Paul Tonko
Encyclopedia
Paul David Tonko is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in the heart of the Capital District
(which includes Albany
, Schenectady and Troy
). He previously represented the 105th District in the New York Assembly from 1983 to 2007.
Tonko was president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
, from 2007 until his resignation on April 25, 2008.
, near Schenectady. He holds a degree in Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering
from Clarkson University
.
Tonko was a member, and subsequently Chair, of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors
. He also worked at that time as an engineer in private business.
in addition to Rotterdam
, Princetown
, Mohawk
and Glen
, and part of Schenectady.
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.
Tonko vacated his seat on June 29, 2007, after Gov. Eliot Spitzer
tapped Tonko as president of NYSERDA, an authority
or public benefit corporation created in 1975 by the New York State Legislature.
, a position he held since 1992. Tonko was also a member of standing committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Education, where he was the original sponsor and a chief proponent of the College Tuition Savings Program that was signed into law in 1997.
, especially New York energy law
. In March 2011, the Albany Times Union published a op-ed
essay by Tonko about clean energy.
Tonko entered the 2008 Democratic Primary for New York State's 21st Congressional District after 10-term incumbent Michael McNulty (with whom he served in the State Assembly from 1983 to 1989) decided to retire. Despite having less money than both his main rivals, Tonko won the primary on September 9, 2008 with a plurality of 40% of the vote. He ran against Republican James Buhrmaster, a Schenectady County
legislator, in the general election.
The 21st is the most Democratic district in the state outside of the New York City area and Western New York
. Democrats have a large advantage in registration. As such, it was generally believed Tonko had assured himself of a seat in Congress with his victory in the primary.
His Republican opponent, Jim Buhrmaster, launched an ad campaign calling Tonko "Taxin' Tonko," a reference to the over 400 votes Tonko made as a member of the Assembly to raise taxes.
On November 4, 2008, he won in a landslide, with over 60% of the total vote. "Tonko's name recognition ... accomplishment in the Legislature, such as the passage of mental health parity legislation, and his record" contributed to his win. According to preliminary figures the day after the election, he beat Burhmaster by 105,313 to 57,086, with Philip Steck, a minor party candidate, receiving 5,025 votes.
2010
In 2010, Tonko ran for re-election on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Party lines. He was challenged by Republican and Conservative Party nominee Ted Danz, a former United States Navy Reservist and small business owner in the cooling and heating business. Congressional Quarterly
rated the race as "Safe" for the incumbent party to keep the seat. Tonko raised almost $980,000, and spent almost $780,000 on his campaign; Danz raised about $44,000 and spent about $42,000 for his own campaign. The seat was rated by The New York Times
as being "Solid Democratic" with "99.8 %" to "100 % chance" that Tonko would win the seat. The major issues in the 2010 race were Tonko's "yes" votes for the Health Care Bill, the Stimulus Package (ARRA
), and the Energy Bill. The Albany Times Union endorsed Tonko in that race, citing "a way of thinking and speaking like the engineer that he once was" and his support of the economic stimulus bill and health care bills.
Tonko won the general election on November 2, 2010, by a vote of 124,889 to 85,752.
technologies, which would benefit GE in his district.He also wanted to create a research program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in power generation systems that convert heat into energy. In 2010, Tonko got a provision in a House-passed bill, following the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, to prevent future spills and help small businesses in spill research. In 2011, he sponsored an amendment seeking to protect the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate carbon emissions.
He is strongly against expanding the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income earners. Among other key votes, he voted for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
, Obamacare
, Cap and Trade
, and Obama's stimulus package
. He voted against the Republican's budget.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in the heart of the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
(which includes Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, Schenectady and Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
). He previously represented the 105th District in the New York Assembly from 1983 to 2007.
Tonko was president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority , established in 1975, is a public benefit corporation, located in Albany, New York, with regional offices in NYC, Buffalo, and West Valley....
, from 2007 until his resignation on April 25, 2008.
Early life, education, and early career
Tonko is a lifelong resident of Amsterdam, New YorkAmsterdam (city), New York
Amsterdam is a city located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,620. The name is derived from the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands....
, near Schenectady. He holds a degree in Mechanical
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and Industrial Engineering
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
from Clarkson University
Clarkson University
-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
.
Tonko was a member, and subsequently Chair, of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...
. He also worked at that time as an engineer in private business.
New York Assembly (1983-2007)
He represented the 105th District, which comprises AmsterdamAmsterdam (city), New York
Amsterdam is a city located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,620. The name is derived from the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands....
in addition to Rotterdam
Rotterdam (town), New York
Rotterdam is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 28,316 at the 2000 census.The town of Rotterdam is in the south-central part of the county. It was founded by Dutch settlers, who named it after the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where many emigrants last...
, Princetown
Princetown, New York
Princetown is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 2,132 at the 2000 census.The Town of Princetown is in the central part of the county, west of the City of Schenectady.-Geography:...
, Mohawk
Mohawk, Montgomery County, New York
Mohawk is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 3,844 at the 2010 census.The Town of Mohawk is on the north border of the county, west of the City of Amsterdam.The county seat, Fonda is in Mohawk.- History :...
and Glen
Glen, New York
Glen is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 2,507 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Jacob S.Glen, an early landowner....
