[2] Prior to his election to the Senate, Griffo served as mayor of Rome, New York and as Oneida County executive.

[1] He then attended the College at Brockport, State University of New York, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1978.

[8] Also, Griffo "was able to prevent a tax hike there in all but one of his years in office, despite the crippling loss of Griffiss Air Force Base in 1993 – perhaps the worst single economic blow the county has ever seen.

Woodstock '99 attracted over 200,000 people but was plagued by many problems, including inadequate staffing, widespread sexual assault, and profiteering by event organizers.

Griffo tried to disarm the situation by offering the city of Utica $800,000 in debt forgiveness, which Julian refused.

[citation needed] Griffo helped stop the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) plan to run electricity from Canada through Oneida County.

Concerned citizens feared the project would increase electricity costs in the area and pose health and safety risks to residents.

While Julian lost the primary, he secured a spot on the Independence Party ticket and continued his campaign.

[24] Among Griffo's significant legislation was a law that created the website ResultsNY.gov, which allowed residents to monitor how state funds were being used.