It was a good night for Republicans, Tuesday, July 31, as their candidate George Amedore Jr. won the seat for 105th state Assembly district.
Democrat Paul Tonko had held the seat for 25 years, but left his post in July to take a position as president of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
It’s been a hell of a long 25 years, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, said, following Amedore’s 13,666 to 10,855 win over Schenectady County Legislator Ed Kosiur.
Amedore built his campaign around the fact that he was not a politician and would bring new ideas to Albany. The homebuilder drew national attention this past winter when ABC-TV’s `Extreme Makeover: Home Edition` broadcast the rebuilding of a Colonie home, with Amedore Homes playing a key role.
`This is not about me, George Amedore, wanting to become an Assemblyman. I am not a politician, I am a businessman,` he said. `What I plan on doing as your Assemblyman is to roll up my sleeves, get my hands dirty and serve the people.`
Amedore beat his Democratic opponent, who is from Schenectady, by about 1,150 votes in Schenectady County.
Kosiur thanked all of his supporters and volunteers who had gathered in Schenectady for the final results. Kosiur said he knew Schenectady County would be split, but counted on the backing of Tonko to win in Montgomery County, something that didn’t happen.
`We will continue to work cooperatively with George to make sure positive things happen in Schenectady County,` he said.
The seat will be up for election again in 2008, and Kosiur said he plans to run again. Amedore has vowed to never vote for any tax increases and plans to work to put a cap on property taxes. He has a plan to create jobs and bring new businesses into Montgomery and Schenectady counties with his I-90W Jobs Plan.
`I will dedicate my time, talents and everything I have into bringing what the people of the 105th Assembly district need, and what they need is the opportunity that so many other residents of the Capital District have, which is economic growth and jobs,` Amedore said.
Amedore also has a plan to make life easier for seniors, and has developed a comprehensive approach to manage criminals and sex offenders.
Rotterdam Supervisor Steven Tommasone said he was happy to have someone like Amedore fighting for his community in state government.
`I think this is outstanding,` he said. `It is an indication that people in this area are looking for a change.`
Rotterdam Town Councilman John Mertz said, `This is going to be really good for the town to have someone we know who will work with us on projects and not criticize everything we do.`
Although the extra Republican seat won’t make much of a difference in the heavily controlled Democratic Assembly, Republicans who gathered at the Roman Villa in Rotterdam viewed the win as the beginning of change.
`This is a big win for the Republican Party for Jim and the rest of the Republicans,` Amedore’s campaign manager Brian Nevin said, referring to Tedisco. `This shows that the Republicans are making a comeback and we can win in even the most Democratic places.`
Amedore spent the last 36 hours of the race marathon campaigning overnight hitting each of the towns in the district, which includes all of Montgomery County and the majority of Schenectady County.
He thanked all of his friends, family and various supporters who knocked on doors right up until polls closed at 9 p.m.
Tedisco, who put a lot of his own resources into Amedore’s campaign, said he was happy for the people of the 105th Assembly District and for the Republican Party, which many said was dead in New York.
`We wanted to find the best Assembly candidate and we did that in George,` he said. “
