Bill grew up in the City of Rochester; his dad Norm worked at Eastman Kodak; his mother Kay was a school teacher. In 1974, when he was 17 years old, Bill attended the first Conservative Political Action Conference (now known as CPAC) in Washington where he got Ronald Reagan’s autograph before watching him deliver his “City Upon a Hill” speech. It was an inspiration and laid the foundation for Bill’s political beliefs and future work supporting democracy movements around the world.
While in his early 20s, Bill went to college, took up parachuting and traveled in the Middle East and Asia. He spent time in an Israeli kibbutz, toured Iran before the 1979 Revolution, and traveled across the former Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
To pay for college and his first car, a Dodge Dart with the Chrysler slant-6 engine he bought from his dad, he had jobs as a night janitor at Eastman Kodak, in the research department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, and in the Washington offices of U.S. Senator James Buckley of NY, and U.S. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado. He also had a job as Smokey the Bear in a National Park Service body suit, lumbering around shopping malls with a sign about not starting forest fires.
After graduating from Columbia University’s schools of Law and Business, Bill worked in New York City before returning to his hometown of Rochester, where he served with the following community organizations:
-President, International Business Council of the Chamber of Commerce, creating jobs by increasing exports of Upstate products
-Director and Treasurer of the Al Sigl Center, a cooperative of agencies serving disabled and special needs youth and adults
-Chairman, Monroe County Sports Commission, providing amateur sports programs for the regions young and veteran athletes
-Director, Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Monroe County
Bill co-authored the only book ever written on New York sales taxes on manufacturers, and frequently lectures to business finance professionals and accountants at tax compliance seminars. His law practice focused on helping start-up companies and small businesses secure financing and organizing to launch or grow their businesses, creating jobs and growing Upstate New York's economy.
In 1995, New York Governor George Pataki named Bill to be Commissioner and Chairman of the State agency that runs the public transportation system in Rochester and surrounding counties. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Genesee Transportation Council, the federal agency that plans and allocates federal funds for highway, bridge, freight and other transportation projects throughout the nine-county region in Upstate New York. While serving these roles, Bill was the only public official to oppose taxpayer dollars for the Fast Ferry to Toronto.
In 1998, Bill was appointed by Governor Pataki to be the Chairman of a State agency which funds legal services for the elderly, disabled, and other low income New Yorkers. He worked to shift funding away from politically active groups and toward not-for-profit agencies which effectively assist persons in need.
Bill spent five years as an EMT and ambulance driver with the Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance Service. He saw firsthand the negative impacts of dramatically increased, State-mandated training and paperwork requirements on volunteer ranks and is committed to working to reverse them. Bill believes volunteerism is not only a financial issue for Upstate towns but a part of the fabric of our culture we need to protect.
In September, 2008 Bill was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.
In 2010 Bill became Chairman of the U.S. Army’s Community Advisory Board in Rochester. In 2011 he attended the Strategy Implementation Program of the U.S. Army War College. In 2012 he was invited to participate in training programs for future U.S. Army officers at Ft. Knox, KY.
Bill is now a small business owner, attorney with the law firm Hiscock & Barclay, and the host of a daily radio show which is heard on several stations around Upstate New York. The show’s production studio is WYSL in Livonia, Livingston County, broadcasting on 1040AM and 92.1FM. His show’s first affiliate station was WLEA -1480AM in Hornell, Steuben County.
Over the years, Bill has worked on over 20 local, state and federal campaigns for Republican candidates who identified themselves as fiscal conservatives fighting to protect Upstate New York’s traditions and way of life. Bill has been a member of the Brighton, Pittsford and City of Rochester Republican Committees, and in September, 2008 served as an official Delegate and Member of the New York Delegation at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Bill continues to fight for candidates who share his commitment to the future of our region.
Thank you so much for showing FR the type of great folks who come from Rochester.