Gregory R. Ball (born September 16, 1977) is a former American politician from 2006 to 2014, former active duty U.S. Air Force officer, and member of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly.
He gained attention for his unorthodox campaign tactics, such as dressing in a chicken suit to follow his opponent and making controversial statements. Ball focused on issues like illegal immigration and veterans' affairs during his time in office. He also took a strong stance against same-sex marriage, supported public funding for private school transportation, and opposed the publication of handgun permit holders' information. Additionally, Ball has been vocal in his opposition to medical marijuana and controversially advocated for the torture of a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.
After leaving office, he founded a consulting firm, Black Stone Global.
He is a resident of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Early career and background
Ball was born on September 16, 1977, in Pawling, New York, and grew up on Quaker Hill. In 1996, he was awarded the Falcon Foundation Scholarship and attended the Valley Forge Military Academy before receiving an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. While at the United States Air Force Academy, Ball interned in the White House Drug Policy Office.campaign bio Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
At the Air Force Academy, Ball received a Bachelor of Science in Government in 2001. He started a Masters in International Affairs at Georgetown University in 2004 and was a fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency from 2002 to 2003.Henderson, Robert E., ed. "A Dialogue on the Presidency with a New Generation of Leaders: Papers of the 2002-2003 Center Fellows ". Washington, DC: CSP, 2003.
USAF service Ball was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and requested an assignment with the Air Force Academy's Diversity Recruitment Office, and was posted in Philadelphia for a one-year tour working as a Minority Admissions Officer. Ball was then assigned to the 11th Wing at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., as protocol officer. The Ceremonies & Protocol office was responsible for planning, organizing and developing projects for the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as coordinating honor guard burial services at Arlington National Cemetery."I was honored to serve as Greg Ball's mentor while he was in the U.S. Air Force. ... As Greg excelled through the ranks and was promoted to Captain, I was honored to watch Greg perform as an outstanding young officer. Greg Ball graduated from the Air Force Academy, served in the White House Drug Policy Office, lived on Capitol Hill, and served in the 11th Wing in our Nation's capital working directly for four-star generals in the Pentagon and throughout the National Capitol Region. Few Lieutenants are chosen for such a demanding position."–Col. Joseph P. Green, USAF (Ret.), E-Mail to Bob Fois. June 6, 2006."VOTER'S GUIDE: 99th state Assembly District". Poughkeepsie Journal. October 29, 2006.
During his time in the Ceremonies & Protocol Office, Ball was a Project Officer for a number of events. The largest may have been the 2003 Global Air Chief's Conference, the first since 1997, for which he rented a cruise ship for a welcome reception in Washington, D.C., for dignitaries attending the Global Air Chiefs Conference."FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 25, 2003 FBO #0603". Department of the Air Force, Direct Reporting Units, 11th CONS, 110 Luke Avenue (Bldg 5681) Suite 200, Bolling AFB, DC, 20332-0305. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
As a lieutenant, Ball was charged with directing National Hispanic Heritage Month in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He organized exhibits and demonstrations to recognize the contributions made by Hispanic countries and cultures, and hosted Alberto Gonzales, then White House Counsel, in 2003. In 2003, Ball was nominated as "Military Volunteer of the Year" for the 11th Wing. He was awarded an Air Force Achievement Medal for outstanding service by General John P. Jumper and was honorably discharged from active duty in January 2005, with the rank of captain.
Business career Upon his separation from active duty, Ball was recruited by the Antioch, Illinois, based Exceed International, a commercial development corporation with a presence in India, Turkey and Tunisia.Chandramouly, Anjana. "American dream... in India". Business Line. March 17, 2006. Placed in charge of the marketing department, he served as a team member with the Company President on a 38-company executive mission to an economic summit in New Delhi, which included representatives from companies such as Amex, Cargill, New York Life, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Bechtel, and Cognizant.Germain, David. "U.S.-India Business Council Mounts 38-Company 4-City Executive Mission to India". US Newswire. March 2, 2007. Later, Exceed invested $11.1 million in India to expand operations."US-based Exceed Int'l launches India Operations". AsiaPulse News. November 22, 2004. Construction began on six projects in Chennai, which included the ESPEE IT Park, and the Bascon Technology Park, which helped Exceed establish a foothold in India."US construction co Exceed to build IT park in Chennai". Business Line. November 20, 2004.Ramesh, M. "US construction co Exceed bags 6 projects in Chennai". Business Line. November 20, 2004. The company also invested as a joint venture partner in mixed use residential projects such as a water treatment facility."Exceed to invest Rs 50 crore in its Indian arm". Business Standard. November 20, 2004.
