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Brian Higgins
New York, 27th
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Brian Higgins was elected to New York’s 27th District seat in the US House of Representatives on November 2, 2004, and took office as a member of the 109th Congress on January 3, 2005. |
Brian is the son of immigrant and first-generation American parents, and is a proud lifelong resident of South Buffalo, New York. His father worked as a skilled tradesman, labor leader, and later as an elected and appointed official. His mother worked as a schoolteacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Buffalo’s Old First Ward. Brian’s grandparents came to America from counties Mayo and Kerry in Ireland, and his paternal grandfather was the first in a long line of Higgins family bricklayers.
Brian was elected in his own right to the Buffalo Common Council in 1987, where he served three two-year terms. After serving for five years, Brian was rated the best Buffalo lawmaker in a 1993 Buffalo News Survey of 350 Western New York business and community leaders. Brian was rated number one in fourteen out of eighteen categories, with highest individual marks for “intelligence,” “honesty,” “hard work,” and “effectiveness.” Brian left the city council in late 1993 with a reputation as an elected official willing to take unpopular stands in order to effectuate change, and as someone with a bright political future.
Brian received his undergraduate and graduate education at Buffalo State College, studying political science and history, respectively. In 1995 he was admitted to Harvard University and awarded the inaugural Western New York Harvard Graduate fellowship. In June 1996, he graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government with a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration. Brian served as a lecturer in the History and Economics departments at Buffalo State College, instructing undergraduate students in courses on state and local government, in addition to courses on the economic history of Buffalo and Western New York.
In 1998, Brian was elected to the New York State Assembly for the 145th District, and held office until the end of December 2004. During his time in the State Legislature, Brian focused on economic development and job creation for Buffalo and Western New York. The revitalization of Buffalo’s dilapidated waterfront was a critical element of these efforts. In pursuit of his goals, Brian worked with governmental partners on the federal, state, and local levels - Democrats and Republicans alike – to secure nearly $20 million in state funding for the Outer Harbor. These funds were used to revitalize lands controlled by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), including the area commonly known as “Gallagher Beach.” Brian led the effort to create a new state park along the Outer Harbor on the beach site – a proposal endorsed by the governor in 2002 and included in his 2003-2004 proposed state budget. The efforts that Brian made on these fronts have produced results after decades of stagnation on the issue. The Outer Harbor State Park in Buffalo will open to the public in 2005. As a member of Congress, Brian is committed top working with elected and community leaders throughout Erie and Chautauqua Counties toward better economic development, job creation and life-quality enhancement throughout the 27th District.
In Congress, Brian serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and on the T&I Subcommittees on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines; Water Resources and Environment; and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Brian also serves on the Committee on Government Reform, and on its subcommittees on Energy and Resources and on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.
Brian and his wife Mary Jane – a special education teacher in the Buffalo Public School system – are the proud parents of two young children, John and Maeve. They are parishioners at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in South Buffalo, New York.
Rep. Brian Higgins's Official Website
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