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Blase Thomas Golisano (born 1942) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and co-owner (along with real estate developer Larry Quinn) of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team. Golisano has an associate's degree from Alfred State College. He is a founding member of the Independence Party of New York, and ran for governor of New York in 1994, 1998 and 2002 on its ticket. Although he lost each time, he increased his percentage of the vote. He spent a combined $93 million on the three campaigns.[1] In 2002, Golisano challenged New York Governor George Pataki as the candidate of the Independence Party. By receiving more than 50,000 votes each time, Golisano brought the Independence Party an automatic ballot line for the succeeding four years. There was speculation that he would run for governor on the Republican ticket, but he announced on May 15, 2009 that he was moving to Florida to escape New York state taxes.[2]
[edit] CharityGolisano has become a major philanthropist, founding the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation in 1985, which awards grants to organizations dedicated to providing opportunities for those with disabilities and offering support to their families.[3] Golisano has donated over 6% of his net worth ($1.3 billion) to charity. He has made major donations to fund health care and leading educational centers. He donated $14 million in February 2001 to the Rochester Institute of Technology to fund the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Golisano donated $14 million to the University of Rochester, which re-named their pediatric facility at Strong Memorial Hospital in his honor as the Golisano Children's Hospital in 2002. In October 2003, Golisano donated $5 million to Nazareth College, which named the new Golisano Academic Complex in his honor. On March 6, 2006, Golisano donated $6 million to Bishop Kearney High School and Our Lady of Mercy Church. In September 2007, with a $10 million donation, Golisano launched the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology. On October 8, 2008, Golisano donated $10 million dollars to Niagara University for a new Center for Integrated Science building that will be named in his honor. On the list of contributors to the Clinton Foundation, which the foundation released in December 2008 as part of an arrangement with the Obama Administration, Golisano is listed as having given between $10 million and $25 million.[4] [edit] Political involvementAfter New York's Republican Governor George Pataki announced he would not run again in the 2006 elections, GOP officials attempted to recruit Golisano to run for the Republican nomination. Golisano changed his party affiliation to the GOP (with the Independence Party's chairman's blessing) in October 2005, apparently in preparation for another gubernatorial run. However, on February 1, 2006, Golisano announced that he would not run for the governorship.[5] Golisano has at times been an important figure in the national Reform Party, however his libertarian views have often put him at odds with the religious wing of the party. Some observers characterize this as similar to conflicts that drove former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura out of the Reform Party. In August 2008, Golisano contributed $1 million to the Democratic National Convention.[6] In July 2008, Golisano formed a PAC called Responsible New York. He funded it with $5 million of his own money. The PAC gives money to candidates for the New York state legislature, regardless of party. The PAC is aiming to support candidates in favor of property tax cuts and election reform.[7] In October 2008, Golisano voiced his opinion in favor of term limits for public offices in the City of New York. Golisano has vowed to fight Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to extend term limits, arguing that the people of New York city have voted twice in favor of the current law. [8] In June 2009, Golisano took partial credit for the Republican seizure of control in the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis. Golisano, who had supported a number of Democratic Party candidates during the 2008 election, was dissatisfied with, among other things, the Democratic plan to solve the state's budget crisis by raising taxes on New York's wealthiest residents. He orchestrated the defection of Democratic senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, who voted with Republicans to reinstall Dean Skelos as majority leader.[9] [edit] Electoral history
[edit] Awards and honorsGolisano has received recognition for his business prowess and philanthropy, including:
In 2003, Mr. Golisano was awarded the first-ever Humanitarian Award by the Italian-American Community Center in Rochester. [edit] External links
[edit] References
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