Mike Cole
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- This article is about the New York Politician, for other Mike Coles, see Michael Cole (disambiguation)
Mike Cole is a New York State Assemblyman representing the 142nd District, covering portions of Erie and Niagara Counties. He is a Republican, who was first elected to the Assembly during a special election in May of 2006, gaining close to 70 percent of the vote. Mike currently serves on the Tourism, Arts and Sports Development Committee, Higher Education Committee, Local Governments Committee, and Government Operations Committee. He is also the ranking member of the Ethics and Guidance Committee.
Mike was elected to his first full term as an Assemblyman on November 7, 2006, defeating Democratic challenger Laura Monte with nearly 57 percent of the vote. Prior to serving in the Assembly, Assemblyman Cole served as both a councilman and supervisor in the Town of Alden, NY. Cole currently resides in Alden, New York with his wife, Lori, and two daughters, Emily and Allison.
In 2007, Cole was formally censured by New York State Assembly. He admitted to drinking excessively with a student intern and then spending the night in her apartment with her. These actions were direct violations of the Assembly policy against fraternization with student interns. The intern additionally lost her position [1][2]. Additionally, Cole was removed as the Ranking Republican on the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, was barred from the Assembly Intern Program and lost the rights and priveledges otherwise due to him per his seniority [3].
This has been criticized by news sources, such as the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper, New York Post, as a partisan move by Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver because Democratic Legislature members, such as Diane Gordon (who is under under indictment for soliciting a $500,000 bribe), Brian McLaughlin (who is under indictment for racketeering, embezzlement and fraud) [4], Clarence Norman Jr. (who was convicted in three separate trials on felony larceny and corruption charges; sentenced to two to six years in prison, pending an appeal), and Gloria Davis, (who pleaded guilty in 2003 to bribery and served two months on Rikers Island) are under investigation for (with the exception of Davis) felony criminal offenses, yet Speaker Silver chose to censure Cole, for an incident in which he broke no law. [5]
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| Preceded by Sandra Lee Wirth |
New York State Assembly, 142nd District 2006 – present |
Incumbent |
