Vito Lopez
| Vito Lopez | ||
 | ||
| New York State Assembly District 53 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1985 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 1, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 28 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $79,500/year | |
| Per diem | $171/full day; $61/half day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | 1984 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | 06/05/1941 | |
| Place of birth | Brooklyn, NY | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Lopez's professional experiences include instructor at Yeshiva University, Molloy College, and Empire State College; and part-time adjunct professor of Human Services at LaGuardia College.
Lopez earned a BS in business administration from Long Island University, Brooklyn and MSW from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lopez served on the following committees:
| New York Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry | ||||
| • Rules | ||||
| • Social Services | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Lopez served on the following committees:
| New York Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry | ||||
| • Housing, Chair | ||||
| • Rules | ||||
| • Social Services | ||||
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Lopez served on the following committees:
| New York Committee Assignments, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry | ||||
| • Housing | ||||
| • Rules | ||||
| • Social Services | ||||
Elections
2012
- See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2012
Lopez ran in the 2012 election for New York State Assembly District 53. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012. He defeated Richy Garcia in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[2][3]
An October 2012 article in The Daily named Lopez one of the 20 worst candidates in 2012.[4]
| New York State Assembly, District 53, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Vito Lopez Incumbent |
89.9% | 25,956 | |
| Republican | Richy Garcia | 10.1% | 2,916 | |
| Total Votes | 28,872 | |||
Endorsements
- 32BJ/SEIU[5]
2010
- See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2010
Lopez ran unopposed in the September 14 Democratic primary. He defeated Byron Orozco (R) in the general election on November 2.[6]
| New York State Assembly, District 53 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Vito Lopez (D)
|
12,892 | |||
| Byron Orozco (R) | 1,481 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008 Lopez won re-election to the New York State Assembly, District 53, defeating opponent Frances Cutrone (R).
Lopez raised $452,552 for his campaign while Cutrone raised $0.[7]
| New York State Assembly, District 53 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Vito Lopez (D)
|
25,733 | |||
| Frances Cutrone (R) | 1,531 | |||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
In 2010, Lopez received $444,064 in campaign donations. The top contributors are listed below.[8]
| New York State Assembly 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Vito Lopez's campaign in 2010 | |
| Friends Of Carl Kruger | $5,100 |
| Bailey, Paulette | $5,000 |
| New York State Supreme Court Officers Association | $4,000 |
| All New York Title Agency | $4,000 |
| Gigante, Louis R | $3,800 |
| Total Raised in 2010 | $444,064 |
2008
In 2008, a year in which Lopez was up for re-election, he collected $452,552 in donations.[9]
The major contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| New York State Association for Affordable Housing | $5,345 |
| Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker | $4,000 |
| 11 individual donations each of: | $3,800 |
Controversies
Sexual-harassment allegations
Following an internal ethics committee investigation, the New York State Assembly censured Lopez on August 24, 2012, when allegations of sexual harassment brought by two female employees were substantiated. Soon after, it was reported that the Assembly made a secret payment of $103,080 on June 13 in order to settle previous allegations made by two other women, which never went to the ethics committee.[10]
Speaker of the House Sheldon Silver (D) approved the settlement, but once it came to light said it was the wrong decision. “I take full responsibility in not insisting that all cases go to the ethics committee. While that opinion is both legally correct and ethical and can result in a resolution sought by complaining employees, I now believe it was the wrong one from the perspective of transparency,” he stated.[10]
A number of officials and individuals, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), called for a full investigation. Lopez, meanwhile, insisted that he did nothing wrong and would not resign his seat, but did give up his position as chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.[11]
External links
- New York Assembly - Rep. Vito Lopez
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
References
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Lopez
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, Candidate Petition List, retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ↑ ABC News, "New York unofficial 2012 primary election results," accessed September 13, 2012
- ↑ The Daily, "The worst candidates of 2012," October 29, 2012
- ↑ New York Daily News, "32BJ/SEIU Endorses For State Senate, Assembly," August 1, 2012
- ↑ New York Times NY state legislative election results
- ↑ Follow the Money's report 2008 Campaign donations in New York
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2010 contributions
- ↑ 2008 contributions to Vito Lopez
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 New York Times, "Assembly Leader Admits Fault as Critics Assail Secret Payoff," August 28, 2012
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Vito Lopez Gives Up On Staying Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman," August 28, 2012
| Political offices | ||
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New York Assembly District 53 1985–present |
Succeeded by NA |
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