Pete Grannis

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American politician

title: "Pete Grannis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "state-cabinet-secretaries-of-new-york-(state)", "democratic-party-members-of-the-new-york-state-assembly", "rutgers-university-alumni", "university-of-virginia-school-of-law-alumni", "politicians-from-manhattan", "loomis-chaffee-school-alumni", "1942-births", "21st-century-members-of-the-new-york-state-legislature", "20th-century-members-of-the-new-york-state-legislature"] description: "American politician" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Grannis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameAlexander "Pete" Grannis
office1Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
governor1Eliot Spitzer
David Paterson
term_start12007
term_end12010
office2Member, New York State Assembly
68th District (1975–1982)
65th District (1983–2007)
term_start21975
term_end22007
predecessor2Peter A. A. Berle
successor2Micah Kellner
birth_dateJanuary 6, 1942
birth_placeChicago, IL
partyDemocratic
alma_materRutgers University
University of Virginia School of Law
professionlawyer, politician
::

| name = Alexander "Pete" Grannis | image = | caption = | office1 = Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation | governor1 = Eliot Spitzer David Paterson | term_start1 = 2007 | term_end1 = 2010 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | | office2 = Member, New York State Assembly 68th District (1975–1982) 65th District (1983–2007) | term_start2 = 1975 | term_end2 = 2007 | predecessor2 = Peter A. A. Berle | successor2 = Micah Kellner | | birth_date = January 6, 1942 | birth_place = Chicago, IL | party = Democratic | spouse = | children = | residence = | alma_mater = Rutgers University University of Virginia School of Law | profession = lawyer, politician | religion = | website = | footnotes =

Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis (born January 6, 1942) 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.

Education and early career

Grannis is a graduate of Rutgers University 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.

New York State Assembly

He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 2007, sitting in the 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th and 197th New York State Legislatures. 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 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 Party 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 Comptroller, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alan Hevesi. He was one of 19 candidates for Comptroller.

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/NYSDEC_in_Albany.jpg" caption="Albany"] ::

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. He had some administrative law duties, which included fining polluters; in July 2007, he assessed "Walter French $48,800 for [a] floating camp at [Cranberry Lake]"

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."

Firing

On October 21, 2010, he was fired from that position by Spitzer's successor, Governor David Paterson. 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.

Reaction

Environmental activists unanimously reacted negatively to Grannis' firing. A Sierra Club spokesman called his sacking "appalling". 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."

References

References

  1. Navarro, Mireya. (October 22, 2010). "Cuts in State Agency Are Troubling, Environmentalists and Gas Drillers Agree". [[The New York Times]].
  2. "OMR 2007 report". NYS Office of Mental Retardation (NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) as of 2010.
  3. Silver, Sheldon. (January 10, 2006). "Silver Introduces Bill to 'Realize Great Potential' of Stem Cell Research: Assembly Passes Measure Seeking $300M in Funding to Encourage Life-Saving Medical Advances; Prohibit Reproductive Cloning; Promote Economic Development Strengths". New York State Assembly.
  4. (2008). "An Adirondack Chronology". Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks.
  5. "1998 General Election results: State Assembly". New York State Board of Elections.
  6. "2000 General Election results: State Assembly". New York State Board of Elections.
  7. "2002 General Election results: State Assembly". New York State Board of Elections.
  8. "2004 General Election results: State Assembly". New York State Board of Elections.
  9. "2006 General Election results: State Assembly". New York State Board of Elections.
  10. Hakim, Danny. (January 19, 2007). "The Candidates for Comptroller". [[New York Times]].
  11. Chartock, Alan. (January 15, 2007). "Keep politics out of search for new comptroller". alanchartock.com.
  12. (January 25, 2007). "Downstate Legislator Nominated For DEC Post". [[North Country Gazette]].
  13. Kryszak, Joyce. (August 14, 2008). "Officials Inspect Conditions in Scajaquada Creek". [[WBFO]].
  14. (November 2018). "NYSEFC 2007/2008 Annual Report". New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation.
  15. Hakim, Danny. (October 22, 2010). "Paterson Fires Top Conservation Official". [[New York Times]].
  16. Gormley, Michael. (October 22, 2010). "Pete Grannis, DEC commissioner, fired after leaked memo on staff cuts". [[Associated Press]].
  17. Reisman, John. (October 26, 2010). "Environmentalists react to Grannis firing". [[Legislative Gazette]].
  18. (October 23, 2010). "Firing of Grannis draws criticism". [[Buffalo News]].
  19. Chartock, Alan. (October 26, 2010). "Paterson should have counted to 10 before firing Grannis". [[Legislative Gazette]].
  20. Dropkin, Robin. (October 26, 2010). "Cuts to N.Y. parks hurt economy". [[Times Union (Albany).
  21. Stern, Henry. (October 22, 2010). "The Pete Grannis Dismissal: A New Low". [[Huffington Post]].

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living-peoplestate-cabinet-secretaries-of-new-york-(state)democratic-party-members-of-the-new-york-state-assemblyrutgers-university-alumniuniversity-of-virginia-school-of-law-alumnipoliticians-from-manhattanloomis-chaffee-school-alumni1942-births21st-century-members-of-the-new-york-state-legislature20th-century-members-of-the-new-york-state-legislature