Mike Arcuri

Michael Angelo "Mike" Arcuri (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for New York's 24th congressional district from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He lost re-election on November 2, 2010, to Republican Richard L. Hanna.
Arcuri is a member of the New York Industrial Board of Appeals.

Arcuri's father was Carmen Arcuri. His mother, Elizabeth, retired as a stenographer. Arcuri graduated from Thomas R. Proctor High School, in Utica, New York in 1977.

In 1981, Arcuri graduated from the State University of New York at Albany where he majored in history and minored in economics. In 1984, he graduated from New York Law School and was admitted to practice law in New York state in 1985.

Arcuri returned to Utica to open a law office in 1986.

In 1993, Arcuri was elected District Attorney of Oneida County, home to Utica. He was only the third Democrat ever to hold the post, and the first in 40 years.

The 24th congressional district encompasses a large swath of central New York, including Utica, Auburn, Rome and most of the suburbs of Binghamton.

A member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, Arcuri was named by the National Review (March 2010) as one of the most Centrist members of the House, with a voting record of 50.2% liberal and 49.8% conservative, a distinction he shares with only one other member of Congress.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• Committee on Rules
  • Subcommittee on Rules and the Organization of the House

Controversy

In 2002, Arcuri personally prosecuted Joseph A. Smith of Oneida for the murder of Desiree Case of Yorkville. Her body was discovered in an abandoned house on February 26, 2000. Smith was arrested on November 29, 2001 after he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in a sealed indictment. Despite one mistrial, Arcuri chose to press on with the case, and a jury found Smith guilty of both counts of murder in March 2002. In late June 2002 a judge set aside the conviction, on a technicality, when it was discovered the defense was not provided all of the evidence in the case, most notably the confession of another man, Earl Wright, who was eventually found guilty of the murder of Case. Smith was released from jail on August 1, 2002. He later filed a claim for misconduct and negligence against the Oneida County District Attorney's Office and the City of Utica, N.Y., Police Department, which was settled out of court.

Elections

2006

In November 2006, Arcuri defeated State Senator Ray Meier for the 24th District congressional seat left open by the retiring Sherwood Boehlert. Arcuri won by 54 percent of the vote to Meier's 45 percent, becoming only the second Democrat to represent the area in 106 years.

2008

In his bid for re-election in 2008, Arcuri faced a closer-than-expected challenge from businessman Richard L. Hanna but prevailed. Arcuri won 52 percent of the votes to Hanna’s 48 percent

2010

In a rematch of the election two years prior, Arcuri faced off again against Hanna but lost to the Republican as the GOP made gains across the country.

Republican Richard Hanna beat incumbent Mike Arcuri 101,599 to 85,624, according to figures from the state Board of Elections.

Arcuri has two children from his first marriage with Barbara Arcuri, Carmen and Dominique. They divorced in 2002. He married his second wife, the former Sabrina Deon, in August 2007.