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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Mariano Favazza |
| Address |
St. Louis, Missouri , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | BenD |
| Last Modifed | BenD
Jan 04, 2004 11:25am |
| Tags |
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| Info | Vision
It is important for a Congressional candidate to have vision and dreams, but that is not enough. Some have vision, and others can dream, but only a few, like Favazza, have the ability to put their vision into action, and the perseverance to turn dreams into reality.
Mariano’s goal as a Congressman is to help families by supporting action that promotes financial security through employment or retirement benefits, addresses concerns about affordable healthcare and health insurance, and protects our children’s opportunity for a better tomorrow. He knows these goals cannot be accomplished directly through government programs, but through the real financial security that comes from the success of private businesses that create and sustain jobs that pay real wages and provide real benefits.
As part of the plan toward achieving this goal Mariano will address the problems facing our region’s historically important industry, commercial river transportation, which is suffering some of the worst years in its history. Mariano has the vision to see the potential for the economic growth that our region can experience from a rejuvenated river transportation industry, and the common sense to understand that there must be a balance in sound river management between legitimate environmental concerns and the legitimate needs of business. St. Louis has a geographic advantage, located near the cross roads of the nation’s inland water system, and we should not ignore its potential to create real jobs, and the other indirect benefits we can receive from successful river management.
Mariano supports a change in tax laws that would permit parents to receive either a tax deduction or credit for the money they spend educating their children. This proposal will not have a negative effect on local public schools as it will not divert a dime of local, state, or federal aid they currently receive. For Mariano it is an issue of fairness, because parents who send their children to private schools for grades K - 12, save the nation’s public school districts billions of dollars a year. St. Louis area schools receive a significant savings from parents sending their children to private schools, as Missouri’s second largest school district is the school system operated by the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Overall, Mariano will address the problems and challenges facing our district, our region and our nation with an open mind and common sense, from a foundation of principles that will not change for a vote. As importantly, Mariano wants to help restore the people’s trust in their government and their elected representatives, starting with him.
Familiy & Tradition
It has been only 100 years since Mariano’s family left Italy to come to America. Like most immigrants of their time, they came knowing little about the country they would call home. They lacked the ability to speak the language, and arrived with only a few dollars to their name. What they and others brought with them was a desire for a better life, and the courage to earn a part of the American dream for themselves and their family. Ultimately, many of their sons fought for their country in World War II to preserve the freedoms and way of life that their parents came here to enjoy.
Mariano’s parents continued the tradition of hard work; his father was a Teamster truck driver, and his mother cleaned houses. Mariano’s personal lesson of work was learned early, when at the age of 10, he went to work for his uncles who sold produce at Soulard Market. Today, two of Mariano’s sons work with their great uncle selling produce at Soulard. Although Mariano’s parents did not finish the eighth grade, they knew the importance of a sound education, and instinctively knew that it required not only quality schools, but a home life that supported learning outside the classroom. Along the way, Mariano’s parents taught him the most important lessons of life: to have faith in God, to work hard for a better tomorrow for your children, and to give something back to the community
Mariano attended St. Louis University, and there on the first day of orientation met Elaine. Less than five years later, in 1976, Elaine and Mariano were married. Elaine and Mariano have eight children, Kathleen, Anne, Christopher, Michael, Joseph, Richard, Paul, and Matthew, who is nine years old. Elaine is a teacher in special education. She has taught for the last ten years at St. Gabriel’s school, and prior to that taught in the St. Louis Public Schools.
Education
Education can come in the form of formal studies in schools and universities. Education also comes from a person’s life experiences. Mariano and Elaine know how difficult it can be to raise a family in our times. Mariano knows first-hand some of the issues regarding healthcare from his experience of having three children who each have a chronic medical condition, and from having helped care for his parents before they died. His education includes the experience of being self-employed, and working for others. He knows that the American dream of self improvement is not based upon a guarantee of success, but a promise of a fair and equal opportunity for success.
Mariano’s formal education includes a BA in Political Science from St. Louis University (1975), and a MA in Urban Studies from St. Louis University (1977). Following that education he worked in a variety of fields and jobs until he went into business for himself. In 1984 Mariano and Elaine purchased a small grocery store in the neighborhood where he was raised. Mariano learned to be a butcher, and he and Elaine grew the business, making customers into friends. Like most small businesses, the hours were long. The year 1987 was to be a year of change. One of the Favazza’s children was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, their sixth child, Richard, was born, and St. Louis University was set to re-open its night law school division.
Mariano had always wanted to be a lawyer, but had been advised that his undergraduate grades would prevent him from being accepted. No longer willing to take “no” as the answer, Mariano, then 35 years old, took the required standardized test and submitted his application for admission to attend law school at night. The law school responded by sending him a rejection letter. Still unwilling to take “no” as the answer, he requested and received an interview with the faculty members who had voted against his admission. Following that meeting the admission committee reversed its decision and admitted him.
