Brian X. Foley (born December 3, 1957) is an American politician who served as a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan comp ...

in 2009 and 2010. He previously served as a member of the

Suffolk County Legislature Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...

Early life and education

A graduate of St. Anthony's High School, Foley continued his education at

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes or Saint Michael's) is a private Roman Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont. Saint Michael's was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund. It grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees ...

Colchester, Vermont Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester bor ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in American studies.

Career

He was re-elected five times to the seat once held by his father, John Foley. In 2005, he was elected supervisor of

Brookhaven, New York The Town of Brookhaven is the most populous of the ten towns of Suffolk County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located approximately 50 miles from Manhattan. It is the largest of the state of New York's ...

. In 2008, he was elected to the State Senate, after defeating 36-year (18 term) incumbent Republican,

Caesar Trunzo Caesar Trunzo (May 11, 1926 – May 28, 2013) was an American politician who served in the New York State Senate from 1973 to 2008. Life Trunzo was born in 1926, in Brooklyn. He graduated from Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn, and Heffley & ...

. He was the first Democrat elected to the State Senate from Suffolk County since 1902. He has served on the Brookhaven Roe YMCA Board of Directors, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Advisory Board, Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, Suffolk County Community Mediation Center, Sunrise District Boy Scouts of America and the Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In 2004, the Bayport Blue Point Chamber of Commerce presented Foley with its Dedicated Public Service Award. He has been recognized as Person of the Year by the Medford Youth Athletic Association Award in 2000 and the Farmingville Historical Society in 1999.

Marriage Equality Debate 2009

Brian X. Foley was seen as a key swing senate vote in the 2009 Marriage Equality debate in New York State. In April 2009, Governor

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. A ...

announced that he would introduce a Marriage Equality bill in the New York State Legislature. Foley voted in favor of Marriage Equality legislation on December 2, 2009, but the bill was defeated.

MTA bailout proposal

Foley supported an MTA bailout that included a controversial payroll tax on employers. Foley, had balked at the payroll tax because it affected school districts and would likely raise property taxes. In 2009, Foley pledged his support for the MTA bailout.

2010 defeat

Foley was defeated by Republican

Lee Zeldin Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve. A Republican, he has represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representativ ...

on November 2, 2010. Senator-Elect Zeldin received 57% of votes cast, defeating Foley by 14 points.''Suffolk County Board of Elections'' Election Night Tally

Personal life

Foley resides in

Blue Point, New York Blue Point is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 5,156 at the 2020 census. Blue Point is in the Town of Brookhaven. Geography According to the United States Cens ...

with his wife and their two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Brian X. 1957 births Living people People from Blue Point, New York Democratic Party New York (state) state senators 21st-century American politicians Catholics from New York (state)