Republicans hope his outspokenness will help them regain control of the state Senate.
STATE SEN. JOHN DEFRANCISCO, R-Syracuse, looks at Dennis Mullen May 11 in the state Senate gallery while praising Mullen during a session of the Senate in Albany last month. Sena´tors voted to confirm the nomination of Mullen as chairman of the Empire State Development Corp. Sen. John DeFrancisco used to be known as “senator mini-grant.”
As a member of the state Senate majority for 15 years, DeFrancisco was in a position to dole out tens of millions of dollars of pork to community groups, fire departments and music festivals. For years, he was Central New York’s most influential Albany lawmaker — the go-to guy for people seeking money, political support or new state laws.
Then in 2009, Republicans lost control of the Senate. DeFrancisco was stripped of his power, status and the bulk of his member items.
But he hasn’t sat quietly. In fact, he’s the most vocal Republican, and one of the most vocal senators, in the entire Senate.
A trial lawyer by trade, DeFrancisco has been appointed chief interrogator for the Senate Republican Conference with carte blanche to grill Democrats and spotlight their flaws. Now, instead of gaining clout with a checkbook, he wields power with his words.
“He has been put in the position of GOP pit bull,” said Sen. Kevin Parker, a Democrat from Brooklyn, who recently got into a tiff with DeFrancisco over race. “He’s very good at that role — better than I would like him to be.”
Republicans hope DeFrancisco’s outspokenness will help them regain control of the chamber. DeFrancisco hopes it will help him win re-election.
A 17-year incumbent, DeFrancisco has never faced a close race. In 2010, he battles his first serious contender in years in Syracuse Common Councilor Kathleen Joy, a Democrat.
DeFrancisco has a fundraising advantage, starting the year with almost $750,000 in his campaign coffers. But Joy has held several recent fundraisers, with more planned, and district enrollment barely favors the Republican. About 34.5 percent of voters in the 50th Senate District are registered Republicans, while 33.6 percent are Democrats and 24.8 percent are not affiliated with any party.
“The amount of money someone has in a war chest is not a measure of how they will represent the district,” Joy said. “The people in Onondaga County, they haven’t had a decision to make. Now they have a real choice.”
Heading into November elections, DeFrancisco’s actions, positions and style will come center stage. His aggressive questioning. His recent votes against 12 budget extender bills. His swearing in of Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., whose ethics have been questioned by some people, as Senate president during last summer’s Senate coup, which shut down state government for more than a month.
DeFrancisco defends the GOP power grab. He says he has no regrets — except that it didn’t work.
Joy called the coup shameful and accused DeFrancisco of wasting taxpayer dollars as lawmakers grappled for power and did nothing to help the people of the state. She plans to make it a central campaign issue.
“The Senate coup was an embarrassing debacle and partisan politics that put the interests of Sen. DeFrancisco first and Central New York working families last,” she said. “This coup is a perfect example of why we need new leadership and a new perspective in Albany.”
DeFrancisco was one of the masterminds behind the coup. He also appears to be one of the architects crafting the GOP’s bid to return to power.
“If people understand the lunacy, the inconsistencies (among the Democrats), if they don’t just get angry with everyone, the better they can judge” who they want in power, DeFrancisco said.
DeFrancisco’s experience as a lawyer helps build the Republicans’ case. His thousands of hours of experience in the courtroom show on the Senate floor.
For 12 weeks in a row, DeFrancisco has fired pointed questions at Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Kruger, of Brooklyn, about the state’s late budget.
“Can you tell me what leaders’ meetings took place on the budget from last week at this time until today?” DeFrancisco asked Kruger during a recent Senate session. Kruger noted several meetings.
“And were those meetings among staff members or with the leaders present?” DeFrancisco asked.
“Staff,” Kruger replied.
“So despite the fact that everyone knew furloughs (for state workers) were going to be in the budget extender this week, there were no three-way leaders’ meetings in the last week? Is that fair to say?”
“I think that’s a fair assumption,” Kruger eventually conceded.
During the interrogations, DeFrancisco points his finger for emphasis, asks different versions of the same question over and over again and repeats Kruger’s own words to highlight inconsistencies. He keeps notes for reference and a list of points he wants to hammer down. He addresses his colleagues as “ladies and gentleman,” much as he would jurors.
