Carl J. Gatto (December 29, 1937 — April 10, 2012) was a Republican member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people pe ...

, representing the 13th District since 2002. Before public office Carl Gatto was a paramedic and fire officer for the Anchorage Fire Department.

Early life

Carl J. Gatto was born on December 29, 1937, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He first attended

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

and later earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in mechanical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic. Gatto went on to study at

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

in San Jose, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in physical science and biology, along with teaching certifications for high school and special education. He later obtained a Master of Science in biology from Northern Arizona University. After relocating to Alaska in 1968, Gatto continued his education at the

University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna C ...

, where he earned an Associate of Arts in

paramedicine In the United States, paramedicine is the physician-directed practice of medicine, often viewed as the intersection of health care, public health, and public safety. While discussed for many years, the concept of paramedicine was first formally desc ...

and completed Fire Instructor certifications at levels I, II, and III. His early professional background included work as a military jet engineer at General Electric, contributing to the development of

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on su ...

engines.

Political career

Gatto was a politician of the Republican Party. He was first elected to the

in 2002 and took office in 2003. He served as Chair of the Military & Veterans' Affairs Special Committee, and was a member of the Judiciary Committee, State Affairs Committee, Administrative Regulation Review Committee and the Legislative Council. He also served on the Military & Veterans' Affairs, Natural Resources and the Revenue Finance Subcommittees, for the 26th Legislature. Gatto received several awards in recognition of his service, including the Defender of Democracy Award (2004), the Frontiersman's Most Trusted Elected Official (2006), and Ag Legislator of the Year (2007). Governor

Sean Parnell Sean Randall Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014.

credited him for his dedication to education, veterans' issues, and public safety. In 2011, Gatto introduced a bill in the Alaska House of Representatives that aimed to restrict the collective bargaining rights of many public employees. The proposed legislation would have limited bargaining to wages only, removing the ability to negotiate over hours, benefits, and working conditions. Firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians were exempted from the bill, as they are legally barred from striking under Alaska law. Gatto stated that the bill was modeled on similar legislation passed in Wisconsin earlier that year and said it was intended to help curb state spending.

Later life

Gatto was married to Cathy and had four children: Kip, Antonia, Samantha and Gabriel. Gatto died on April 10, 2012, in Seattle, after suffering from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

References

External links

Alaska State House Majority Site

Project Vote Smart profile

Carl Gatto
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gatto, Carl 1937 births 2012 deaths San Jose State University alumni Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature Northern Arizona University alumni People from Palmer, Alaska University of Alaska Anchorage alumni Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States Health professionals from New York City Politicians from New York City Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Brooklyn Technical High School alumni