Chris Collins (New York politician)

Christopher Carl Collins is an American politician and pardoned felon. He served as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 27th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2019. Collins and his son, Cameron Collins, were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on August 8, 2018, and charged with insider trading and making false statements. On September 30, 2019, Collins announced his resignation from the House of Representatives, and, later that day, Collins pleaded guilty. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump on December 22, 2020.

About Chris Collins (New York politician) in brief

Summary Chris Collins (New York politician)Christopher Carl Collins is an American politician and pardoned felon. He served as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 27th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2019. Collins was elected Erie County Executive in 2007 and held that position for one term. Collins and his son, Cameron Collins, were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on August 8, 2018, and charged with insider trading and making false statements. On September 30, 2019, Collins announced his resignation from the House of Representatives, and, later that day, Collins pleaded guilty. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump on December 22, 2020. Collins is the first sitting U. S. Representative to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States, and he served on Trump’s presidential transition team. He and his wife, Mary, have three children and three grandchildren. Collins moved around the country with his family, as his father was transferred several times by General Electric. Collins worked as a mechanical engineer at Westinghouse Electric. He also served as President and CEO of Nuttall Gear Corporation located in Niagara Falls, New York. Collins defeated Democrat James P. Keane, the deputy county executive of the Dennis Gorski administration, with 63% of the vote; his win was considered an upset. On November 8, 2011, Collins lost his bid for re-election in a race that he was predicted to win. Collins recruited a Six Sigma Master Black Belt from the University at Buffalo to implement Lean Six Sigma across all county departments under the direction of the county executive to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

In February 2008, Erie County experienced a potential potential Hepatitis A outbreak when an employee handled produce at a popular supermarket. Over 10,000 people vaccinated the public, the largest event of the public history in the county’s history. Collins created the Brighter Future Fund, donating his county salary to local non-profit organizations. He co-signed a stipulated settlement for the County Legislature refusing to issue payments to Erie Community College that had been included in the County’s budget. In August 2011, he was sued for repeated civil rights violations of prisoners held in county facilities, including juveniles with developmental disabilities. The United States Department of Justice and Erie County settled the case in August 2011 for a settlement of $1.2 million. In September 2012, Collins was awarded the higher salary to the incoming County Attorney for the county attorney’s salary. In November 2012, he won 39 of the 44 municipalities, including the City of Buffalo, by a margin of 81% to 19%. He was defeated by Democratic candidate Mark Poloncarz, the Erie County Comptroller, in the November 2012 election. Collins spoke for three minutes at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 3, 2008. Collins sold Nuttall to Colfax Corporation, based in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1997, and later sold the company to a private equity firm. He is married to Mary Collins, with whom he has three children, including a daughter and a son-in-law.