SENATOR THOMAS F. O’MARA
Thomas F. O'Mara was elected to represent New York State’s 53rd Senate District on November 2, 2010. His
district covers all of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates counties, and a portion of Tompkins County (the city
and town of Ithaca, and the towns of Enfield, Newfield and Ulysses). At the beginning of the 2011 legislative
session, Senator O'Mara was appointed chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Elections by Senate Majority
Leader Dean G. Skelos. He was also appointed to serve as a member on the following 9 Senate committees:
Agriculture; Banks; Civil Service and Pensions; Codes; Consumer Protection; Energy and Telecommunications;
Environmental Conservation; Ethics; and Judiciary. He has also been named as one of five state senators serving on
the joint, bipartisan Legislative Commission on the Development of Rural Resources. Prior to his Senate election,
he represented the 137th Assembly District. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2004 and represented Chemung
and Schuyler counties as well as part of Tioga County for three consecutive, two-year terms. Senator O’Mara has
been outspoken in his opposition to the out-of-control spending in Albany and a diehard advocate for cutting waste
in government, particularly in the state's burgeoning system of Medicaid. As Chairman of the Assembly Republican
Task Force on Medicaid Waste, Fraud and Abuse, for example, he has examined ways to manage care, improve
disease management and utilize cutting-edge data mining technology to save potentially billions of taxpayer dollars
that are being lost to waste, fraud and abuse. Throughout his public service, Senator O’Mara has been guided by a
long-held belief that “Government does not create jobs, business does.” That's why he’s focused on developing
public policies and strategies that allow state government to improve the economic climate for doing business in
New York by opposing tax increases, reducing state spending, overregulation and oppressive property taxes.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN BARBARA S. LIFTON
Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton represents the 125th Assembly District, which includes all of Tompkins County,
the City of Cortland and the towns of Cortlandville and Virgil in Cortland County. Ms. Lifton was first elected in
2002 and is now starting her fifth term. She received a B.A. in English, with certification to teach Secondary
English, in 1973 and a M.A. in English in 1985, both from SUNY Geneseo. She taught high school English at
Geneseo Central School from 1976 until 1982 and in Ithaca schools from 1985 until 1988. Ms. Lifton was also a
member of the New York State United Teachers, the Ithaca Teachers Association, the PTA and the Ithaca Hockey
Boosters. Ms. Lifton served as Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Marty Luster for fourteen years. She was a long-time
member of the steering committee of the Tompkins County Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. Lifton co-founded
the Coalition for Community Unity in 1998 to combat hate groups. She served for two years on the
Cornell/Community Waste Management Committee and was a member of the Ithaca Area Health Care Network. As
a former teacher, Lifton makes education a priority, both PreK-12, as well as higher education. Lifton continues to
push for implementation of the CFE decision to get new funding and reform to our PreK-12 schools, and fights for
state support for all college students, and especially for SUNY campuses. She has also devoted significant time to
legislation and advocacy dealing with the issue of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. She has worked on other issues
of importance to women and families, including daycare, healthcare, and, notably, in the 2010 session, the licensing
of midwives.
ASSEMBLYMAN CLIFFORD W. CROUCH
In November 2004, Assemblyman Crouch was elected to the 107th Assembly District for his fifth full two-year
term. He was first elected to the Assembly in November 1995 following the resignation of Clarence Rappleyea. As
a graduate from Unadilla High School in 1963, Assemblyman Crouch went on to Cornell University and graduated
in 1965 with an AAS Degree in Dairy Science. He was owner and operator of a 350 acre, 180-head dairy farm from
1967 to 1989. Assemblyman Crouch’s Assembly Committees include Economic Development, Job Creation,
Commerce and Industry, Labor, Government Operations, and he is the Ranking Minority Member on the Agriculture
Committee. In 2003, Assemblyman Crouch was appointed Chairman of the Assembly Minority Agricultural Task
Force on the "State of Agriculture". He has held numerous task force hearings around the state and will continue in
the coming years. During his first year in office, Assemblyman Crouch sponsored several bills, one of which was An
Act to Amend the Education Law in Relation to the Use of Absentee Ballots by School Districts, which was signed
into law by Governor Pataki. He has also co-sponsored and multi-sponsored numerous other bills, as well as several
Assembly Resolutions during his tenure. As an advocate for common sense in government, Assemblyman Crouch
uses this approach to help those throughout his District in Chenango, Delaware, Ulster and Broome Counties, as well
as those who do not reside in his District. Assemblyman Crouch has been a staunch supporter of budget reform and
mandate relief in order to help relieve the tax burden at the local level. Cliff is always willing to listen, is open to any
suggestions, comments, and will help his constituents to the best of his ability.
SENATOR MICHAEL F. NOZZOLIO
Senator Nozzolio was born and raised in Seneca Falls, the son of Anna and Albert F. Nozzolio. Senator Nozzolio
and his wife, Rosemary, live in the Town of Fayette in Seneca County. Educated in local schools, he earned a
Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations, and a Master's degree in Public Administration and Agricultural Economics
from Cornell University. Senator Nozzolio also earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College
of Law. Senator Nozzolio currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction
Committee. He is also a member of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, which
have jurisdiction over the State budget and all legislation before the State Senate. He is also the senior Senator
representing the Monroe County delegation in the New York State Senate. Prior to his election to the New York
State Senate, Senator Nozzolio served for 10 years in the New York State Assembly representing Cayuga, Seneca
and Wayne Counties. During his tenure in the Assembly, he was chosen to serve as Deputy Minority Leader. At the
time, he was the youngest State legislator ever elected from his region. In 2008, Senator Nozzolio was honored by
the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services with the group’s “Public Policy Leadership Award”
for sponsoring legislation to mandate alternative prison housing and treatment for prisoners with psychiatric
disabilities, making prisons safer for inmates and correctional officers. He was also named Legislator of the Year by
the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis in recognition of his service and support of individuals with
autism and other developmental disabilities.