Senator Dean G. Skelos
Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Pedro Espada, Jr.
In office June 24, 2008 – December 31, 2008
Preceded by	Joseph Bruno
Succeeded by	Malcolm Smith
Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office January 7, 2009 – December 31, 2010
Preceded by	Malcolm Smith
Succeeded by	John L. Sampson
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office June 24, 2008 – December 31, 2008
Preceded by	Joseph Bruno
Succeeded by	Malcolm Smith
Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office January, 1995 – June 24, 2008
Leader	Joseph Bruno
Member of the New York Senate from the 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January, 1985
Preceded by	Carol Berman
Personal details
Born	(1948-02-16) February 16, 1948 (age 64) Rockville Centre, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Gail Skelos
Residence	Rockville Centre, New York
Occupation	Attorney

Dean G. Skelos (born February 16, 1948^[1]) is an American politician and the Republican Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate. Skelos represents District 9 in the State Senate, which comprises the southwest region of Nassau County.^[2] He is the second Long Islander to hold the position of Majority Leader, following Ralph J. Marino.

Early life[link]

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.

Early political career[link]

New York State Assembly[link]

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.

New York State Senate[link]

1982[link]

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.

The 9th Senate District today includes the city of Long Beach, the villages of Rockville Centre, Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Island Park, Lawrence, Lynbrook, Malverne, Valley Stream, and Woodsburgh, and the hamlets of Baldwin, Barnum Island, Elmont, Franklin Square, Hewlett, Inwood, North Valley Stream, Oceanside, West Hempstead, and Woodmere.^[2]

1984[link]

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).

1986[link]

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.

In the Senate[link]

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.

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.

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

He was Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate from 1995 to 2008, and Majority Leader in 2008 after the resignation of Joseph Bruno.

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

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.

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

See also[link]

• 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis

Notes[link]

1. ^ New York Library Association: Sen. Dean Skelos (R-NY 9th District) biography
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.nyssenate9.com/9/DistrictMap.aspx

External links[link]

• New York State Senate: Dean G. Skelos official website
• Official Campaign Website
• Senator Skelos on Facebook
• Dean Skelos could be the guy to save local GOP. Newsday.com.
• NY State Sen. Skelos wants to set standard for drug-testing students by Heather Fletcher. Long Island Business News. 2005-05-06.

v t e Current elected and appointed statewide political officials of New York U.S. Senate Chuck Schumer Kirsten Gillibrand State government Andrew Cuomo, Governor Robert Duffy, Lieutenant Governor Eric Schneiderman, Attorney General Thomas DiNapoli, Comptroller Senate Dean Skelos, Temporary President/Majority Leader John L. Sampson, Minority Leader Assembly Sheldon Silver, Speaker Ronald Canestrari, Majority Leader Brian Kolb, Minority Leader Court of Appeals (appointed) Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick Victoria Graffeo Susan Phillips Read Robert Smith Eugene Pigott, Jr. Theodore Jones AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

v t e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of New York Governors G. Clinton Jay G. Clinton Lewis Tompkins Tayler D. Clinton Yates D. Clinton Pitcher Van Buren Throop Marcy Seward Bouck Wright Young Fish Hunt Seymour Clark King Morgan Seymour Fenton Hoffman J. Adams Dix Tilden Robinson Cornell Cleveland Hill Flower Morton Black T. Roosevelt Odell Higgins Hughes White J. Alden Dix Sulzer Glynn Whitman Smith Miller Smith F. Roosevelt Lehman Poletti Dewey Harriman Rockefeller Wilson Carey M. Cuomo Pataki Spitzer Paterson A. Cuomo Lieutenant Governors Van Cortlandt S. Van Rensselaer J. Van Rensselaer Broome Tayler Clinton Tayler Swift Tayler Root Tallmadge Pitcher P. Livingston Dayan Throop Stebbins Oliver E. Livingston Tracy Bradish Dickinson Gardiner Lester Fish Patterson Church Raymond Selden Campbell Floyd-Jones Alvord Woodford Beach Robinson Dorsheimer Hoskins Hill McCarthy Jones Sheehan Saxton Woodruff Higgins Bruce Raines Chanler White Cobb Conway Glynn Wagner Schoeneck Walker Wood Lusk Lunn Lowman Corning Lehman Bray Poletti Hanley Wallace Hanley Moore Wicks Mahoney DeLuca Wilson Anderson Krupsak Cuomo DelBello Anderson Lundine McCaughey Donohue Paterson Bruno Skelos Smith Espada Ravitch Smith Ravitch Duffy Italics indicate acting officeholders

v t e Presidents pro tempore/Majority Leaders of the New York State Senate Robertson • McCarthy • vacant • McCarthy • Pitts • Fassett • Cantor • Saxton • O'Connor • Ellsworth • Raines • Allds • Cobb • Wagner • Wagner/Murtaugh • Brown • Walters • Lusk • Walker • Knight • Fearon • Dunnigan • Pitcher • Hanley • Feinberg • Wicks • Mahoney • Zaretzki • Brydges • Anderson • Marino • Bruno • Skelos • Smith • Espada/Skelos • Leadership crisis • Smith/Espada • Skelos