George Pataki was elected governor in 1996, largely on a Business Council-supported platform of turning New York s economy around. Zenia Mucha, Pataki s director of communications, soon approached Bellafiore about the press secretary job. It was a logical choice for me, he said. From studying economic issues at The Business Council, from being a New Yorker born and bred, I knew that New York had not been on an even playing field with its competition. Taxes here were too high.
People didn t get to keep enough of their money.
Unnecessary regulatory burdens were put on businesses. Government just seemed to have lost its common sense. The Pataki team appointed Bellafiore its chief spokesman, sole speechwriter and handler of legislative and media reaction. I d finally get to my To-Do list at seven that night. For two years, he found the sacrifice worth it.