James Tedisco

James Tedisco (born July 15, 1950 [http://capwiz.com/cvmha/bio/?id=6913] ) represents District 110 in the New York State Assembly, which consists of portions of the city of Schenectady, as well as the City of Saratoga Springs, Ballston, Galway, Milton, and Glenville, among other communities located in Upstate New York. In 2006, he ran on the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party lines.

Elected in 1982 to replace retiring Assemblyman Clark Wemple, Tedisco currently serves as Minority Leader within the Assembly, a position he has held since November 2005.

Prior to his election to the Assembly he served as a member of the Schenectady City Council, and was the youngest such member to be elected to that body. As a freshman member of the Assembly minority Tedisco was chosen as the Ranking Minority Member on the Committee on Children and Families and Chairman of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Missing Children. His work on the issue of missing children led him to author a book entitled "Missing Children: A psychological approach to understanding the causes and consequences of stranger and non-stranger abduction of children", which was published in 1996.

From 1973-1982 Tedisco worked as a guidance counselor, varsity basketball coach, and athletic director at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, subsequent to which he served as a special education teacher, resource room instructor, and varsity basketball coach at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar.

Tedisco has been a frequent critic of Governor Eliot Spitzer, In October 2007 he charged that Spitzer had cut funding for health and education programs in the Schenectady area in retaliation for Tedisco's opposition to the Spitzer plan to give New York State driver's licenses to illegal immigrants [http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/spitzer_1252204___article.html/tedisco_governor.html] On November 14, 2007, Spitzer conceded defeat on the license issue. [http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=126495] Tedisco called the reversal "a tremendous victory for our constituents." Additionally, when Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring surfaced in March of 2008, Tedisco called for the Governor's resignation, and threatened impeachment if he did not.cite web
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/nyregion/11cnd-spitzer.html?hp
url = http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1035862420080310
title = NY Assembly Minority leader says Gov should resign
author = Reuters
date = 2008-03-10
accessdate = 2008-03-10]

Tedisco holds a B.A. in Psychology from Union College and a graduate degree in Special Education from the College of Saint Rose.

References

External links

* [http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=110 New York State Assembly Official Member Website]
* [http://www.jimtedisco.com/PRMathandScience6.28.06.doc Tedisco funds Math and Science education initiatives]
* [http://www.voteforjobsnewyork.com/reportcard/details.cfm?ID=AS110&Year=2005 James Tedisco-Legislative Report Card-The Business Council of New York State, Inc.]
* [http://www.gorr.state.ny.us/tedisco.html Assemblyman Jim Tedisco on the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform]
* [http://www.legislativegazette.com/publishers_corner.php?pcid=76 Tedisco is fearless in politics and basketball]
* [http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/9/2/39818.html Press release praising Tedisco's criticism of China's human rights record]
* [http://www.ncaa.org/releases/awards/1996112601AW.HTM NCAA Silver Anniversary Award Recipients Are Announced]