Dennis Vacco

±%

Dennis C. Vacco
62nd Attorney General of New York
In office January 1, 1995 –December 31, 1998
	Democratic	Eliot Spitzer	2,084,948	48.20
	Republican	Dennis Vacco (incumbent)	2,059,762	47.62
	Independence	Catherine Abate	81,439	1.88
	Right to Life	Robert W. Dapelo	60,399	1.40
	Libertarian	Daniel A. Conti, Jr.	19,864	0.46
	Green	Johann L. Moore	18,984	0.44

• Vacco also ran on the Conservative Party of New York ticket in this election. ^[4]

New York Attorney General election, 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Dennis Vacco	2,294,528	49.28
	Democratic	Karen S. Burstein	2,206,188	47.38
	Right to Life	Alfred I. Skidmore	85,649	1.84
	Independence	Thomas M. Hartman	37,500	0.81
	Libertarian	Dan Conti	19,202	0.41

• Nancy Rosenstock also received 13,416 votes (0.29%) for the Socialist Workers Party in this election. ^[4]
• Vacco also ran on both the Conservative Party of New York and Tax Cut Now tickets in this election. ^[4]

Post-political career

Less than two months after he concluded an antitrust settlement with Waste Management, Inc., a waste disposal conglomerate, as one of his last acts before leaving his position as attorney general, Vacco joined Waste Management as a senior lobbyist and vice president for government affairs for their operations in New York, New England, and Canada. In response to questions about the settlement and the job offer, Vacco said: "Any interpretation or suggestion that this settlement - which included the United States Department of Justice - was connected to my employment by Waste Management - is preposterous and false." ^[5]

As a lobbyist in New York State, Vacco was identified as having made inconsistencies in required filings. ^{[6] [7]} In April 2006, after a six-month investigation, Vacco was cleared of allegations that he violated lobbying regulations. The investigation "centered on whether Vacco’s firm had an illegal contingency-fee contract with a Rochester businessman in exchange for helping him win a casino deal with an Oklahoma tribe." In October 2005, Vacco’s lobbying firm agreed to pay the state $50,000 in connection with the questionable contract, but it was not required to admit wrongdoing." ^[8]

Vacco is currently a partner in the Buffalo, New York law firm of Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP. ^{[9] [10]}

In 2017, Vacco unsuccessful defended controversial Buffalo School Board member, Carl Paladino after his employment was terminated for misuse of confidential information and making what many called racist comments about former president Barack Obama during a magazine interview. After a hearing before the New York State education committee, it was determined that the Buffalo School Board had the right to terminate Carl Paladino’s employment, no further legal action was taken by either parties involved.

References

1. Quindlen, Anna. "One Candidate's Lifestyle Becomes Other's Ax to Grind". Chicago Tribune . New York Times News Service. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
2. Opinion (October 12, 1994). "Guy Molinari, From the Gutter". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
3. ISP guilty in child porn case, Wired.com, New York, N.Y.: Conde Nast, 16 February 2001, Sheeres, J., Retrieved 11 November 2013
4. Vacco, Dennis, Our Campaigns, 1998 & 1994, Retrieved 8 January 2014.
5. Levy, Clifford (February 19, 1999). "Vacco to Start Private Life As Lobbyist For a Hauler". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
6. "Collins adds 10 to transition team". Buffalo News\Berkshire Hathaway (Buffalo, N.Y.). November 21, 2007.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
7. "Collins adds 10 to transition team". McClatchy - Tribune Business News (Washington, D.C.). November 21, 2007.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
8. Cooper, Michael (October 6, 2005). "Firms Working on Casinos' Behalf Agree to Pay Fines". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 18, 2023.
9. Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP: Business Experience: Dennis Vacco Archived November 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , Lippes.com, Buffalo, N.Y., Retrieved 11 November 2013
10. Watchdog report: Vacco's work on LDCs costs $167k, Democrat and Chronicle.com, Buffalo, N.Y.: Gannett, 8 November 2013, Riley, D., Retrieved 11 November 2013

Party political offices
Preceded by Bernard C. Smith	Republican nominee for Attorney General of New York 1994, 1998	Succeeded by Dora Irizarry
Legal offices
Preceded by G. Oliver Koppell	Attorney General of New York 1995–1998	Succeeded by Eliot Spitzer