Alexander Pete Grannis
Encyclopedia
Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis (born 1942/1943) is a former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC). Before his tenure as Commissioner, he was a member of the New York State Assembly
and represented District 65 as a member of the Democratic Party
for the neighborhoods of the Upper East Side
of Manhattan
and Roosevelt Island
. His firing by Governor David Paterson
in October 2010 was controversial to many especially environmentalists.
and the University of Virginia School of Law
.
His first job with New York state's government was as compliance counsel
to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
He promoted the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) in 1978.
"Grannis work[ed] for passage of the 'Bottle Bill' and 'brownfields' clean-up legislation [in] 1982."
Other notable pieces of legislation Grannis wrote are New York State's Clean Indoor Air Act (1989), which severely restricted cigarette
smoking within public buildings, and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act.
He served for a decade as Chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee. He previously served as chairman of an Assembly Subcommittee on toxic waste issues. He served on the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee his entire time in office.
lines, to 9,021 for David A. Friedman (on the Republican, Independence, and Liberal Party lines), and 377 for Ivana M. Edwards of the Green Party. In 2004, Grannis was re-elected by a vote of 37,917 to 11,710 for Patricia Leslie. He was last re-elected in 2006 with a vote of 25,334 to 5,499 over Republican Michael Fandal.
, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alan Hevesi
. He was one of 19 candidates for Comptroller. Alan Chartock called him "One of the most qualified of the legislators" to be Comptroller, but due to "the matter of political balance [it] is tough to imagine either Spitzer or Silver giving the job to another Manhattan politician."
He interviewed with the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the search committee. He withdrew his application for Comptroller after being nominated as Environmental Conservation Commissioner.
Grannis was nominated by Governor Eliot Spitzer
as DEC Commissioner on January 25, 2007. He was confirmed on April 1, 2007 by the New York State Senate
.
As Commissioner, Grannis managed hundreds of employees and represented the state government's ecological
efforts. He appointed Peter M. Iwanowicz, as director of a new Climate Change
Office, on May 10, 2007. He replaced some of the
regional directors for DEC. As part of his duties, he inspected polluted sites, such as Scajaquada Creek
in western New York. He had some administrative law
duties, which included fining pollutors; in July 2007, he assessed "Walter French $48,800 for [a] floating camp at Cranberry L[ake
]"
Grannis was also Chairman and ex-officio member of the board of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), a public benefit corporation
which funds "programs that help New York State municipalities, agencies and businesses undertake projects ... to be environmentally responsible."
. The firing came after a memo prepared by Grannis, detailing how the governor's proposed budget cuts would impair environmental protection in New York
, was leaked to the press.
spokesman called his sacking "appalling". Rob Moore, director of Environmental Advocates, said "I think Gov. [sic] Paterson has been dismantling the agency for two years and he’s finally cut off its head." Political commentator Alan Chartock opined that the governor "should have counted to 10 before firing Grannis" because of the deep respect that the public has for Grannis. Robin Dropkin, director of Parks & Trails New York
, called his "firing ... deeply unfortunate. Mr. Grannis always has been a strong advocate for protecting New York's air, land and water." Henry Stern
, former New York City
parks commissioner, called the dismissal of Grannis "a new low" and "so ridiculous that it is difficult to comprehend."
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
(DEC). Before his tenure as Commissioner, he was a member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
and represented District 65 as a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
for the neighborhoods of the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island, known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River of New York City. It lies between the island of Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east...
. His firing by Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
in October 2010 was controversial to many especially environmentalists.
Education and early career
Grannis is a graduate of Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and the University of Virginia School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
.
His first job with New York state's government was as compliance counsel
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
New York State Assembly
Elected to the State Assembly in 1974, Grannis served as Chair of the Insurance Committee in the Assembly and was a member of several other standing committees. In his capacity as Chairman he authoring New York State's Community Rating/Open Enrollment Law, as well as the 1996 Managed Care Consumer Protection Act. As Insurance committee chairman, he co-sponsored New York's Stem Cell Research Bill.He promoted the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) in 1978.
"Grannis work[ed] for passage of the 'Bottle Bill' and 'brownfields' clean-up legislation [in] 1982."
Other notable pieces of legislation Grannis wrote are New York State's Clean Indoor Air Act (1989), which severely restricted cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smoking within public buildings, and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act.
He served for a decade as Chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee. He previously served as chairman of an Assembly Subcommittee on toxic waste issues. He served on the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee his entire time in office.
