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| '''Willis H. "Will" Stephens, Jr.''' (born November 22, 1955) was a ] that represented the ] in the ]. After serving in the Assembly for twelve years, Stephens was defeated in the ] by ]. At the time of his defeat, Stephens was the second highest ranking Republican in the house, holding the position of Minority Leader Pro Tempore and was viewed by many of his colleagues as a possible future leader of the Republican conference. | '''Willis H. "Will" Stephens, Jr.''' (born November 22, 1955) was a ] that represented the ] in the ]. After serving in the Assembly for twelve years, Stephens was defeated in the ] by ]. At the time of his defeat, Stephens was the second highest ranking Republican in the house, holding the position of Minority Leader Pro Tempore and was viewed by many of his colleagues as a possible future leader of the Republican conference. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Political career and background== | |||
| Assemblyman Stephens represented the 99th District of ] which encompasses the municipalities of ], ], ], ], ] and ], in ]; ], ], ], and ] in ]; and ] in ]. His family held the seat nearly continuously for eighty years: his grandfather, ], held this seat from 1926 to 1952; his father, ], held the seat from 1953 to 1982; and Stephens himself served from 1995 to 2006. | Assemblyman Stephens represented the 99th District of ] which encompasses the municipalities of ], ], ], ], ] and ], in ]; ], ], ], and ] in ]; and ] in ]. His family held the seat nearly continuously for eighty years: his grandfather, ], held this seat from 1926 to 1952; his father, ], held the seat from 1953 to 1982; and Stephens himself served from 1995 to 2006. | ||
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| Stephens is a member of the law firm of Stephens and Charbonneau, in Brewster, New York. He was awarded a ] degree from ] school of Law in 1980 and received a ] degree from ] in 1977. | Stephens is a member of the law firm of Stephens and Charbonneau, in Brewster, New York. He was awarded a ] degree from ] school of Law in 1980 and received a ] degree from ] in 1977. | ||
| Stephens served as the ranking member of the ], ], and the ]s. The Assemblyman has drew heavy criticism from ] groups due to his endorsements from traditionally liberal leaning organizations such as the ], ], ], ], and EANY (Environmental Advocates of New York). |
Stephens served as the ranking member of the ], ], and the ]s. The Assemblyman has drew heavy criticism from ] groups due to his endorsements from traditionally liberal leaning organizations such as the ], ], ], ], and EANY (Environmental Advocates of New York). | ||
| For the first time since taking office in 1994, Stephens was involved in a ] ] for the Republican ] in the ] mounted by opponent Greg Ball—a right-wing social conservative who challenged Stephens by running on a platform of opposing abortion rights and promising to deport illegal immigrants. | |||
| On ], ], in the ] Primary for New York's 99th District, Ball defeated Stephens with 71.14% (4,750 votes) to 28.86% (1,297 votes) for Stephens, the lowest vote total for any incumbent running for reelection to the State Assembly.<ref name="four">{{ | |||
| Cite news | |||
| |url= http://www.ny1.com/ny/Election/2006primary/index.html?page_name=assembly | |||
| |publisher=NY1 News | |||
| |title=Primary 2006 | |||
| |date=September 2006 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| Stephens claimed he had been the victim of a negative campaign, citing mailings that were distributed calling him a 'country-club Republican' and highlighting his close working relationship with Assembly Speaker ]. | |||
| |date=September 2006}}</ref> | |||
| Due to New York's ] system, the Assemblyman had vowed to remain in the race on the ] and ] lines. Ultimately, Stephens decided to withdraw from the race altogether in the name of Republican Party unity.<ref>{{Cite news | |||
| |url= http://www.newscopy.org/2006/09/99th_assembly_d.html | |||
| |publisher=Newscopy.org | |||
| |title=99th Assembly District Race - Now the Fun | |||
| |date=September 14, 2006}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Mr. Stephens, his wife, Ginny, and their three children reside in ]. | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| == See also == | |||
| *] | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Stephens, Will; Stephens Jr., Willis | |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Stephens, Will; Stephens Jr., Willis | ||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION = Politician | |SHORT DESCRIPTION = Politician | ||
| |DATE OF BIRTH = ] | |DATE OF BIRTH = ] | ||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH = ] | |PLACE OF BIRTH = ] | ||
| |DATE OF DEATH = | |DATE OF DEATH = | ||
Revision as of 08:32, 4 March 2009
| Hon. Willis H. Stephens Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Assemblyman, 99th District (1995-2006) | |
| In office 1995–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Vincent L. Leibell |
| Succeeded by | Gregory R. Ball |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 200px November 22, 1955 Brewster, New York |
| Died | 200px |
| Resting place | 200px |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ginny Stephens |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Willis H. "Will" Stephens, Jr. (born November 22, 1955) was a politician that represented the 99th District in the New York State Assembly. After serving in the Assembly for twelve years, Stephens was defeated in the September 2006 Republican Party Primary by Greg Ball. At the time of his defeat, Stephens was the second highest ranking Republican in the house, holding the position of Minority Leader Pro Tempore and was viewed by many of his colleagues as a possible future leader of the Republican conference.
Assemblyman Stephens represented the 99th District of New York which encompasses the municipalities of Patterson, Mahopac, Carmel, Southeast, Putnam Lake and Brewster, in Putnam County; Yorktown, Lake Mohegan, Somers, and North Salem in Westchester County; and Pawling in Duchess County. His family held the seat nearly continuously for eighty years: his grandfather, D. Mallory Stephens, held this seat from 1926 to 1952; his father, Willis Stephens Sr., held the seat from 1953 to 1982; and Stephens himself served from 1995 to 2006.
Stephens is a member of the law firm of Stephens and Charbonneau, in Brewster, New York. He was awarded a Juris Doctor degree from St. John's University school of Law in 1980 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1977.
Stephens served as the ranking member of the Ways and Means, Rules, and the Judiciary Committees. The Assemblyman has drew heavy criticism from social conservative groups due to his endorsements from traditionally liberal leaning organizations such as the CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association), AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), NYSUT (New York State United Teachers), Planned Parenthood, and EANY (Environmental Advocates of New York).
Mr. Stephens, his wife, Ginny, and their three children reside in Southeast, New York.
References
External links
- Project VoteSmart - Assemblymember Stephens
- Political Graveyard - Stephens Family of New York
- Legislative Voting Record for Assemblyman Stephens
| Preceded byVincent Leibell | New York State Assembly, 91st District 1995–2002 |
Succeeded byRonald Tocci |
| Preceded byPatrick R. Manning | New York State Assembly, 99th District 2003–2006 |
Succeeded byGreg Ball |