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Dean G. Skelos is an American politician, the New York State Senate's Republican Majority Leader, and President Pro Tem of the Senate. In addition to his role as New York State's Senate Majority Leader, he also is serving as acting Lieutenant Governor of New York. Skelos represents District 9 in the State Senate, which comprises Elmont, Rockville Centre, Malverne, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Lawrence, and other towns in southwest Nassau County. He is the second Long Islander to hold the position of Majority Leader, following Ralph J. Marino.

[edit] Early political Career

[edit] New York State Assembly

Dean Skelos first won elective office on November 4, 1980. Skelos, running on the Republican, Conservative and Right-to-Life party lines defeated Democratic and Liberal party candidate Peter S. Kilcommons, Jr. by a 64% to 36% margin (30,749 to 17,371), to win election in the vacant 19th Assembly District representing Nassau County. The New York State Assembly seat became vacant when incumbent Assemblyman Raymond J. McGrath decided to run for an open seat in the United States House of Representatives due to the retirement of nine-term incumbent John W. Wydler.

[edit] New York State Senate

[edit] 1982

After one term in the Assembly, Skelos gave up his seat to challenge incumbent Democratic-Liberal New York State Senator Carol Berman. The 1982 reapportionment changed the boundaries of the 9th Senate District, which previously included parts of Nassau and Queens County. The new district, drawn by Senate Republicans, was now entirely within Nassau County and favored Republicans. Skelos was endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. Berman, running on the Democratic and Liberal party lines won the race by 6,108 votes (55,504 to 49,396). Matthew Doyle, the Right-to-Life party candidate, received 2,520 votes in the three-way race.

[edit] 1984

In 1984, Skelos challenged Berman in a rematch. This time, Skelos, who had President Ronald Reagan visit the district and campaign for him, defeated Berman in a two-way race. Skelos won 50.7% to 49.3% (67,834 to 65,875).

[edit] 1986

In 1986, Carol Berman challenged Skelos in their third consecutive state senate contest. Skelos, running on the Republican and Conservative party lines defeated the Democratic-Liberal candidate Berman in a three-way race, winning 53% of the vote (49,761) to 43.7% (41,005). Right-to-Life party candidate, Joan McDermott received 3.2% (2,967) of the vote.

[edit] In the Senate

Senator Skelos previously served as Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate from 1995 to 2008. He also served as the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee before stepping down from that post after ten years. While serving as chairman Skelos was credited with authoring the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program (EPIC), which assists senior citizens in defraying the cost of prescription drugs.

Senator Skelos was also instrumental in the passage of the Sex Offender Registration Act, also known as Megan's Law, which mandated that convicted sex offenders register with local law enforcement authorities and that local communities be apprised of the presence of all known sex offenders.

As Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Breast Cancer and Pesticides, Senator Skelos helped to draft the Health Research Science Law, which established a Pesticide Registry within New York State.

Intimately involved in events in Long Island, he is also credited with creating the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.

In 1993, Senator Skelos was appointed as Chairman of the Task Force on Economic Recovery and Job Development.

In 1998, he was appointed by then-Governor George Pataki to sit on the four-member Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Program Review Board.

Since 1989, Senator Skelos has been Co-Chairman of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Apportionment, a position that requires he and his colleagues to redraw the boundaries of Assembly, Senate, and congressional districts within New York State.

Senator Skelos has been a member of the board of directors of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation since 1998, as well as a member of the National Conference of State Legislators and National Conference of Insurance Legislators.

Skelos graduated from Washington College with a B.A. in History in 1970, and earned a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1975.

In addition to his service in the New York State Senate, he is also counsel to Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C.

[edit] External links

• Senator Dean Skelos Official State Senate website.
• Dean Skelos could be the guy to save local GOP
• Official Campaign Website
• NY State Sen. Skelos wants to set standard for drug-testing student

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v • d • e Current elected and appointed statewide political officials of New York U.S. Senate Chuck Schumer · Hillary Rodham Clinton State government David Paterson, Governor · vacant, Lieutenant Governor · Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General · Thomas DiNapoli, Comptroller Senate Dean Skelos, Majority Leader · Malcolm Smith, Minority Leader Assembly Sheldon Silver, Speaker · Ronald Canestrari, Majority Leader · James Tedisco, Assembly Minority Leader Court of Appeals (appointed) Judith Kaye, Chief Justice · Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick · Robert Smith · Victoria Graffeo · Susan Phillips Read · Eugene Pigott, Jr. · Theodore Jones