George Pataki’s already strong record has been enhanced by the leadership qualities he demonstrated in the days following the September 11 attacks. Pataki worked with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to liaise with the President’s office to secure federal protection and security for New York City. He sought federal funding to aid the rescue process and to ultimately bring about the city’s recovery. Together with the former mayor, he has played a vital part in reassuring New Yorkers that while things may never be quite the same, if they pull together, things will get better.
At the “Concert for New York” held at Madison Square Garden in October, Pataki praised rescue workers and offered the following words: “Since that tragic moment on September 11, our nation has been exposed to evil, an unprecedented evil that was supposed to paralyze America. We haven’t been. We are stronger as a people and a country.”
Pataki was elected Governor of New York in November 1994 and in 1998 won his second term with a margin of more than 20 percent of the vote. He enters this election year with a post-September 11 job approval rating at an all-time high and a strong chance of being re-elected.
Among his many achievements while in office, he has improved access to health care for uninsured children, reduced welfare rolls and introduced the Clean Water/Clean Air Act, which provides the most ambitious environmental restoration program in state history.
Pataki traces his Irish ancestry through his mother’s family. He lives with his wife and four children in Garrison, New York. ♦
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