A Democrat, he was inaugurated Mayor in 1970 and served to 1976 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after the resignation of James F. Hastings in the district representing the Southern Tier of New York State. While he was Mayor, Jamestown received national attention as a result of the Labor Management strategy that Lundine implemented. Jamestown, long the center of labor strife, became a model for labor/management co-operation. As a Congressman, Lundine brought his labor/management ideas to Washington, and was instrumental in developing legislation that created labor/management councils and employee stock ownership plans. He focused on finance, banking and economic development policy, and also served on the Science Committee. He was a subcommittee chairman on the House Banking Committee. He graduated from Duke University in 1961 and from the New York University School of Law in 1964. Lundine is the only Democrat to have represented the Western Southern Tier in Congress in the 20th century, and no other Democrats would do so until Democrats Brian Higgins and Eric Massa won both portions of the now-divided district in 2005 and 2009 respectively. In 1986, Lundine declined to seek reelection to Congress in order to be Mario Cuomo's running mate for Lieutenant Governor of New York. The pair was elected in 1986 and re-elected in 1990. As lieutenant governor, Lundine worked on housing, technology, economic development, and job training programs and policies. He was an advocate for the creation of a high-speed rail link connecting New York State cities together. He was a frequent surrogate speaker for Cuomo around the state. He also used his position as President of the State Senate to handle legislative liaison for Cuomo. There were reports that Lundine accepted the lieutenant governorship under the belief that Cuomo would be elected president and he would succeed to the governorship, a belief which did not pan out. In 1993, Lundine came the closest to the governorship, when Cuomo was considered for a Supreme Court appointment. During most of 1993 and 1994, Cuomo had hesitated on announcing whether or not he would seek reelection. Lundine stated in a 1994 press conference that if Cuomo would not run then he would seek the Democratic nomination. Surprised by this, Cuomo flew to New York City and after discussions with the party's financial backers, Cuomo announced his candidacy three days after Lundine's announcement. In 1994, Cuomo and Lundine were defeated for reelection by State Sen. George Pataki and academic Betsy McCaughey Ross. Lundine retired from elective politics at this point, though he briefly considered a bid for governor in 1998. He also unsuccessfully sought appointment as President of State University of New York Fredonia. In 2002 he was an early supporter of Carl McCall for governor. He currently is chair of the board of the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York, and serves on the board of Chautauqua Institution in nearby Chautauqua, New York. Stan Lundine retired from the Chautauqua County Health Network as Executive Director effective July 13, 2007. He is currently chairing a commission studying local government reform in New York State, a position he was appointed to by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, and chair of the Robert H. Jackson Center.