, and part of Schenectady.
Elections
Incumbent Democrat Assemblywoman Gail Shaffer resigned from her seat to become the New York Secretary of State. Tonko ran for the seat in an April 1983 special election against Republican Eugene Hallock, and won with 54% of the vote. He won re-election 15 more times. He never won re-election with less than 62% of the vote.Tenure
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
Northeast Dairy Compact
The Northeast [Interstate] Dairy Compact was an interstate compact created by the New England states and approved by Congress, most recently in , § 147 , the purpose of which was to regulate the wholesale price of fluid milk in the member states and take other actions to preserve the economic...
, the Chairman of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, and was appointed by Speaker Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
to serve as Commissioner for the Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
Heritage Corridor Commission.
Tonko vacated his seat on June 29, 2007, after Gov. Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
tapped Tonko as president of NYSERDA, an authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
or public benefit corporation created in 1975 by the New York State Legislature.
Committee assignments
While in the Assembly, Tonko served as the Chairman of the Energy CommitteeNew York energy law
New York energy law is the statutory and common law of the state of New York concerning the policy, conservation, and utilities involved in energy, along with its regulation and taxation.-Energy Law :...
, a position he held since 1992. Tonko was also a member of standing committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Education, where he was the original sponsor and a chief proponent of the College Tuition Savings Program that was signed into law in 1997.
CEO of NYSERDA (2007-2008)
Tonko was President and CEO of NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) from 2007 to 2008, when he resigned to run for U.S. Representative. Due to his experience as an engineer, as chair of the Assembly Energy Committee, and as CEO of NYSERDA, he is considered an expert in energy lawEnergy law
Energy laws govern the use and taxation of energy, both renewable and non-renewable. These laws are the primary authorities related to energy...
, especially New York energy law
New York energy law
New York energy law is the statutory and common law of the state of New York concerning the policy, conservation, and utilities involved in energy, along with its regulation and taxation.-Energy Law :...
. In March 2011, the Albany Times Union published a op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
essay by Tonko about clean energy.
Elections
2008Tonko entered the 2008 Democratic Primary for New York State's 21st Congressional District after 10-term incumbent Michael McNulty (with whom he served in the State Assembly from 1983 to 1989) decided to retire. Despite having less money than both his main rivals, Tonko won the primary on September 9, 2008 with a plurality of 40% of the vote. He ran against Republican James Buhrmaster, a Schenectady County
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
legislator, in the general election.
The 21st is the most Democratic district in the state outside of the New York City area and Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
. Democrats have a large advantage in registration. As such, it was generally believed Tonko had assured himself of a seat in Congress with his victory in the primary.
His Republican opponent, Jim Buhrmaster, launched an ad campaign calling Tonko "Taxin' Tonko," a reference to the over 400 votes Tonko made as a member of the Assembly to raise taxes.
On November 4, 2008, he won in a landslide, with over 60% of the total vote. "Tonko's name recognition ... accomplishment in the Legislature, such as the passage of mental health parity legislation, and his record" contributed to his win. According to preliminary figures the day after the election, he beat Burhmaster by 105,313 to 57,086, with Philip Steck, a minor party candidate, receiving 5,025 votes.
2010
In 2010, Tonko ran for re-election on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Party lines. He was challenged by Republican and Conservative Party nominee Ted Danz, a former United States Navy Reservist and small business owner in the cooling and heating business. Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
rated the race as "Safe" for the incumbent party to keep the seat. Tonko raised almost $980,000, and spent almost $780,000 on his campaign; Danz raised about $44,000 and spent about $42,000 for his own campaign. The seat was rated by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as being "Solid Democratic" with "99.8 %" to "100 % chance" that Tonko would win the seat. The major issues in the 2010 race were Tonko's "yes" votes for the Health Care Bill, the Stimulus Package (ARRA
Arra
Arra is a census town in Puruliya district in the state of West Bengal, India.-Demographics: India census, Arra had a population of 19,911. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Arra has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the...
), and the Energy Bill. The Albany Times Union endorsed Tonko in that race, citing "a way of thinking and speaking like the engineer that he once was" and his support of the economic stimulus bill and health care bills.
Tonko won the general election on November 2, 2010, by a vote of 124,889 to 85,752.
Tenure
He sponsored a bill to get $800 million research program in wind energyWind energy
Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
technologies, which would benefit GE in his district.He also wanted to create a research program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in power generation systems that convert heat into energy. In 2010, Tonko got a provision in a House-passed bill, following the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, to prevent future spills and help small businesses in spill research. In 2011, he sponsored an amendment seeking to protect the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate carbon emissions.
He is strongly against expanding the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income earners. Among other key votes, he voted for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 is a landmark federal statute that establishes a legal process for ending the Don't ask, don't tell policy , which since 1993 prevented openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the United States Armed Forces.The Act did not immediately repeal the...
, Obamacare
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
, Cap and Trade
American Clean Energy and Security Act
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme...
, and Obama's stimulus package
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. He voted against the Republican's budget.
Committee assignments
- Committee on the BudgetUnited States House Committee on the BudgetThe U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
- Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
External links
- Congressman Paul D. Tonko official U.S. House site
- Paul Tonko for Congress official campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography from New Energy New York