Reporter Volume 25, No.24 April 14, 1994

By MARK WALLACE
Reporter Staff

John Sheffer says that there was no one particular moment when he
decided to devote himself to public service. But growing up in a
family which honored the notion of responsibility, both to one another
and to the community, played a major role in leading Sheffer to devote
his life to serving the needs of people.
	"I've always had an interest in community issues and a belief
that we all share a responsibility towards our society," says Sheffer,
who became a Senior Fellow at UB in 1993, with a dual appointment in
the School of Law and the School of Architecture and Planning, after
spending the last 15 years in the New York State Senate and Assembly.
"I enjoyed following politics but never really intended to run for
office.
	"Besides, I'm a firm believer that there are all kinds of
models of public service other than elected office," Sheffer says.
"Though I take great pride in my public service, I also recognize the
fact that it is thousands and thousands of hours by volunteers and
professional staff workers that make our government and society work."
	Sheffer grew up in Williamsville, where he served as mayor
from 1977-78. He received his law degree from Syracuse University in
1973. He then began private practice back in Williamsville, in
collaboration with several other lawyers, eventually forming with them
the firm that at present is known as Sheffer, Murphy, and White.
	"Building my law practice was my primary goal when I first
went back to Williamsville," Sheffer says. "But I also had some
interest in park and land issues in the village, and in historic
preservation. In 1976 I was asked to run as village trustee by some
people with whom I'd worked on various projects. It was a difficult
decisionQI was raising a young family and building a practice. But I
decided to do it, and won."
	Sheffer ran on the Civic Pride Party Line because, he says,
Williamsville government does not operate on the traditional
Democratic/Republican party system. "My grandfather had also been in
the Civic Pride Party," Sheffer says. "The parties are independent,
not tied up in partisan issues at the county and national level."
	One year later, Sheffer became mayor of Williamsville. "It was
my experience in local government, and the many frustrations I
encountered while working with New York State, that led me to run for
State Assembly," Sheffer says. "Rather than being a helpful partner, I
felt New York State was an obnoxious, Orwellian Big Brother in regard
to the issues of the village."
	Sheffer became a member of the New York State Assembly from
the 142nd Assembly District in 1979. He served as an assemblyman for
10 years before becoming a New York State Senator from the 60th Senate
District in 1989, a position he held until he came to UB last year.
	Although legislators contend with a wide range of issues,
Sheffer's work in state government focused primarily on what he calls
the "3 E's"Qthe environment, education, and economic development.
	"My concern for the environment may be considered a little
unusual for a member of the Republican Party, but I strongly believe
that environmental stewardship transcends partisan labels," Sheffer
says. "We must pay attention to the vitality of our resources. One of
my Republican heroes is Teddy Roosevelt. Even in the 1990s, he
presents a model of a reform-minded Republican who was also concerned
with the preservation of national resources."
	One of the positive things about the districts Sheffer served
was the importance to those districts of education at every level, he
says. "UB impacts the surrounding community in many ways, and issues
pertaining to the university were necessarily a major factor of the
day-to-day operations of my legislative office," Sheffer says.
	Sheffer views education as affecting virtually every other
issue and priority of New York State. "For instance, in terms of such
staggering and expensive problems as those we have with Medicaid and
social services, the long run answer is education, from
pre-kindergarten through a lifetime," Sheffer says.
	"We need to view education as a continuum over people's whole
lives," Sheffer says. "This is necessary not just in an academic
sense, but from the standpoint of the economic strength of our state.
SUNY is a genuine engine of economic development and we need to pay
attention to that."
	It was the chance to be further involved with education that
led Sheffer to leave public office and accept a position at UB. "A
terrific opportunity was presented to me to continue to work in the
arena of public policy and policy studies that have interested and
motivated me my whole life, but to do it in a whole new setting that
allows me to work with students," Sheffer says. "My primary motivation
in coming to UB is to teach."
	This semester, Sheffer is teaching a course in the School of
Architecture and Planning called "Land Use Law and Planning." Next
semester he will be teaching two courses; "Legislative Law and Policy"
in the School of Law, and "State/Regional Planning and Policy" in
Architecture and Planning.
	"The intersection of my legislative background and my dual
appointment teaching law and planning is enormousQthe common
denominator is policy studies," Sheffer says. "As a field of learning,
policy studies is interdisciplinary, and my appointment to two
faculties indicates that. Barry Boyer, dean of the School of Law, and
Bruno Freschi, dean of Architecture and Planning, have been
extraordinarily supportive."
	Other dimensions of Sheffer's position include working to
establish a Ph.D. in Policy Studies at UB, and taking part in a
community effort that focuses on President Greiner's charge to the
university to have a larger and more helpful presence in Western New
York.
	"Frankly, I came into a university with some anxiety, having
spent the last two decades in government," Sheffer says. "But the
members of both faculties, and everybody at UB I've had to deal with,
have been most cordial. The fact that President Greiner, Provost
Bloch, and many others at UB are making a deliberative, aggressive
effort in the area of policy studies is a terrific thing in the 1990s,
and I want to be part of that effort.
	"I take great pride in having served in government and the
political arena," Sheffer says. "But I also believe that a stronger
collaboration between government and higher education is essential in
the 1990s and the 21st century. I strongly support UB's initiatives
which focus on that collaboration, and I look forward to working with
my colleagues at UB towards that end."