Alumnus Bob Duffy joins Cuomo ticket

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A. Siue Weisler

Mayor Robert Duffy was on hand to wish the men's hockey team success as they headed to the Frozen Four games in April.

Robert Duffy ’93 (multidisciplinary studies) could soon be playing a key role in leading New York state. Duffy, mayor of Rochester since 2006, has been selected by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo to run for lieutenant governor.

The two were chosen as the nominees of the New York Democratic Party during the State Democratic Convention May 25-27. Cuomo and Duffy will face one of several potential Republican challengers in the general election in November. Traditionally in New York, candidates for governor select their running mate for lieutenant governor and the two run as a team. Cuomo, currently attorney general of New York, says he picked Duffy due to his executive experience and integrity.

“In making this decision I had two criteria: First, could the person serve as governor of the State of New York? Second, has the person demonstrated competence, performance and integrity throughout their career? Robert Duffy meets both of those standards resoundingly,” Cuomo says.

“I am honored for the chance to ask the voters to let me serve as New York’s next lieutenant governor,” Duffy says. “I am eager to bring a message of reform, fiscal prudence and economic opportunity to people all over the state.”

Prior to becoming mayor, Duffy served as a police officer with the Rochester Police Department culminating with a seven-year tenure as chief of police from 1998-2005. He joined the department in 1976 and had reached the level of sergeant by 1989, when he began studies at RIT while continuing to work full time. He earned a bachelor’s degree through the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies in the College of Applied Science and Technology. Duffy focused on criminal justice, communications and business management. By the time he graduated in 1993, he had reached the rank of deputy chief.

He continued his education and in 1998 received a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

He has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at RIT.

During his tenure as mayor and chief, Duffy has been a leader in crime prevention and community development and served on a number of national task forces and committees. He was selected by the Obama Administration as a delegate to the 2009 White House Conference on Gang Prevention and Crime Control and currently serves as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Criminal and Social Justice Committee.

“Though being mayor of Rochester is a job I love, I have accepted Attorney General Cuomo’s offer to be his running mate because the enormous challenges facing our state create an even larger obligation for those of us in public service,” Duffy says.