Dan Maffei for US Congress (NY-25)

Background:

Dan Maffei is Senior Vice President of Pinnacle Capital Management, LLC. He serves on several boards of directors and advisory boards including the AIDS Community Resource Center and Kids WIN!, a Community Partnership Initiative by Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. He is a frequent guest lecturer at numerous colleges, including Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and S.I. Newhouse School.

Born in Syracuse on July 4, 1968, Dan is a proud graduate of Syracuse’s public schools. After high school, Dan earned a Bachelor's Degree in History from Brown University and Masters Degrees from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Upon graduating from Columbia, Dan came home and sought a way to use his education to communicate both the challenges of this region and the strength of community members. As a reporter/producer for Syracuse's Channel 9 News, Dan worked on numerous stories including the closing of important factories, job loss, the need for more high-tech development, and the economic and environmental pressures on farming, hunting and fishing.

In 1996, U.S. Senator and former New York Knick, Bill Bradley hired Dan as his Press Secretary. Following that year, Bradley recommended Dan to his friend and colleague, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who then hired Dan as his Press Secretary for 1997-98. The late Senator Moynihan encouraged Dan to work on issues important to Dan’s home in Upstate New York including the preservation of essential military bases, transportation legislation, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, teaching hospitals’ funding, and the clean up of Onondaga Lake.

Dan then went to work for the ranking leader of New York’s Congressional delegation, Representative Charles Rangel -- specifically as a senior member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee staff. Dan was an outspoken advocate for bringing fairness back to our tax system, particularly for the millions of working families who were left behind by President Bush’s tax cuts for the rich. When Republican leaders tried to pass an international tax bill that would have only encouraged New York jobs to move overseas, Dan spearheaded the media campaign that forced Republican leaders to include tax incentives to keep manufacturing jobs in America.

Goals:

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." I am running because George Bush, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay and the Republican power structure have taken this country in the wrong direction and Central New York is paying the price. I refuse to remain silent. I have pledged to offer a positive message of hope and change for all Central New Yorkers.

Issues:

We need to fully fund our education system so future generations can remain competitive in our growing global community.

We need to create new jobs by attracting new and innovative industry to Upstate New York. We need to formulate a plan to provide all Americans with healthcare. Healthcare isn't just a family problem. It has become a small business problem. We need to control the rapidly growing cost of healthcare for all Americans so that our economy can thrive.

We need a sound foreign policy that isn't considered arrogant by our neighbors and friends. We need to restore our place as champion of freedom to our world community.

Grassroots Support:

Simply put, grassroots organizing, door to door knocking, phone banking, neighbor to neighbor outreach, street canvassing and a healthy Get Out The Vote effort will be an extremely import reason whether or not I am elected to Congress. It is of my highest concern.

DFA Values:

I believe it is not the role of government to intervene in the personal lives of Americans. Whether the issue is similar to the Florida case involving Terry Schiavo or on the issue of a women's right to choose, I value an American citizen's right to decide what is best for themselves. I believe a ban on stem cell research hurts Central New York two-fold. Obviously, stem cell research is an innovative way to cure diseases such as Parkinson's, MS and Alzheimer's. But my district has five research based hospitals. Stem cell research can provide an economic boost to my community.
One of the largest issues facing our children's future is the growing debt. George Bush inherited a record surplus and in a few short years, turned it into a massive budget deficit. This deficit will not be paid off by you or me. It will be paid off by future generations. We need a new thinking in Washington. We need elected leaders who understand that the economic decisions today will affect future generations. Our economy will flourish when the middle class is allowed to flourish. Billion dollar tax breaks to the very wealthy does nothing to provide economic stability and a healthy economy. Once elected, I look forward to fighting our growing debt.