Latest news with #LaFalce
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
John J. LaFalce, Congressman Who Fought Financial Fraud, Dies at 85
John J. LaFalce, a 14-term former congressman from Western New York who mentored the state's first female governor and sponsored sweeping legislation to mitigate the Love Canal toxic waste disaster and to protect consumers from financial fraud, died on April 11 in Lockport, N.Y., near Niagara Falls. He was 85. His death, in a hospice facility, was from kidney failure, his son, Martin J. LaFalce, said. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 as part of a nationwide post-Watergate rebuff to Republican incumbents, Mr. LaFalce (pronounced la-FALSE) was the first Democrat to win his district's seat since 1912. During his 28 years on Capitol Hill, he was chairman of the Small Business Committee, from 1987 to 1995, and the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Banking (now the Financial Services Committee). He played pivotal roles in the bipartisan passage of two far-reaching bills: the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (officially known as the Financial Services Act), which eliminated legal boundaries between investment banking and commercial banking, and, in 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which targeted corporate financial fraud. Before the collapse of the savings and loan industry in the late 1980s, Mr. LaFalce was a fierce critic of so-called subprime homeowner loans and payday loans by companies that preyed on consumers. One of his most effective actions as a House member was his response to the environmental calamity at Love Canal, a neighborhood of Niagara Falls, N.Y. By the late 1970s, a chemical dump there was contaminating ground water that was leaching into backyards, swimming pools and school playgrounds, causing severe health effects among residents there. Mr. LaFalce and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Democrat of New York, devised the legal basis for the federal government to clean up the site. Love Canal was the first site to be designated an environmental hazard under the legislation, which created the federal Superfund to mitigate such threats. Lois Gibbs, a homeowner and civic leader in Love Canal, was quoted in 1991 as saying that Mr. LaFalce 'was one of the front-runners in getting things done' there. Mr. LaFalce was regarded as a progressive in Congress (getting an F rating from the National Rifle Association). He voted against American participation in both the Persian Gulf war and the Iraq war and dissented from President Bill Clinton's welfare reforms because, he said, they would punish the poor. As a practicing Roman Catholic, however, he opposed any extension of abortion rights. In the early 1970s, as a member of the New York State Legislature, Mr. LaFalce bucked popular sentiment by objecting to the harsh penalties imposed by what became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, signed by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. And he objected to casino gambling in New York State on the grounds that it would exploit lower-income people. Kathy Hochul, who as lieutenant governor became the state's governor in 2021 when Andrew M. Cuomo resigned, was Mr. LaFalce's legislative counsel in Washington in the 1980s. With his support, eight years after he left the House, she won a special election in 2011 to become the first Democrat to represent her Western New York district in four decades. Mr. LaFalce 'had a profound influence on my early career,' Governor Hochul said in a statement this week, 'recruiting me from a large D.C. firm' and 'putting me on the path to a lifetime of public service.' 'I always credited him with getting me the recognition I needed,' she said. Under her direction, flags at state buildings were flown at half-staff on Monday in his honor. John Joseph LaFalce was born in Buffalo on Oct. 6, 1939. His father, Dominic, worked in a grain mill and was a union steward. His mother, Katherine (Stasio) LaFalce, worked in a bakery. He was the first member of his family to graduate from high school. Mr. LaFalce received a bachelor's degree in history from Canisius College (now Canisius University) in Buffalo in 1961 and a law degree from Villanova University in 1964. He served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967, leaving with the rank of captain. In addition to his son, Martin, a professor at St. John's University School of Law in Queens, Mr. LaFalce is survived by his wife, Patricia (Fisher) LaFalce; and a sister, Lorraine Kenny. He and his wife had lived in Latham, N.Y., north of Albany. Mr. LaFalce served in the State Senate from 1971 to 1972 and in the Assembly from 1973 to 1974, when he ran for Congress, to succeed Henry P. Smith III, who had announced his retirement. His congressional district encompassed Niagara Falls and northern Buffalo and stretched east to the western suburbs of Rochester. As a result of the 2000 census, the district was merged with a neighboring one represented by a fellow Democrat, Louise M. Slaughter. Rather than engage in a hotly-contested primary in the newly created district, he decided not to seek a 15th term in 2002. Ms. Slaughter was re-elected. After leaving office, Mr. LaFalce practiced law and was a director of State Bancorp (now National Valley Bancorp), a member of the New York State Banking Board and chairman of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency. In Congress, he was one of the dwindling exponents of bipartisanship. In 1983, he cited Senator Edward M. Kennedy's appearance at Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University), a private evangelical Christian institution, as an example of 'how important tolerance is when diverse and opposing world views compete in the free marketplace of ideas which is America.'
