Paul Tonko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paul Tonko, born June 18, 1949, served in the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 2007, representing the 105th Assembly District. He was the president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority from 2007 until his resignation on April 25, 2008. [1]

Elected to New York State Assembly in April of 1983, Tonko vacated his seat on June 29, 2007, after Gov. Eliot Spitzer tapped Tonko as president of the authority, a public benefit corporation created in 1975 by the New York State Legislature.

Tonko, a Democrat, represented the 105th District, comprising 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.

While in the Assembly, Tonko served as the Chairman of the Energy Committee, a position he held since 1992. Tonko was also a member of standing committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Education, where he was a chief proponent of the College Tuition Savings Program that was signed into law in 1997. Tonko was also the major advocate of "Timothy's Law" to require Health Insurers to cover mental illness.

Assemblyman Tonko was 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 until 2003, when Brian S. Cechnicki was elected at the age of 21. Tonko remained the youngest elected Supervisor from the City of Amsterdam, until 2007 when Karl Baia was elected at the age of 25.

Tonko holds a degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from Clarkson University.