[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 154 (Tuesday, November 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF JOANNA SACCONE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 30, 2010

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements 
of Joanna Saccone, an outstanding New Yorker who has distinguished 
herself through years of service to New York City and New York State. A 
respected, highly successful presence in New York politics for over 
thirty years, Joanna Saccone has worked tirelessly on behalf of the 
people of New York her entire adult life. Ms. Saccone is known for her 
indefatigable advocacy, her love of politics and her uncanny political 
sense.
  A lifelong resident of Greenwich Village, Joanna Saccone has been 
deeply active in the political life of her community and her city. She 
first became active in politics during her time at the prestigious 
Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1969. While earning a degree 
in International Relations, Ms. Saccone distinguished herself as a 
leader on campus, organizing her fellow students to protest the war in 
Vietnam. She cut her political teeth working on the successful Syracuse 
mayoral campaign of Lee Alexander, the first Democrat to win the 
mayoralty of Syracuse in fifty years.
  Upon graduating in 1972, Ms. Saccone returned home to New York City, 
and joined the Village Independent Democrats, where she worked under 
the guidance of District Leader John LoCicero and worked to elect 
Village politician Ed Koch as Mayor of the City of New York. In 1983, 
along with Mayor Koch and others, she broke away from the Village 
Independent Democrats and helped establish the Village Reform 
Democratic Club, which continues to play an important role in New York 
City politics today.
  In her professional life, Ms. Saccone worked in the New York City 
Economic Development Administration, focusing primarily on the City's 
budget and human resources. By 1976, she had transitioned to a position 
in the office of New York State Assembly Speaker Stanley Steingut. This 
began a 34-year career as an Assembly staffer, working under four 
Speakers in a variety of roles. Under Speaker Stanley Fink, she worked 
with House Operations, where she advised Democratic Assembly members on 
legislation, staffing, creation of newsletters and pamphlets, and media 
relations. She also assisted constituents who were having difficulty 
getting benefits to which they were entitled from State government. 
Speaker Fink appointed her the first Sexual Harassment Officer for the 
New York City region, an appointment he reportedly called ``the 
greatest political appointment of his career.'' Under Speaker Mel 
Miller, she coordinated the first Employee Assistance Program, which 
aids employees on matters relating to alcohol and drug abuse and 
psychological ailments. She has continued her significant involvement 
in all aspects of State government under current Speaker Sheldon 
Silver.
  While government may have been her career, Ms. Saccone's passion has 
been politics. She has made a name for herself as a relentless 
campaigner, a resourceful networker, and an extraordinary strategist. 
As a sounding board, an adviser, and as a friend, there are few as 
adept as Ms. Saccone in navigating the complex path to victory. She has 
worked on many important city, state, and federal elections, including 
numerous judicial races. Indeed, few have her track record of success 
in helping judicial candidates navigate the intricacies of running a 
judicial race.
  Throughout her busy career and political activism, Joanna has been a 
devoted and dedicated mother to her son, Phillip Anthony Saccone, whom 
she considers her greatest accomplishment.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in 
recognizing the enormous contributions to our civic and political life 
made by Joanna Saccone, and congratulate her on the occasion of her 
retirement.

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