John Hall (New York politician)

John Hall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Sue Kelly
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Pamela Hall

For other people named John Hall, see John Hall.

John Hall (born July 23 1948, Baltimore, Maryland) is currently the Congressman for New York's 19th congressional district in the United States. He was a rock musician who co-founded the 1970s band Orleans.

Musical career

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Waking and Dreaming, featuring the band Orleans with Hall at center

Hall was a student at the University of Notre Dame when he quit to devote himself to music. Songwriting and session time with such artists as Janis Joplin, Seals & Crofts and Bonnie Raitt preceded his founding of Orleans in January 1972 in Ulster County, New York with Wells Kelly and Larry Hoppen. Lance Hoppen, Larry's brother, joined the band later in that year.

The band's work included an album, Waking and Dreaming, with a cover on which all the band members, including Hall, posed stripped to the waist.

In 1977, Hall left to begin a solo career and became active in the anti-nuclear movement, co-founding Musicians United for Safe Energy. Another group, the John Hall Band, released two albums, but disbanded after limited chart success. "Crazy (Keep On Fallin')", from the album All of the Above, was the band's only major hit.

Hall spent the next few decades writing songs for other artists and reunited with Orleans in 1990, 1996, and 2000. In 2005, he released the album Rock Me on the Water, an album of songs inspired by an extensive sailing trip that took him from Kingston, New York to Havana, Cuba, the Florida Keys, Martha's Vineyard, Cuttyhunk and Annapolis, Maryland. He also formed Gulf Stream Night with longtime Orleans drummer Peter O'Brien, percussionist Joakim Lartey, bassist Bobby MacDougal and wife Pamela Melanie Hall on second guitar.

Political career

In late October 2004, Hall publicly commented that the presidential campaign of George W. Bush had not asked for permission to use the Orleans song "Still the One" at campaign events. The campaign later dropped the song from their playlist.

He has been involved with Mid-Hudson Nuclear Opponents, who successfully fought the siting of a nuclear power plant on the Hudson River in Greene County, New York. While living in Saugerties, New York, Hall co-founded Saugerties Concerned Citizens, and helped write the town's first zoning law. When Ulster County announced plans for a 200-acre solid waste dump on the historic Winston Farm, Hall led the opposition. This effort culminated in his 1989 election to the Ulster County Legislature. In the late 1990s, after three successive school budgets were rejected by the voters, John ran for, and was elected twice to, the Saugerties Board of Education. His fellow trustees elected him president, and budgets were passed each year of Hall's tenure.

Signs for Hall and Sue Kelly during the competitive 2006 election

Hall ran in the September 2006 primary race as a Democrat in New York's 19th congressional district. He won the primary, with a commanding 48% in a 4-way race, and faced incumbent Sue W. Kelly in the November election. Hall defeated Kelly with 51% of the vote, losing to Kelly in Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland counties, but carrying the incumbent's home county of Westchester, as well as Orange, to pull off the upset.

He was assisted in this bid by the $500,000 donated by Adam Rose, an openly gay real-estate developer who inherited his fortune from his father, to a group called Majority Action. This group ran negative advertisements against Kelly. Rose described his motivation as revenge for Kelly's support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have banned same-sex marriage. Hall also received support from the village of Kiryas Joel, which was normally Republican, but was unhappy that Kelly didn't support a controversial water pipeline project.

According to an article in the Hudson Valley newspaper, the Middletown Times Herald-Record, two days after his primary victory, Hall, in an online chat with the progressive blog Firedoglake, was asked about his position on a possible impeachment of President George W. Bush. Hall stopped short of endorsing impeachment "before hearing evidence", but added that "Whether impeachment or censure, some action must be taken to circumscribe the powers of the presidency". When pressed on the issue, "he candidly reminded the probing blogger, 'I'm trying to get elected in a historically Republican district.'"

Hall was interviewed by Comedy Central-based satirist Stephen Colbert on October 19 2006 for a "Better Know a District" segment of his popular comedy show, The Colbert Report. Sue Kelly turned down the opportunity to be interviewed. As the centerpiece of the interview, Colbert eventually convinced Hall to harmonize with him on the Orleans song "Dance with Me". He made a brief encore appearance on The Colbert Report the day after his election, November 8, joining Colbert in a harmonized rendition of the The Star-Spangled Banner.

Hall has drawn numerous potential challengers for the 2008 race, including ex-Congressman Joseph J. DioGuardi and Iraq veteran Kieran Lalor. Other potential challengers include State Assemblyman Greg Ball, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, ex-Congresswoman Sue Kelly, and Emily Pataki, the daughter of former Governor George Pataki. Businessman Andrew Saul had begun raising funds for a campaign but announced on November 20, 2007 that he would not run. As Hall is a freshman Democrat representing a traditionally Republican district, the race is sure to garner national attention. Hall has been targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee. However, Hall still defeated a better funded, popular six-term incumbent in 2006, who had won in 2004 with 73% of the vote.

On November 25, Lalor officially announced his candidacy, making him the only declared Republican candidate in the race.

Issues and positions

He is the first Democrat to represent the district since 1993. Hall, however, has described himself as a Progressive. In the beginning of 110th Congress, Hall voted to raise minimum wage and federal funding of stem cell research.

Prior to his election, or even his victory in the primary, Hall expressed interest in drug policy reform. At SUNY New Paltz, during a March 11 2006 audio interview he said that drug prohibition had "failed" and that he agreed with Maurice Hinchey on the need for reform on Plan Colombia, Medical Marijuana, and a provision of the Higher Education Act that denies financial aid to students with drug offenses. However, in July 2007, John Hall voted against an amendment by Hinchey that would end the raid of medical marijuana patients.

During his campaign, Hall also repeated his call for the closure of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.

Hall was assigned to serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs of the Veterans Affairs Committee in the 110th Congress.

As of February 12 2007, Hall is listed as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A full list of all members of the CPC is available from the group's website within the official U.S. House of Representative's website.

External links

• U.S. Congressman John Hall official House site
• United States Congress. "John Hall (id: H001039)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Federal Election Commission — John Joseph Hall campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — John Hall issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — John Hall campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative John Hall (NY) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — John Hall profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: John Hall voting record
• Music Career Interview with John Hall
• John Hall at AllMusic
• Progressive Wave's NY-19

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