Eventually, Ball was elevated to Vice President of Exceed's Northeastern United States division and returned to New York."The Next Economy". Exceed International. Retrieved on February 24, 2008. The Illinois based developer employs nearly 400 people in various fields such as project management, development, architecture, engineering, construction, government relations, finance, and technology.Drummond, Sara. "India calls ". CIRE Magazine. January 2006.Kuyper, Diana. "Retail, condos encouraged". News Sun. October 11, 2005. In 2006, Exceed proposed a $75 million urban renewal project for the village of Brewster which would generate some $2 million a year in tax revenue for the town."Plans call for $75 million urban renewal project of village's downtown ". Putnam County Courier. March 24, 2006. The village's Mayor noted that "All of the infrastructure work recently completed by defining our identity within the watershed has paid off. Brewster finds itself in a situation where people are eagerly interested in working with the village in partnership to see our village revitalized".
Political career In early 2005, Ball announced his candidacy for State Assembly as a Republican and stated he would attempt to unseat the incumbent Assemblyman Willis Stephens in a primary."Pawling man seeks GOP support for Assembly". Poughkeepsie Journal. May 31, 2005. Stephens' family had held the seat nearly continuously for eighty years: his grandfather, D. Mallory Stephens, represented the district from 1926 to 1952; his father, Willis Stephens Sr., held the seat from 1952 to 1982; and Stephens himself served from 1994 to 2006."Index to Politicians: Stephens". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on February 24, 2008. Ball received over $110,000 in campaign contributions for the race.Risinit, Mike. "Greg’s been spending ". The Journal News. July 13, 2006."New Yorkers on the Ball. 2006 July Periodic Report Summary Page". New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved on February 24, 2008. He was placed on the primary ballot by the signature of over 1800 petitioners.Risinit, Mike. "Ball’s in or at least his paperwork is ". The Journal News. July 11, 2006."Pawling man sets his sights on state Assembly seat". Poughkeepsie Journal. April 27, 2005.
In 2004, while living in D.C., Ball created a charity polo event for underprivileged youth known as the Courage Cup, which presented $10,000 to charities in 2005. The Courage Cup was also investigated by the Washington Post after allegations that Ball was diverting funds from the charity to his political campaigns. The Poughkeepsie Journal noted that Ball's political action committee made a donation to the Courage Cup charity for the use of the tent at the event. The group then solicited funds for Ball in the tent, an activity the assemblyman said was "perfectly legal and above-board.".
At times Ball's campaign was noted for its unorthodoxy. Ball himself dressed up in a chicken suit and followed around Stephens after the incumbent refused to debate him.Risinit, Mike. "The chicken suit has been mothballed, sort of ". The Journal News. May 31, 2006. On September 12, 2006, in the Republican Primary for New York's 99th district, Ball defeated Stephens in a landslide with 70.4% (5,165 votes) to 29.6% (2,176 votes) for Stephens, the lowest vote total for any incumbent running for reelection to the State Assembly that day. Stephens drew criticism when he refused to repudiate a letter about challenger Greg Ball which falsely claimed Mr. Ball had received a dishonorable discharge from the United States Air Force."Foe questions ethics of assemblyman's mailing". Poughkeepsie Journal. March 8, 2006.Fois, Bob. "99th: Ball's military record assailed". News Copy. June 29, 2006.
According to a 2006 interview, Ball's ultimate political ambition is to become the Governor of New York State.
New York State Assembly (2007–2010) Ball has stated that "since my election victory, we have made extraordinary progress by elevating the debate on tough issues like taxes, illegal immigration and dysfunction in Albany.""GOP legislators tout 'Road to Reform'". Poughkeepsie Journal. April 21, 2007. He was sworn into office on January 8, 2007.Kramer, Catherine. "Democrats don’t have monopoly on reform". Legislative Gazette. January 8, 2007."Valley Republicans take Assembly oath". Poughkeepsie Journal. January 3, 2007. The first time Ball rose to speak in the Assembly chamber, he called the legislature "dysfunctional", and withstood boos from his colleagues.Hammond, Bill. "My voice will be heard ". Daily News. February 8, 2007.Gallagher, Jay. "Different tune from freshman Putnam lawmaker ". The Journal News. March 6, 2007. The next day, Governor Spitzer called Ball to express support for his sentiments.Risinit, Mike. "Eliot's on the phone ". The Journal News. February 9, 2007."Newcomer Ball slowly learns ropes". Poughkeepsie Journal. January 17, 2007.
Ball stated that "It was not easy getting up as the new guy and standing up to tell a group of people what they don't want to hear" but his speech became so popular that soon dozens of reporters began calling, he appeared on Fox News, excerpts from the floor speech popped up on multiple political blogs, his campaign web site received so many visits that its server crashed, and, a YouTube video of his remarks was ranked 80th among new videos the day it was uploaded.Confessore, Nicholas. "Scolding Peers, Legislator Draws Notice". New York Times. February 10, 2007."Colleagues boo freshman during scolding of Assembly". Poughkeepsie Journal. February 8, 2007. Although the remarks were contentious, they echoed a fifty-six page study from the nonpartisan New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice, which referred to the legislature as "the least deliberative and most dysfunctional in the nation".Creelan, Jeremy and Moulton, Laura. "The New York State Legislative Process: An evaluation and blueprint for reform ". New York University School of Law Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved on February 28, 2008.