewell. "Falls leery of state grant for developer". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  42. ^ Hakim, Danny (2007-05-07). "Not Reading the Fine Print". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  43. ^ Precious, Tom (2007-10-04). "Driver's licenses for illegals a tough sell — Members of his own party oppose Spitzer proposal as 'misguided'". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  44. ^ "Election Results: New York". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  45. ^ Christmann, Samantha Maziarz (2008-01-26). "Lawmakers hoping to level playing field — Thompson tells of bid for 'fast-track' help for minorities, women". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-13.

External links

Template:Incumbent box
Political offices
Preceded by Buffalo, New York Masten District Councilman
2001–2007 		Succeeded by
Demone Smith
New York State Senate

Template:Incumbent box

Template:Persondata

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