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
John LaFalce remembered by those he helped on their journeys
Ask about John LaFalce and you will likely hear about his intelligence, his ability to reach across the aisle, and how important the legislation he helped pass in Congress was to his home. 'He was a registered Democrat, but he represented all of Western New York,' said Mary Brennan-Taylor, one of his former staffers who is now the vice president of programs for the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier. 'He may have been born in Buffalo, but he truly was Niagara County's congressman.' The Tonawanda resident who served in Congress from 1975 to 2003 died April 11 at Niagara Hospice, reportedly from kidney failure. He was 85 years old. His legacy in Niagara County was cemented early in his career, as he got Superfund legislation enacted in the wake of the Love Canal crisis. He and then-President Jimmy Carter were in Niagara Falls in October 1980 as Carter signed the second emergency declaration for the area, permitting federal funds to help relocate more than 500 families residing near the toxic site. Among other issues, LaFalce fought against predatory lending practices, helped keep Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station open in 1995, secured federal funding for improving Olcott Harbor in the early '90s, and helped with plans to turn the vacant Turtle building in Niagara Falls into a Smithsonian-affiliated museum. Brennan-Taylor worked on LaFalce's first Congressional campaign in 1974, appreciating his approach to public service and sharing similar views on important issues as the then-New York State Assembly member was running for higher office. The two kept in touch after he won, and in 1992 LaFalce asked her to work for him in his district office. In his Buffalo and Niagara Falls offices, Brennan-Taylor would advise the congressman on many issues simmering in his district, whether it had to do with the nuclear materials at the Niagara Falls Storage Site in Lewiston or wanting the Peace Bridge border crossing to be a double span. LaFalce took the time to take care of smaller matters such as helping a constituent's father get his World War II medal. LaFalce was also more than comfortable being among his constituents, whether on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls or meeting with the UAW Local 686 in Lockport, or bringing federal employees to his district to see the conditions for themselves. 'When working with perhaps an opponent or someone who didn't agree with you, he would allow grace and not back them into a corner,' Brennan-Taylor said. 'That is missing in politics.' Lockport native Kim Glas, the current president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations, also got her start in Washington politics working for LaFalce from 2000 to 2003. Her desire to work for him came after one of her SUNY Geneseo professors, Bill Cook, had LaFalce mentor him in a Congressional race. 'I was intent to work for John,' Glas said. 'I loved his intellect. He was a workhorse who put Western New York first.' Glas was part of his small staff as a senior legislative assistant and deputy press secretary, whose duties involved advising floor votes on legislation, writing op-eds and letters, and advising LaFalce on issues in the district. As the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, LaFalce was instrumental in enacting financial services reform in the wake of 9/11, making sure American institutions would not unknowingly fund terrorist activity. From there, Glas continued on at Capitol Hill for another seven years before joining the Obama administration, working for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. But she never forgot the lessons she learned in LaFalce's office. 'He always taught me to ask the hard questions and be thoughtful in your approach,' Glas said. Tributes have poured in for LaFalce from various New York politicians including Gov. Kathy Hochul, who worked in his office in the 1980s, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer. U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, said in a statement, 'Congressman LaFalce will be remembered for all that he did. However, standing up for the residents of Love Canal in the face of environmental catastrophe, and directing the eyes of the world on Western New York, forced a national reckoning with the dangers of industrial pollution, further underscored his fearless leadership.' The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Buffalo Niagara Chapter recognized LaFalce for his part in the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, which made it easier for women to start their own businesses. 'Congressman LaFalce gave women business owners a seat at the table and the tools to build lasting success,' chapter president Patti Lamcabelli said. 'His vision, paired with NAWBO's advocacy, helped open doors for generations of women entrepreneurs.' Nate McMurray, who ran for Congress several times in the past decade, had LaFalce's endorsement during the 2020 campaign in the 27th Congressional District. 'He was the last of a breed: a man of books and parishes, of law and labor, of corner tables and Latin Mass,' McMurray said in a Facebook post. 'He had rough edges, yes—but he came from a time when public service was about more than power. It was about stewardship.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Congressman John LaFalce dies at 85
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Former Congressman John LaFalce has died at the age of 85, Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner confirmed. A Buffalo native, LaFalce was elected to Congress in 1974 and represented Western New York from 1975-2003. LaFalce represented the 36th Congressional District from 1975-83, the 32nd Congressional District from 1983-93, and the 29th Congressional District from 1993-2003. During his time in office, he was the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and also was a member of the House Small Business Committee. In the 1970s, LaFalce worked closely with President Jimmy Carter regarding the Love Canal environmental disaster. 'In 1978, finally we did pass the superfund bill providing billions of dollars for comprehensive clean-ups for formerly abandoned hazardous waste sites,' LaFalce told WIVB News 4 in December. After retiring, LaFalce donated large sums of money to institutions in Western New York, including Niagara University and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. 'Congressman LaFalce embodied the definition of public service,' Congressman Tim Kennedy said in a statement. 'From his time in the United States Army to his nearly three decades representing our hometown in the House of Representatives, Congressman John LaFalce set an example to which we should all aspire. His tireless work delivered so much to our community, and he was never afraid to take on the toughest of issues. He will be remembered as a man of great faith, conviction, and passion, who was always speaking up for his constituents.' 'Congressman LaFalce will be remembered for all that he did, however, standing up for the residents of Love Canal in the face of environmental catastrophe, and directing the eyes of the world on Western New York, forced a national reckoning with the dangers of industrial pollution, further underscored his fearless leadership.' 'Congressman LaFalce was as Buffalo as they come,' Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement. 'He had one of the biggest brains and the biggest heart. John was a legislative giant and a dear friend going back to our time serving together in the House. He would see a problem, whether in his beloved city of Buffalo or across the country, and dedicate every fiber of his being to making sure it was solved. His dedication to public service and passion for helping others knew no bounds. He loved Buffalo and always defended Western New York. He was a good and loyal friend, and I will deeply miss him. My prayers are with his loved ones and Western NY as they mourn this tremendous loss.' *** Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
