Onwards To Albany
George Pataki arrived in the New York State Legislature in 1984. In the spirit of President Ronald Reagan, he became a strong voice for conservative values – fighting for budget reform, tax cuts and safer streets in a political environment dominated by the failed liberal policies of then Governor Mario Cuomo.
Conservative Values Triumph over the Failed Liberal Policies of the Past
In 1994 New York State was plagued with skyrocketing taxes, runaway spending, swelling welfare rolls and ever-growing crime rates. George Pataki made the decision that the time was right to challenge Mario Cuomo and bring a new era of prosperity to New York State.
George Pataki was elected Governor of New York State on November 8th, 1994 defeating three term incumbent and liberal icon Mario Cuomo in a come-from-behind victory.
Leading New York From Crisis to Comeback
From his very first day in office Governor George E. Pataki set to work making the streets safer, restoring New York’s economy with pro-business policies and encouraging a spirit of freedom and opportunity for all New Yorkers.
New York, once the undisputed leader in raising taxes, is now the national leader in cutting taxes.
During his tenure, Governor Pataki has reduced New Yorkers’ taxes by well over $100 billion dollars – far more than any other state in the nation.
Governor Pataki fervently believes that cutting taxes creates jobs, and that rewarding work and encouraging independence and opportunity are the best ways to put people back to work. His nation-leading tax-cutting efforts have resulted in hundreds of thousands of new jobs for New Yorkers.
The Governor's strong commitment to tax relief, combined with his pro-growth, pro-job economic policies, brought New York State's economy back and placed the Empire State in a strong position to meet the challenges of the global economy in 21st century.
A National Leader in Reducing Violent Crime
As Governor Pataki worked to bring jobs and opportunity back to New York, he has also fought hard to pass common sense criminal justice reforms that have made the State's streets and neighborhoods safer than they have been in a generation. Today, New York is the safest large state in America.
Defending Freedom At Home and Abroad
On September 11th, 2001 New York suffered the greatest attack on the American Homeland in our nation’s history. Thousands of innocent citizens lost their lives, and thousands upon thousands more were affected by the devastating aftermath of the attacks.
Governor Pataki provided critical leadership in the aftermath of the attacks— helping to coordinate city, state and federal resources for the rescue and recovery operations in Lower Manhattan while reassuring people across the country that the Empire State and United States would recover and be stronger than ever.
Governor Pataki has shown tremendous resolve in leading New York back. He has led an unprecedented effort to rebuild and revitalize Lower Manhattan. Strong and sensible pro-business policies allowed New York to recover quickly from these horrible attacks and will lead New York into an even brighter 21st century.
Governor Pataki has also been one of the nation's most outspoken advocates in support of the War on Terror to keep America safe. New York State has passed the toughest anti-terror laws in the nation.
Governor Pataki believes strongly that America must win the War on Terror, and that we must take the fight to the terrorists before they have the chance again to take the fight to us.
Governor Pataki and Family
The Governor and his wife Elizabeth (Libby) reside in Garrison in New York’s Hudson River Valley. They have four children—Emily in Law School, Teddy serving in the United States Marine Corps, Allison a student at Yale University and Owen a senior in High School.
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