It often seems as if Kruger and his Democratic conference are on the stand.
The cross-examinations are part of DeFrancisco’s job as the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. But it’s also his nature.
“That’s the only way I know how to get the information out,” DeFrancisco said.
“His style is focused and to the point,” said Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who chose DeFrancisco to sit on the Finance Committee and is one of his close friends. “He has a very keen ability to cut through the rhetoric and get to the issue. I know the Democrats don’t look forward to debating John because he asks the hard questions and demands the answers.”
Republican colleagues acquiesce to DeFrancisco on the Senate floor. He asks better questions.
And DeFrancisco recently mused that he would have like to be included in leaders’ meeting among the governor and top Senate and Assembly Democrats and Republicans because he believes he could have gotten better answers.
“I would have been a little more forceful,” DeFrancisco said.
DeFrancisco is proud of his assertiveness. He posts videos of his interrogations on his Senate website and on YouTube and sends out clips of his cross-examinations to constituents and supporters.
He recalled a man who called his office a few weeks ago to complain about the inaction in Albany. DeFrancisco suggested the man watch the videos of him questioning Kruger.
“I never thought in a million years he would call back, but he did,” DeFrancisco recalled. “He said, ‘I had no idea this was going on, and I had no idea you were doing that.’”
Even with constituents, DeFrancisco doesn’t sugarcoat the facts or his opinions.
During a recent meeting in Albany with school lobbyists and education activists, DeFrancisco cut through his visitors’ whining and generalized complaining about a lack of state aid by asking several times, “What’s your point?” and using phrases such as, “Let’s cut to the chase.”
The members of the New York State United Teachers and United University Professions unions met with DeFrancisco to try to convince him to commit more state money to education. Several times during the meeting, a frustrated DeFrancisco buried his face into his hands, raised his voice or slouched into his chair.
“You can’t have more money if there is no money,” DeFrancisco tried to explain to the group. “So maybe UUP should spend time lobbying for Medicaid reform” to bring more savings to the state. DeFrancisco called Medicaid the “cancer of the budget.”
“We’re bringing it up,” said David Peckham, of the Upstate Medical University Chapter of UUP. “We’re sitting with a legislator talking about it now.”
“I brought it up,” DeFrancisco exploded, pointing to his chest. “I brought it up. I brought it up.”
“The reason I’m more agitated than usual is there needs to be solutions,” DeFrancisco told the group.
After the meeting, he explained: “I always say how I feel. If you agree with me, I’m a hero. If you don’t, I’m a bad guy.”
Some people say DeFrancisco’s style of questioning goes too far. He was criticized by some Democrats last month for what they said was mocking Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat.
Savino was leading a Senate session and started to interrupt DeFrancisco as he blasted Democrats for debating a bill about Arizona’s immigration policy while ignoring the state’s almost $10 billion budget gap. DeFrancisco immediately pounced on Savino as she began to speak.
“What? Am I out of order now? Am I not germane?” DeFrancisco said, eyes wide and staring.
“Go ahead, were you going to say something?” he goaded.
“Continue Sen. DeFrancisco,” replied Savino, who had stopped mid-sentence.
“I was just wondering if I was going to be out of order and not germane, because you also couldn’t make that one up,” DeFrancisco fired back.
“Sen. DeFrancisco, please complete your comments,” Savino said.
“I don’t want you to feel shy,” DeFrancisco replied. “You were going to say something. I want you to get it off your chest.”
DeFrancisco admits he has become a bit more feisty since entering the minority. You have to be when you’re not making the rules, he said.
But he says he always has been candid about his opinions, no matter how they might be perceived. Several years ago, DeFrancisco was one of the most vocal opponents of the Destiny USA project. More recently, he grilled New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about teachers who continue to receive salaries despite doing no work because they are accused of incompetence or wrongdoing. In the spring, he peppered the state Health Commissioner Richard Daines with dozens of questions about a soda tax — an exchange DeFrancisco calls “classic.”
“John is an equal-opportunity aggravator,” said Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-North Syracuse. “I don’t think he picks on anyone in particular. I think he picks on everyone.”