Matthew Driscoll

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52^nd Mayor of Syracuse
Matthew Driscoll
Incumbent
Assumed office July 10, 2001
Preceded by	Roy Bernardi

Born	February 7 1958 ( 1958 -02-07) (age 50) Syracuse, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Patti Driscoll
Religion	Roman Catholic

Matthew John "Matt" Driscoll (Born February 7, 1958), is an American Democratic Party politician, currently serving as the 52nd Mayor of Syracuse, New York.

Driscoll became Mayor on July 10, 2001 when former Republican Mayor Roy Bernardi was appointed as deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in President Bush's administration. As President of the City of Syracuse Common Council, Driscoll automatically succeeded Bernardi and served the remainder of Bernardi's mayoral term.

That fall Driscoll defeated several other Democrats in a primary, including Kate O'Connell. He went on to be elected after defeating former common councilor Bernie Mahoney by a thirty-two percent margin. In 2005 he defeated Mahoney's daughter, Joanie Mahoney, by a three percent margin. Driscoll won in part by claiming that Mahoney's race was funded by developer Robert Congel, a Pioneer fundraiser for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign who also is overseeing the proposed expansion of the Carousel Center shopping mall. Driscoll campaigned alongside Eliot Spitzer, who had already begun his campaign to win New York's governorship in 2006; Spitzer's widespread popularity among New York Democrats likely helped Driscoll cement support from the majority-Democrat city and win reelection, though by a very slim margin of 49% to 46% [1].

Previously, he served as President of the Syracuse Common Council from 1998 to 2001, as Third District Councilor in 1995, and as Second District Councilor from 1987 to 1989.

On April 26, 2007, Driscoll announced that he would not seek the office of County Executive, which has been left open due to the retirement of longtime Republican incumbent Nicholas Pirro. Driscoll said he would serve out his term through to December of 2009, which also would rule out a run for Congress against James Walsh in 2008. [2] It is not yet known whether Driscoll will seek any other office after his second term expires.

[edit] Trivia

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Guest hosted The Jim Reith Show on a few occasions.
Mayor Driscoll is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[1] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
For an extended length of time, Driscoll also owned "Rose O'Grady's" on Tipperary Hill, one of the most popular Irish Pubs in Syracuse.
Graduated in 1976 from West Genesee High School in Camillus, NY