Know Your Representatives

By Mary A. Crisafulli

It is important to know who your representation is when having concerns about government proposals. State and federal representatives are elected by the people to, as the name eludes, represent those people when making decisions such as adjusting or developing legislation. Representation is dependent on where you live, hopefully, the below information will help you in determining who your representative is.

NY State Senate

The New York State Senate is the higher house of the legislative branch of government. Representatives are responsible for development of laws and the state budget. The Senate is also responsible for supporting or denying appointed officials by the governor. There are 63 senate members elected for two-year terms.

All of Delaware, Schoharie, and parts of Otsego County including Cherry Valley and Roseboom are located in New York Senate District 51 with Senator Peter Oberacker. Oberacker is a member of the Republican party.

Oberacker has a district office at 41 South Main Street in Oneonta. He can be reached at the Oneonta office at 607-432-5524. Oberacker also has an office in Albany at 188 State Street in the Legislative Office Building room 506. He can be reached at the Albany office by calling 518-4553131. Oberacker's email address is oberacker@nysenate.gov.

Oberacker's Chief of Staff Ron Wheeler can be reached at 607-432-5524 or rowheeler@nysenate.gov. Oberacker's Communications Director Jeff Bishop can be reached at 607-432-5524 or jbishop@nysenate.gov.

For more information on Oberacker's initiatives visit nysenate.gov/senators/peter-oberacker

All of Green County is located in New York Senate District 41 with Senator Michelle Hinchey. Hinchey is a member of the Democratic party.

Hinchey has an office in Albany at 198 State Street Legislative Office Building Room 902. She can be reached at the Albany office by calling 518-455-2350. Hinchey has a district office at 721 Broadway Suite 150 in Kingston. She can be reached at the Kingston office by calling 845-311-3810. Hinchey can also be reached by email at hinchey@nysenate.gov.

for more information on Hinchey's initiatives visit https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/michelle-hinchey

If you are still confused about who your NY Senate representation is, visit nysenate.gov click "find your senator" and type in your street address.

NY State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the legislative branch of government. Representatives work with the governor to create laws and develop the state budget. There are 150 assembly members elected for two-year terms.

The eastern half of Delaware County, all of Schoharie and Green counties, parts of Ulster County including Shandaken, and parts of Otsego County including Cherry Vally and Roseboom are located in the 102nd Assembly District with Assemblymember Chris Tague. Tague is a member of the Republican party.

Tague has an office in Albany at the Legislative Office Building 937 he can be reached here by calling 518-455-5363. He has two district offices, one at 45 Five Mile Woods Road Suite 3 in Catskill with phone number 518-943-1371. His second district office is located at 113 Park Place Suite 6 in Schoharie with phone number 518-295-7250. Tague can be reached by email at taguec@nyassembly.gov.

For more information on Tague's initiatives visit assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Chris-Tague

If you are still confused about who your State Assembly is, visit assembly.state.ny.us click "Who is my Assemblymember" and type in your street address.

Governor

The New York State governor represents the executive branch of state government. The governor of NY is currently Kathy Hochul who is a member of the Democratic Party. The governor is the head of the state government. The position is responsible for the implementation of state laws, overseeing state operations, revision of policies, and development of budgets. The governor has the power to veto legislative branch proposals and can make executive orders that surpass state legislature approval to take effect. The governor is also responsible for appointing many officials including judges.

The governor's office can be reached at 518-474-8390 during hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. or by mail at The Honorable Kathy Hochul Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224. You can also email the Governor through the online system by visiting governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form.

For more information on Governor Kathy Hochul's initiatives visit governor.ny.gov

United States House of Representatives

The US House of Representatives makes up one portion of the US Congress a part of the Legislative Branch of government. The House is responsible for taking action on proposed bills, resolutions, amendments, and more through a voting process that requires a majority to pass. For legislation to pass both the House and Senate must pass a majority vote. The House holds sole power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the president in case of an electoral college tie. The House is made up of State Congress Members who are elected for a two-year term to varying districts in their home state that are developed using census data.

All of Greene County and most of Delaware County are located in the 19th Congressional District with Congressman Marcus Molinaro. This includes the towns of Delhi, Stamford, Roxbury, Andes, Harpersfield, Kortright, and Davenport. Molinaro is a member of the Republican Party.

Molinaro has several office locations throughout the state and one in Washington DC. The Greene County office is located at 49 Gilfeather Park Road Unit 1 in Leeds the office number is 518-625-2100. Molinaro's Delaware County office is located at 661 West Main Street in Hancock with no phone number listed. To email or request a meeting with Molinaro visit molinaro.house.gov/contact. For more information on Molinaro's initiatives visit molinaro.house.gov

All of Schoharie County and parts of Otsego County including Cherry Valley and Roseboom are located in the 21st Congressional District with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. Stefanik is a member of the Republican Party.

Stefanik has four office locations in Plattsburgh, East Greenbush, Herkimer, and Ogdensburg. The East Greenbush office is located at 99 Troy Road with phone number 518-242-4707. The Herkimer does not have a listed address but the phone number is 315-219-8005.

To email or request a meeting with Stefanik visit stefanik.house.gov/email-me. For more information on Stefanik's initiatives visit stefanik.house.gov.

If you are still unsure of who your Congress representative is visit house.gov and enter your zip code in the upper right corner.

United States Senate

The United States Senate makes up the second portion of the US Congress as a part of the Legislative Branch of government. There are two United States senators for each state that are elected for a six-year term. The Senate is responsible for taking action on proposed bills, resolutions, amendments, and more through a voting process that requires a two-thirds majority. For legislation to pass both the House and Senate must pass a majority vote. The Senate also holds the power to confirm presidential appointments. The Senate tries impeachment cases for federal officials.

New York Senators are Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand both of the Democratic Party with offices in Washington DC.

Gillibrand, whose hometown is Albany, can be reached at 202-224-4451. To email Gillibrand visit gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/email-me. For more information on Gillibrand's initiatives visit gillibrand.senate.gov.

Schumer, whose hometown is Brooklyn, can be reached at 202-224-6542. To email Schumer visit schumer.senate.gov/contact/message-chuck. For more on Schumer's initiatives visit schumer.senate.gov.