 Spano's father Leonard ran for public office in 1967, employing his son Nicholas in door-to-door campaigning.After losing in 1967, Leonard became a county legislator in 1971, an office he held until 1993 when he was elected to the job of Westchester county clerk.Nicholas Spano grew up in Yonkers as the oldest of 16 children of Leonard and Josephine Spano; He is a graduate of St. Peter's Elementary School in Yonkers and Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.