Elections
Generally, Grannis was re-elected overwhelmingly in his progressive East Side district. In 1998, Grannis received 23,815 votes to Liberal-Republican Mark H. Snyder's 7,841 votes. He was re-elected in 2000 with 34,230 votes, to Peter McCoy (Republican) with 11,357, and Edward V. Price (Independent), with 580. Grannis had another three-way race in 2002, when he received 18,600 votes on the Democratic and Working Families PartyWorking Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
lines, to 9,021 for David A. Friedman (on the Republican, Independence, and Liberal Party lines), and 377 for Ivana M. Edwards of the Green Party. In 2004, Grannis was re-elected by a vote of 37,917 to 11,710 for Patricia Leslie. He was last re-elected in 2006 with a vote of 25,334 to 5,499 over Republican Michael Fandal.
New York State Comptroller bid
In January 2007 he filed an application for consideration by the State Legislature for appointment as New York State ComptrollerNew York State Comptroller
The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...
, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alan Hevesi
Alan Hevesi
Alan G. Hevesi is a Democratic politician whoserved as a New York State Assemblyman from 1971 to 1993, as Comptroller of the City of New York from 1994 to 2001, and as State Comptroller for the State of New York from 2003 to 2006...
. He was one of 19 candidates for Comptroller. Alan Chartock called him "One of the most qualified of the legislators" to be Comptroller, but due to "the matter of political balance [it] is tough to imagine either Spitzer or Silver giving the job to another Manhattan politician."
He interviewed with the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the search committee. He withdrew his application for Comptroller after being nominated as Environmental Conservation Commissioner.
Department of Environmental Conservation
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
as DEC Commissioner on January 25, 2007. He was confirmed on April 1, 2007 by the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
.
As Commissioner, Grannis managed hundreds of employees and represented the state government's ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
efforts. He appointed Peter M. Iwanowicz, as director of a new Climate Change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
Office, on May 10, 2007. He replaced some of the
regional directors for DEC. As part of his duties, he inspected polluted sites, such as Scajaquada Creek
Scajaquada Creek
Scajaquada Creek is a stream located in Erie County, New York, USA. The name is derived from Philip Kenjockety, an Indian described as the oldest resident of the region upon his death in 1808....
in western New York. He had some administrative law
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
duties, which included fining pollutors; in July 2007, he assessed "Walter French $48,800 for [a] floating camp at Cranberry L[ake
Cranberry Lake
Cranberry Lake is a lake on the Oswegatchie River in the Adirondack Park in New York in the United States. It is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park Cranberry Lake is a lake on the Oswegatchie River in the Adirondack Park in New York in the United States. It is the third largest lake in...
]"
Grannis was also Chairman and ex-officio member of the board of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), a public benefit corporation
Public benefit corporation
A public-benefit corporation is a public corporation chartered by a state designed to perform some public benefit.A public authority is a type of public-benefit corporation that takes on a more bureaucratic role, such as the maintenance of public infrastructure, that often has broad powers to...
which funds "programs that help New York State municipalities, agencies and businesses undertake projects ... to be environmentally responsible."
Firing
On October 21, 2010, he was fired from that position by Spitzer's successor, Governor David PatersonDavid Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
. The firing came after a memo prepared by Grannis, detailing how the governor's proposed budget cuts would impair environmental protection in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, was leaked to the press.
Reaction
Environmental activists unanimously reacted negatively to Grannis' firing. A Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
spokesman called his sacking "appalling". Rob Moore, director of Environmental Advocates, said "I think Gov. [sic] Paterson has been dismantling the agency for two years and he’s finally cut off its head." Political commentator Alan Chartock opined that the governor "should have counted to 10 before firing Grannis" because of the deep respect that the public has for Grannis. Robin Dropkin, director of Parks & Trails New York
Parks & Trails New York
is the leading statewide not-for-profit parks and trails advocacy organization in New York State. Founded in 1985, and based in Albany, the state capital, PTNY is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and promoting a network of public parks, rail and canal trails, bike paths, greenways, and river...
, called his "firing ... deeply unfortunate. Mr. Grannis always has been a strong advocate for protecting New York's air, land and water." Henry Stern
Henry Stern
Henry J. Stern ; was a member of the New York City Council from 1974 to 1983 and appointed as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation from 1983 to 1990 and again from 1994 to 2000.-Early life:...
, former New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
parks commissioner, called the dismissal of Grannis "a new low" and "so ridiculous that it is difficult to comprehend."
External links
- New York State Assembly Member Website
- Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings
- Gotham Gazette's Eye On Albany: New York State Assembly: District 65
- NY State Library Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York 1992 ISSN: 0077-9296 January - December 1992 No. 752 Campaign discolsure checklists