| John Spencer | |
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40th Mayor of Yonkers, New York
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| In office January 1996 – December 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Terence M. Zaleski |
| Succeeded by | Philip A. Amicone |
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| Born | November 17 1946 Yonkers, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathy Spring-Spencer |
John Spencer (born November 17, 1946 ) is the former Mayor of Yonkers, New York (1996-2003). He was the 2006 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New York and lost to incumbent Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton. Prior to entering politics as a member of the Yonkers City Council in 1991, he worked in retail, food service, construction, waste management, and banking.
Career
Spencer, a former lieutenant in the US Army, is a veteran of the Vietnam war.[1] He was the founder of Spencer Consulting Group, where he uses his personal experience of overcoming alcoholism to help others defeat their addictions.[2]
In 1996, John Spencer was sworn in as mayor of Yonkers. The city's finances had been under the oversight of a federal board for two decades. Spencer's efforts to revitalize the city, particularly its waterfront, proved successful. [citation needed]
In 1998, control of the city's finances were returned to its citizens. [3]
In 2001, Spencer unsuccessfully supported a ballot measure to rescind a term limits law he had spearheaded while on the City Council. [1]
In November 2002, Spencer could not run for re-election as mayor due to that same term limits law.
Personal life
Spencer was born in Yonkers, New York. He was adopted and raised by the Ginnane family who had eight children of their own. His step parents died when he was young and his sister Noreen Ginnane raised him. After two years of college at Westchester Community college he quit college to join the Army during the Vietnam war. He earned a officer's commission as an Infantry Lieutenant and served a combat tour in Vietnam during 1968 through 1969. He has received the Combat Infantrymans Badge and the Bronze Star. He married his first wife Eileen and they have two children. He married Kathy Spring, his second wife, and they have three children together.
New York Senate race
In 2005, Spencer announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is seeking re-election to a second term. Politically, Spencer is opposed to abortion, against gun control, and a supporter of tighter border security. [4] His support for the Bush Administration and its policies is well known, including but not limited to the war in Iraq.
On 31 May 2006, Spencer won the endorsement of the state Republican Party organization but did not achieve the threshold of 75 percent he needed to prevent his rival, former Pentagon aide Kathleen Troia “K.T.” McFarland, from gaining an automatic position on the primary ballot. He received 63 percent, and thus faced McFarland in the 12 September 2006 Republican primary, which he won by a margin of almost two to one. [1] "Spencer called on McFarland to step aside after the vote, but McFarland told CQPolitics.com she had no intention of withdrawing from the race." [5]
In a June 2006 radio ad, Spencer expressed his dissappointment in the national Republicans for not helping his Senate campaign.
In his 2006 election campaign, Spencer came out in favor of New York's Court of Appeals denying same-sex marriage to 42 gay and lesbian couples who challenged that denial as unconstitutional. On his campaign page, Spencer says that marriage equality for same-sex couples equates to "special rights for gays".
Mr. Spencer ultimately lost the United States Senate Race to incumbent Hillary Clinton. He garnered 31% of the vote, and did not win a single ward in his hometown of Yonkers, NY..
Controversy
On 18 August 2005, Spencer gave a radio interview where he said District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, another candidate for the Republican nomination, didn't have a "Chinaman's chance" of getting the Conservative line. Spencer was asked to apologize for the comment after an outcry from the Asian community that the statement was derogatory.[6] Pirro dropped out of the race in December 2005.
Publicly, Spencer has said that Clinton "aids and abets our enemies" in the War on Terrorism.[7]
| Preceded by Terence M. Zaleski |
Mayor of Yonkers 1995 - 2003 |
Succeeded by Phil Amicone |
References
- ^ a b Worth, Robert. "Braveheart of Yonkers", The New York Times, 2000-07-30.
- ^ Golding, Bruce. "Spencer's quest: U.S. Senate", The Journal News, 2006-01-15.
- ^ Governor Pataki Hails end of Yonkers Financial Control Board URL accessed 2006-04-17
- ^ Issues - Spencer for Senate URL accessed 2006-04-17
- ^ Horrigan, Marie. "NY Senate: Spencer Wins GOP Nod, But Still Faces Primary", Congressional Quarterly, 2006-05-31.
- ^ Blain, Glenn. "Spencer blasted for 'Chinaman' comment", The Journal News, 2005-08-18.
- ^ Clinton campaign treats potential challengers very differently URL accessed 2006-04-17
External links
- John Spencer for Senate - Official Site(not working pls update link)
- John Spencer: The Man Who Would Be Senator(not a valid link for spencer)
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