Mariano studied the law in every spare moment, attending classes at night, including the summer. After three semesters, in order to accelerate the process, he closed the retail business of the store, and attended school full time, taking classes day and night, yet still working the wholesale side of the business. Ultimately, to complete his degree in three years, Mariano took a heavier than normal work load of classes for a full time student. Elaine returned to teaching to support the family, and during that school year the Favazza’s seventh child, Paul, was born. Frequently Mariano took his three youngest children to classes. Despite working 55+ hours a week operating the grocery store during the first half of his law school education, and the burden created by completing nearly 50% of the required course work in one year, Mariano graduated with honors in 1990, was awarded a scholarship from the White Foundation, and was nominated to be a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, a Jesuit National Honor Society, by the Dean of the law school. Today, as promised, the law school’s rejection letter is hung next to his diploma and law licenses to serve as a constant reminder to never quit.
As an attorney Mariano began the practice of law in a large firm, and thereafter represented people in a general solo practice. Mariano has been an active member of his community: he served two terms as the president of the neighborhood association that served the neighborhood where his store was located, he served as a member of his parish Board of Education for seven years, he was instrumental in revitalizing another parish organization and served two terms as its president. The same concerns that motivated his involvement in these organizations spurred him to seek election as a public servant. Mariano ran for the Democratic nomination for Missouri State Representative, 66th District in 1996, with very little money, no campaign experience, and no organized party support. Politicians thought Mariano would finish last in that race. He surprised them by nearly winning the election, finishing second, losing by less than 280 votes, but carrying four of the six wards that comprised the district.
Public Service
In 1998 Mariano surprised the politicians again and filed for the Democratic nomination for Circuit Clerk for St. Louis. The office of Circuit Clerk had been historically poorly administered. No one gave Mariano any chance of defeating the incumbent, who had the advantages of being the incumbent, including campaign money, political experience, and city wide party support, that also included the endorsement of the then popular, Mayor Clarence Harmon.
Mariano raised $9000, and garnered little party support to challenge the incumbent, whose treasury was at least six times larger than his. Literally, Mariano’s wife and children carried the message of the campaign, distributing by foot over 120,000 leaflets door to door. The Favazzas’ efforts resulted in what was then reported as one of the biggest political upset victories in modern St. Louis history.
Mariano knows there is a difference between winning election to office and doing something positive with it afterwards. He understood why some doubted he could improve the office. Undaunted by such skepticism, before taking office, he assembled resources, gathered advisors, and made plans to make changes his first day as Circuit Clerk. In only a few days into his term, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an editorial that summed up his challenge entitled, “Favazza Rolls Up His Sleeves.”
In response, Mariano set to work to make good on the promises he made. He brought a different attitude to office, by making decisions based on common sense with the goal of improving the office, not on the proposition of doing what was politically expedient. In his first term he improved services, and instituted a “can do” attitude in his management team. He slashed the budget, reducing real spending every year, and instituted policies that increased revenue.
Mariano hired competent people to create and administer a financial record keeping system to accurately account for the office’s millions of dollars of transactions each year. He inherited an office with very poor financial management systems, as evidenced by the state audit he requested in 1998 before he took office. He requested the audit not to assess blame, but to serve as a professional evaluation of what was wrong, so as to develop a plan to make it right. As a result, the follow-up audit in 2002 showed remarkable improvement, as Mariano’s finance team corrected more than 93% of the problems cited in the 1998 audit.
Mariano has used innovation and automation to improve services. During his first term, under his leadership the office made many improvements. The office became the first and only circuit clerk’s office in Missouri to automate the activation of arrest warrants. That change permits the police on the streets to know in hours not day when a defendant is wanted. Mariano instituted a process that helps victims of domestic violence. His plan makes the office available to help victims present their Petition for an Order of Protection before a judge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He established a unique Internet service for landlords, providing them with the ability to perform a check of public records to determine whether a potential tenant has been sued for eviction in St. Louis. This service indirectly helps make St. Louis neighborhoods more viable by helping landlords make informed decisions in renting their property.
Mariano’s coordination with Missouri’s Secretary of State, and local universities has created a wealth of knowledge of our history on the Internet, containing among other historic records, the famous Dred Scott case, and freedom suits of hundreds of slaves who sought their freedom through the courts. Plans will soon be announced that will digitize the immigration records of more than 186,000 people who arrived in St. Louis before the early 1900s. Once that initial work is completed volunteers will create a computer search engine that will allow descendants from around the United States to learn about their personal family history via the Internet.
Mariano was re-elected Circuit Clerk in 2002 by a wide majority of voters.
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