NY's 24th

Arcuri sworn in to Congress as Democrats take control

UTICA — Several times during the swearing-in ceremony of the 110th Congress on Wednesday, Michael Arcuri leaned over and whispered in his 12-year-old daughter Dominique's ear: “This is history.”

When Dominique and her 15-year-old brother C.J. read in their history books about Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., being installed as the first female speaker of the House, they hopefully will remember the excitement of the day, said Arcuri, D-Utica, by phone from Washington, D.C.

And then there's that other piece of history — their dad. Arcuri described the moment he took his oath as electric.

“To be there for a period to see the first woman become Speaker of the House,” he said, “it had real significance.”