George A. Amedore Jr. (born April 2, 1969)[1] is an American homebuilder, businessman, and Republican politician. Amedore formerly represented the 46th district in the New York State Senate. The district encompasses all of Montgomery and Greene Counties and portions of Schenectady, Albany, and Ulster Counties.
George Amedore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 46th district | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – December 31, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Cecilia Tkaczyk |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Hinchey |
| In office January 1, 2013 – January 23, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Neil Breslin |
| Succeeded by | Cecilia Tkaczyk |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 105th district | |
| In office July 2007 – December 31, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Tonko |
| Succeeded by | Kieran Lalor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1969[1] Niskayuna, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joelle[2] |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Residence(s) | Rotterdam, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Profession | Homebuilder |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
From 2007 to 2013, Amedore represented the 105th District in the New York State Assembly. At the time, this district included all of Montgomery County and part of Schenectady County.
Early life and career edit
Amedore was born and raised in Schenectady County. As of 2011, he was Vice President of Amedore Homes,[3] a business founded in 1974 by his father, George Amedore, Sr.[4] In 2007, Amedore and his family business were "featured on ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover -- Home Edition"[5] when they "brought together dozens of subcontractors to build a 3,600-square-foot home at no cost" for a local family.[6]
New York State Assembly edit
Amedore was first elected to the State Assembly on July 31, 2007[3] in a special election to fill a vacancy[7] created by Paul Tonko's appointment by Governor Eliot Spitzer to lead the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.[8] Amedore ran against Democrat Ed Kosiur, a Schenectady County legislator.[8]
Amedore was re-elected to the Assembly in 2008 and 2010, defeating Democrats Mark Blanchfield[9] and Angelo Santabarbara,[10] respectively.
New York State Senate edit
Rather than seeking re-election to the Assembly in 2012, Amedore chose to run for the New York State Senate in District 46. The district was a newly drawn district stretching from Montgomery County to Ulster County. Although there were more registered Democrats than Republicans in the district, Amedore was initially favored because he had represented the entire northern portion of the district for five years.[citation needed]
Amedore trailed Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk on election night, but legal action by Amedore forced a judge to monitor the counting of 6,000 provisional and absentee ballots. The judge threw out 450 votes, enough to give Amedore a 37-vote lead. Amedore was certified as the winner and filed his oath of office in January. However, Tkaczyk appealed, contending that since the ballots were primarily in Democratic-leaning areas, she could potentially win if they were all counted.[11] Eventually, a court ordered 99 ballots in Ulster, Albany, and Greene counties opened. Tkaczyk picked up enough votes in the opened ballots to take an 18-vote lead. Amedore conceded the race on January 18. At the time, according to the Albany Times Union, Amedore was the shortest-tenured senator in the modern history of that chamber.[12]
Amedore ran against then-incumbent Senator Tkaczyk in the 2014 elections and won.[13] He was re-elected in 2016, defeating challenger Sara Niccoli by a wide margin.[14] He again won reelection in 2018.[15]
Prior to Democrats taking the majority, Amedore served as Chair of the Senate Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee and the Senate Technology and Innovation Task Force. He also served as Co-Chair of the Heroin Task Force.[16]
Amedore received the 2019 Oil Slick Award from Environmental Advocates for what they deemed to be his consistently-poor environmental record.[17]
In November 2019, Amedore announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2020.[18]
Personal edit
Amedore resides in Rotterdam, New York with his wife Joelle. The Amedores have three children: George, Anthony, and Bria. Amedore is a Christian.[19] As of 2011, Amedore was a member of Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church in Schenectady.[3]
Election results edit
- July 2007 special election, NYS Assembly, 105th AD[20]
- November 2008 general election, NYS Assembly, 105th AD[21]
- November 2010 general election, NYS Assembly, 105th AD[22]
- November 2012 general election, NYS Senate, 46th SD[23]
- November 2014 general election, NYS Senate, 46th SD[24]
- November 2016 general election, NYS Senate, 46th SD[25]
- November 2018 general election, NYS Senate, 46th SD[15]
References edit
- ^ a b c "State Assembly: George Amedore (R), District 105". Capitol Info. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Assembly Member George Amedore Jr. (NY)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Assembly District 105, George Amedore: Biography". New York State Assembly. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "About Us". Amedore Homes. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Kyle Hughes (September 7, 2012). "Protesters decry out-of-district contributions to NY Senate candidate George Amedore (video)". DailyFreeman.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ ""Extreme Makeover" home almost done". Albany Business Journal. March 8, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "Major Upset for Democrats: Amedore Wins Special Election". News10.com. August 1, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Nelson, Paul (July 24, 2007). "Amedore rejects gay marriage". Times Union. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Munger Jr., Edward (November 5, 2008). "Amedore turns back Blanchfield". Daily Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Stanforth, Lauren (October 31, 2012). "Outside funds fuel Assembly races". Times Union. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Vielkind, Jimmy; November 27, Capitol bureau on; PM, 2012 at 11:32 (28 November 2012). "Heading to court, Amedore up 111 after objections". Capitol Confidential.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Vielkind, Jimmy (18 January 2013). "It's Tkaczyk by just 18 votes". Times Union.
- ^ Ariel Zangla (November 5, 2014). "46th NY Senate District: George Amedore ousts Cecilia Tkaczyk". DailyFreeman.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "46th NY Senate District: Amedore easily defeats Niccoli". Daily Freeman. November 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 46 Race - Nov 06, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
- ^ "About George A. Amedore, Jr". NY State Senate.
- ^ Williams, Stephen (October 8, 2019). "Environmental group: Amedore has worst record in Senate". Daily Gazette.
- ^ Cropley, John (November 29, 2019). "George Amedore won't seek re-election to state Senate in 2020". Daily Gazette. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Kyle Hughes (January 1, 2015). "George Amedore takes oath of office; vows to fight for upstate communities' fair share". Troy Record. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "Special Election Results, 105th Assembly District: July 31, 2007" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "General Election Results, State Assembly: November 4, 2008" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "General Election Results, State Assembly: November 2, 2010" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. December 13, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "General Election Results, State Assembly: November 2, 2012" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. December 13, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "General Election Results, State Assembly: November 4, 2014" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. December 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 46 Race - Nov 08, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.