Funeral arrangements are still being made for longtime Southern Tier State Senator Tom Libous. Libous died Tuesday after a battle with prostate cancer. Capital Tonight's Nick Reisman looks back at his life and legacy.
Republican former Sen. Tom Libous died after a long battle with cancer, his spokesman said late Tuesday afternoon. Libous was 63.
A longtime power broker in the Southern Tier, Libous was forced from office in 2015 after he was found guilty of lying to federal investigators.
In Binghamton, Libous had sought to steer vital economic development projects to an area that was starved for economic success as well as attention from the state. He was especially disappointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision to ban high-volume hydrofracking.
Libous was a gregarious presence in Albany and was an accessible lawmaker to reporters who had sought, but never achieved the top post as majority leader. He was also considered a canny tactician as well as a prolific political fundraiser.
As deputy majority leader, Libous was the leader of the GOP conference's floor operations, including the infamous 2009 coup in which two Democratic lawmakers switched to the Republican side, stalling any activity in the chamber for a month.
Libous grew up in Johnson City and worked at his family's grocery store in Binghamton, an experience that informed his policy support for small business.
First elected to the Senate in 1988, Libous succeeded another Binghamton power broker, the late Warren Anderson.
A conservative in an increasingly liberal state, Libous was never ideological when it came to getting what he wanted for the district, including the formation of a pharmacy college.
It was Libous's aid for his son that ultimately landed him under the microscope of federal investigators. Lbous was convicted last summer of lying to the FBI during a 2010 interview in which the lawmaker claimed he could not recall the circumstances of his son Matthew's job at a Westchester County law firm.
In the end, Libous was convicted of a sole perjury charge and automatically removed from the Senate. He was confined to house arrest due to his terminal illness.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan in a statement said Libous was a "larger-than-life" figure with a "common man's touch."
"Quite simply, to know Tom Libous was to love him. He was universally admired by Democrats and Republicans, which speaks volumes about his character."
A spokesman says funeral arrangements for Libous are pending.