Paul Tonko
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Paul Tonko represents District 105 in the New York State Assembly, which is comprised of the City of Amsterdam in addition to Rotterdam, Princetown, Mohawk and Glen, among other communities located in Upstate New York, including portions of the City of Schenectady.
First elected in April of 1983, Tonko currently serves as the Chairman of the Energy Committee-a position he has held since 1992-as well as a member of standing committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Education, where he has been a chief proponent of the College Tuition Savings Program, which was signed into law in 1997.
Assemblyman Tonko has also been a chief sponsor of the Northeast Dairy Compact, the Chairman of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, and was appointed by Speaker Sheldon Silver to serve as Commissioner for the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission.
Prior to his service in the New York State Assembly Tonko was a member-and subsequently Chair-of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. At 26, he was the youngest individual ever to be elected to that legislative body.
Tonko holds a degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from from Clarkson University.